LaoShi is an impassioned and decorated scholar of Ancient and Modern Chinese history and culture as well as contemporary politics. Cosmopolitan in background and outlook, he is nonetheless a tempered (not finatical) nationalist , but with an interest in acknowledging and confronting problems in China today (e.g. the "Let  it Rot" attitude among the young , ghost cities, the prospect of tensions with Taiwan et al.) Open to discussion, but always looking to improve quality of life in China.