Then there's Liu, the computer repairman. A scrawny, shy grandfatherly type who smiles so broadly that a million wrinkles appear while his eyes light up like Christmas tree ornaments, one can sense that he is a very kindhearted soul indeed. He's also a genius at fixing computers. Because he has a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop and not much capital, this senior citizen will pedal across town to do in-house computer calls. Liu has saved my hard drive from many a near escape from virus death, and he's added extra hardware, tweaked and polished up my system so much that I haven't officially upgraded my computer in years. What does he charge? "Oh, you can pay me for my parts, plus 5 percent and buy me a plate of baozi (steamed stuffed buns). How about that?" he always says shyly.

China is full of resourceful, thrifty and creative people. The grinning, shouting men riding those rusty tricycles aren't just picking up junk. Many are "fix it" guys: They can make a warm refrigerator cool, they can take the snow out of your old TV, and they are often plumbers, electricians and jack of all trades. Their wheels may not be designer ones but their prices aren't exorbitant either. And everyone I've met has been fair and friendly to me.

If China has this innate resourcefulness I'm positive that the country has the wherewithal to solve the environmental woes that are fast besetting the nation. The amazing economic growth has created some tremendous ecological issues. Perhaps by localizing the problems and turning them over to community leaders who can access the creativity and problem-solving gifts of the resident population, surely these ecological troubles could be resolved. Yuan Fang aptly stated, "Ignoring things that have to be fixed is dangerous--they'll reach a point where even I can do nothing to help you." Let's heed her advice--China cannot afford to wait too long to clean up existing environmental problems.

The author is an American and lives and works in Beijing