The claustrophobia incurred staying inside these four walls here in Beijing is heightened by the constant noise from outside; buildings 24/7, screaming kids, and above all, the guards. Guards, shouting, marching, spitting. Everybody spits here, but it still gets some getting used to see men in uniform show such a lack of propriety. It goes more than that. The need to remind oneself that we are only animals seems to be the prevailing thought here; an …showed first 75 words of 518 total…

…showed last 75 words of 518 total…Yufang," an acquaintance explained, as she began offering me a cigarette. "Precaution." Truly, more people are smoking in the belief that it will ward off SARS. As the Chinese government has admitted the true extent of the spread of the virus, all kinds of precautionary measures, some more effective than others, have come into vogue. All I know now is that I have trouble sleeping with the thought of a billion spitting all the time.