Foreigners often misunderstand how China works. Let"s look at educa-tion, for example: Many foreign teachers think that the Chinese edu-cation system inhibits creativity because it focuses on rote learning and memorization. I totally disagree. As an American who has gone through U.S. and Russian educational systems all the way through graduate school and beyond, I cannot criticize the discipline of memorizing information. To be knowl-edgeable, it is necessary to have an internal foundation of facts, as well as the ability to apply those facts to think creatively.