Professor Nicolas van de Walle kicked off this semester’s series of Rose Cafes with a talk on government and economic prosperity. I enjoyed hearing about his experiences working for the UN in Tunisia and Cameroon, and how he observed corruption for many years before he was allowed to speak of such matters within the UN. Professor van de Walle emphasized how he believes democracy, short terms for leaders, and free press are key to minimizing government corruption and thus allowing the possibility of prosperity. As a student focusing on culture and healing practices in China, Professor van de Walle particularly piqued my interest when he sighted China as the one example that contradicts his theory. As Professor van de Walle spoke of communist practices coexisting with prosperity, I thought to how ancient Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) practices are coexisting with modernization. I think it is worth delving deeper into understanding what drives these dualities.