Macao China

Only two weeks ago, China's ambitious dreams of turning this frigid northern Manchurian village into an international ski resort were on a steep slope to disaster. It had not snowed since November. The ski runs on Upside-Down-Pot Mountain were bare earth and rock. Officials feared that they would be forced to cancel the ski competition in this week's 3rd Asian Winter Games, showcase of China's fledgling ski tourism industry.

Less-than-serious pottery pieces have been made for centuries. Small figurines made to attract tourists, for example, have been sold at fairs and shops since the early 1800s. The best known are "fairings," which often had a title on the front explaining the joke of the piece. A small figurine might portray a woman in bed watching a man carrying a baby, with the title, "Twelve months after marriage." Porcelain pieces that collectors call "flip-overs" exhibit an even more-subtle type of humor.

Here along the coast of South China, one can feel the looming presence of a great power struggling to be born. It is a commercial and military giant that would have the population, natural resources, nuclear weapons and scientific talent of China, the trading skills and financial prowess of Hong Kong, the capital reserves and manufacturing techniques of Taiwan.