\Everywhere you look these days, the streets and sidewalks of Zhengzhou are covered with patches of corn kernels. It’s as if the farmers have moved their fields into the city.

I’m told it’s a convenient way to dry the kernels before they are ground into cornmeal, packaged and sold. They probably don’t advertise that the corn was lying on dirty pavement for days.

***

My students recently wrote about a person who has made a major impact on the world, or their personal life. Here are a few notable observations about some famous people:

Mother Teresa: “She worked all the time until she was 87 years old. Look through her life, we can get out that from the age of 12, she never do for herself, but only do for the pitiful people.’’

Thomas Edison: “He was in school for only three months. Because his teacher thought he was so stupid for he always came up some strangers questions which had nothing to do with his lessons.’’

Chairman Mao: “Mao led Chinese people overcome one by one difficulties and got wonderful achievements.’’

Barack Obama: “Obama has a very happy family which include two cute daughters and an excellent wife.’’

Bill Gates: “His classmates thought he was crazy, but now, they all use it (Windows.)’’

Forrest Gump: “We all know that Gump was in low intelligence, but he never be a useless man.’’

Justin Bieber: “Many people do not understand why Justin Bieber is so popular in the world.’’

One student wrote that Obama was “born in a poor village in Kenya.’’ I didn’t realize that the birthers had a branch in Zhengzhou.

***

In a verdict that had all the suspense of a Tea Party proclamation on Obamacare, former Chinese Communist honcho Bo Xilai was found guilty of taking bribes, embezzlement and abuse of power. He was sentenced to life in prison, a stark contrast to the lavish lifestyle he led before being ensnared in a scandal that included his wife’s conviction for murdering a business associate.

Bo’s trial was big news in China, where the government hopes to use his downfall as a cautionary tale for corrupt party officials. Based on my informal survey of teachers and students at Henan University of Technology, there is widespread skepticism that Bo’s case will lead to fundamental change.

“Corruption is not new in our government,’’ one teacher told me. “They are trying to make Bo look unusual, but I don’t think he is.’’

Prosecutors said Bo took $3.6 million in bribes from businessmen, including money used to buy a $3.2 million French villa. Bo blamed the extravagant spending on his wife and said he wasn’t aware of any illegal payments.

I’m pretty sure this isn’t what Karl Marx had in mind.