Ian Johnson is a former Wall Street Journal reporter who won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the persecution of Falun Gong adherents in China. His new book is The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao (Pantheon, 2017).

On the surface, Japan is the miracle of Asia. Recovering from the destruction of World War II, the country rebuilt itself into the third-largest economy in the world, known for its high-quality products and vibrant and influential culture. Bright signs light up the busy city centers, the antiseptically clean subways are always punctual, and the Japanese people politely welcome foreigners.

TAIPEI, Taiwan—In a dark suit and clerical collar, pastor Peter Wu stood at the pulpit and motioned for 50 congregants gathered in a basement sanctuary to join him in prayer. He prayed for wisdom and boldness for anyone returning to their hometowns that weekend to celebrate Tomb Sweeping festival, a Chinese holiday venerating one’s ancestors.

Plumes of smoke now regularly rise above the coastal town of Marawi in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao as ISIS-linked gunmen clash with the Philippine army in an attempt to establish a wilayah or province of the Islamic State. For the past month, the sound of machine-gun fire and explosions from Philippine air force bombers rang out in the nearly empty streets, as most of the city’s 200,000 residents have fled.

Growing up, visits to the Chinese medicine doctor were as familiar to me as trips to the orthodontist or pediatrician. The office in a Chinese-majority suburb of Los Angeles reeked of pungent herbal curatives, and the wheelchair-bound doctor would check my tongue, feel my pulse, and ask a strangely specific question like, “Did you wake up with a runny nose last Wednesday?” Somehow, he’d always be right.

Little Victories: Perfect Rules for Imperfect Living

Jason Gay

TAIPEI, Taiwan, and SAPPORO, Japan—At 9 a.m., the Shuanglian street market overwhelms the senses: the smell of rice cakes sizzling on iron griddles, the sounds of colloquial Taiwanese as old women haggle over the price of fresh pumpkin, and an arresting assortment of fruits. Deep orange persimmons, green guavas, and rosy apples compete for attention. While a steady stream of shoppers pick up the day’s groceries, the real crowds are a block away inside Mackay Memorial Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Taiwan.