The title is striking. It seizes your attention. “Embrace” means to take up readily or gladly, like “embrace a cause.” In the book “Embracing Defeat”…
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Category: Uncategorized
Matsuo Basho and The Three Kingdoms
Below is a note I sent on Christmas Day, 25 Dec 2011, to my lawyers from Mount Fuji, Japan, while on tour. Merry Christmas from…
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China and Japan – Part 1
Emperor Hirohito’s surrender speech, delivered on August 15, 1945, over the radio, was in classical Japanese that was heavily influenced by classical Chinese, especially in…
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Buddhism in China – Part 2
During and post-Mao Under Mao, all religions, including Buddhism, were regarded as “feudal superstitions.” After Mao died, Deng Xiaoping allowed the restoration of religious sites…
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Buddhism in China – Part 1
Post-Western Encroachments Faced with the threat of the British and French taking territory by force, making China strong became a major concern of the Qing court…
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Majie – Part 4
The origins of Majie The phenomenon of women in Kwangtung who chose not to marry and sailed to Malaya to work as amahs has its…
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Majie – Part 3
The majie (as called in Nanyang) is a continuation of the Chinese women’s tradition of devotion to care and providing for her parents. The term…
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Majie – Part 2
I recall a majie frequently visiting my maternal grandma when I was young in the 1970s. She would visit, I think, on Sundays. They met…
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China under Mao – Part 2
Was Mao essential to the CCP’s victory over Chiang Kai-shek? The Long March was not a glorious trek to avoid encirclement by CKS as presented…
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Majie – Part 1
Majie, in Cantonese, means “mother and sister.” The term refers to unmarried women who migrated from a small locale in Guangdong, China, to work as…
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