There are three famous Buddhist grottoes in China, dating back to the dynastic era. In chronological order, you have the Mogao Caves [4th century AD],…
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Gunboat Justice v Soft Power
Douglas Clark’s magnum opus 3-volume history of Britain and American Law Courts in China and Japan is an exploration of gunboat hard power and the…
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The King James Bible and King James I – Part 5
Rereading these books, which I bought and read in 2011 for the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, due to my…
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King James I of England and VI of Scotland – Part 4
James I hated the Geneva Bible. He agreed to a new English translation on the condition that it must spread the idea of divine rule…
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King James I of England and VI of Scotland – Part 3
The King James Bible translation came about because the Puritans called for a new translation during the 2nd day of the Hampton Court Conference on…
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Temple of Heaven in Peking – Part 1
Most people, when visiting Peking, mistake an exquisite building with a pointed roof on top of three levels of blue-glazed tiles, built on a three-level…
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The Tiananmen Papers – Part 3
The Tiananmen Papers are fake documents. So asserts Alfred L Chan, [author of Xi Jin Ping, HC 2022 ed] [see p 277 Deng Xiao Ping…
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The Question of Palestine – Part 1
This was a seminal book when it first came out in 1979. More so, as its author is the well-known intellectual Edward W. Said. In…
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Coffee, Books & Literary Treasures
Two indie bookstores in KL have started and, thankfully, thrived over the past few years. Tintabudi in Plaza TTDI specialises in Islamic history and culture…
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The Tiananmen Papers – Part 2
Are the Tiananmen Papers fake? Ezra F. Vogel, in his monumental Deng Xiao Ping and the Transformation of China [2011], has the best discussion. He…
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