Mao the scholar
Most people are under the impression that Mao is a coarse and illiterate leader, perhaps because of his round and big Hunan facial features. That…
A critical analysis of Mao’s achievements – Part 3
The Long March began with many defeats for the Reds. The Troika struggled to come up with a strategic plan for retreat. In January 1935,…
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Scandinavian tour and fairytales
Of the four Scandinavian countries I toured last Sep 2025, arguably the most scenic is Norway with its magnificent fjords. Finland, Denmark, and Sweden pale…
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A critical analysis of Mao’s achievements – Part 2
Thongdao, an obscure town in southern Hunan, is where Mao started in December 1934 to play a prominent role in the ultimate victory over the…
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A critical analysis of Mao’s achievements – Part 1
Why is Mao revered and celebrated by so many when he is responsible for the “two political disasters” of the Great Leap Forward and the…
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How China Escaped the Poverty Trap
This 2016 book won two book prizes. It had been hailed as game-changing in its economic analysis of China from 1978 to 2016. Deng Xiaoping…
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China and Japan – Part 2
Japanese culture and arts only grew after absorbing Chinese traditions via Korea and China from 600 to 838 AD. Absorption was the most during the…
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The Rain, the Books, and the Boy in Pudu
Lazy Sundays, rainy afternoons. I recall fondly my lazy and quiet Sunday afternoons of my tender years between the ages of 4 to 6. In…
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Memoirs of Old China
I love reading memoirs of lives in China in days long gone. Here are two gems. One is by an American lady who went to…
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The Tibet Question
What’s the origin of the conflict between the 14th Dalai Lama and China? What is the history of the relationships between Tibet and the Mongols…
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When The Red Gates Opened – Part 1
Unless you are Arundhati Roy, whose memoir on her relationship with her difficult but distinguished mom, ‘Mother Mary Comes to Me’ (published 2025), was reviewed…
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