A Biography of Cao Cao
Rafe de Crespigny is an Australian sinologist, now aged 90. He specialises in the history of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. His…
A beautiful series – Story of China
This 2016 production is the best TV series on Chinese history from its beginning to the revolution in 1949. Michael Wood has presented the major…
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Leonardo and the Last Supper
Why did Judas Iscariot betray Jesus? {written on Easter Sunday 12 April 2020} The 4 Gospels each gave their own nuances. In Mark no reason…
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Ibn Battuta of Tangier
There are 3 great land travellers from ancient times. One of them is Ibn Battuta of Tangier. He started from there in 1325 and only…
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Good Friday
As I write this on Good Friday 3pm I am reading this commentary. Besides me is the Revised Standard Version {1946}. The RVS was itself…
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Interesting book – Life along the Silk Road
This is a review of the 1st edition. It is a pity the author did not have endnotes and a bibliography to support the interesting…
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Wonderful book – Emperors’ Treasures: Chinese Art from the National Palace Museum, Taipei
This is a very good book. The paper and pictures are of a very high quality. The explanation of each painting or artefact is very…
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China, different perspective
To understand China here are 2 perspectives. One American series. One British. See how the Chinese forged and are still forging their own vision of…
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By Barbara Tuchman
Barbara Tuchman is not a familiar name to most readers nowadays. But in the 1960s she was a prolific writer of history book. Some of…
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By Ted Miles
Ted Miles an American settled down in Malaya. He was a dedicated teacher. About 30 years ago NEW Sunday Times serialised his diaries of his…
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Value buy – An Illustrated Guide to 50 Masterpieces of Chinese Paintings
This is a value for money book on 50 famous Chinese paintings. Arranged chronologically one can see the evolution of Chinese paintings through the dynasties.…
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