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…
Religions in China
The state of religions in China post-Mao is a rather opaque area. Two recent books shed some much-needed light. The Souls of China: The Return…
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Revisiting 1965 Through New Records
The Albatross File Inside Separation edited by Susan Sim, 2025. Late last year, in Dec 2025, a trove of secret documents on the negotiations between…
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Leadership Lessons from the Goh Era
Goh Chok Tong was Singapore’s 2nd Prime Minister, from 1990 to 2004. Impressions of the Goh Chok Tong Years in Singapore (2009) is the definitive…
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The Babas—Part 4
The Baba community is loosely referred to as Peranakan Chinese in Malaysia. The Babas in Malaysia started with immigrant Chinese from China (who, during the…
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The Babas—Part 3
In October 2025, the Malaysian government officially recognized the Baba Nyonya community as a distinct ethnic group, allowing members to have “Baba Nyonya” listed as…
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Sun Yat-sen in Penang
No. 120 Armenian Street is the site of the Sun Yat-sen Museum. This is because the shop here was the Nanyang Headquarters of Sun Yat-sen.…
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Penang, Muntri Street and Sun Yat Sen—Part 2
It is a joy to walk the lanes of Penang’s UNESCO area on a Sunday morning. The traffic is less. The crowd has yet to…
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Penang and Mews—Part 1
Penang has charming mews hotels like Muntri Mews and Noordin Mews inside its UNESCO heritage area. Last 31 May 2025, we had a nice brewed…
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Christmas Crackers—Part 1
Mention the words “Christmas crackers,” and the name that comes to mind is John Julius Norwich. This is because for over 50 years, he has…
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The Land of the Firebird
Pre-revolutionary Russia had produced some of the most inspiring art, literature, dance, and music the world has ever known. Why has that disappeared? Why is…
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