The Jesuits from 1579 to 1724 mounted a sustained mission to spread Christianity to China during the reign of the Ming Wanli emperor (1563-1620) to…
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Tag: Historical China Biographies
1911 Revolution—Part 1
Dr. Sun Yat-sen has been given too much credit for the 1911 Revolution that toppled the Ching dynasty. (The Unfinished Revolution: Sun Yat-sen and the…
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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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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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A Father’s Journey that Influenced a Nation
The Life of Xi Zhong Xun by Joseph Torigian (2025) is a very interesting biography of one of the key lieutenants of Mao. He also…
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The Three Kingdoms and Chiang Kai-shek
It is a well-known fact that Chiang Kai-shek is steeped in the Chinese classics. One wonders, therefore, whether this famous quote from the Three Kingdoms…
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Reflections on Rebirth at Datai Langkawi
Datai and Tibetan Buddhism, Reincarnation, and the Dalai Lama Datai at Langkawi is a paradise for nature lovers. On the grounds, one can see the…
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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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Inside the Life of Madame Mao
Madame Mao by Ross Terrill is the only English-language biography of Jiang Qing, the last wife of Chairman Mao. First published in 1984, the one…
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