It’s a Mad Mad 90th Anniversary
A "Mad Men" guide to 90 years of the Chinese Communist Party [Read More...]
History
The significance of singing ‘Red Songs’
Does singing “Red Songs” really mean a new revival of the old Party spirit? Or is it something that has been happening all along but makes for easy headlines with Bo Xilai’s recent Chongqing campaign and the CPC anniversary just around the corner? A Guest Post by Zhang Yajun. [Read More...]
Mao more than ever: On the legacy of Mao and the moonbat denunciations of Mao Yushi (no relation)
When lunatic Mao worshipers collide with history, wacky hilarity ensues. [Read More...]
Zhou Enlai, the Qingming Festival, and the spring demonstrations of 1976
Is our lasting image of Zhou Enlai to be the smooth, urbane diplomat showing up for talks in Geneva in a tailored-suit, silk tie, and a fedora, exchanging quips about the French Revolution? Or will it be the Zhou Enlai standing on top of Tiananmen with a red armband and a little red book, screeching in a high-pitched hysterical frenzy, “Long Live Chairman Mao!” as hordes of fanatical teenagers chant in the square and the Chairman looks on in approval? [Read More...]
Envy and Antipathy: Chinese historical attitudes toward Japan
The roots of modern day attitudes toward Japan in China have roots dating back over a century, characterized by a mix of envy and antipathy. [Read More...]
Google is the new opium
There are days when the state media in China just [Read More...]
Sun Yat-sen versus Barack Obama: The Breakdown
2011 is the 100th anniversary of the Wuchang Uprising, which Sun Yat-sen had nothing to do with, but that won't stop me from making cross-century historical comparisons with another Third Culture Kid turned politician, Barack Obama. [Read More...]
City Journal: If you’re going to bash Beijing, at least pretend like you actually sent somebody to visit…
Um, Summer Palace? Lama Temple? Temple of Heaven? I'm not saying the Beijing Municipal Government are paragons of historic preservation, but Jesus...open a f-----g copy of Fodors why don't you? [Read More...]
Sovereignty and Suzerainty
In a commentary in the Financial Times today, [Read More...]
Bad History: China’s Economic Policies and the Opium War
This is a longish post… A long time ago, [Read More...]
The Korean War and Xi Jinping
A few months ago I wrote a post about the Korean [Read More...]
The Mao Row: Zhang Tielin, Citizenship, and Patriotic Movie Making
It’s amazing what people will choose to [Read More...]
The Burning of the Yuanmingyuan: 150 Years Later
150 years ago this month, troops from an [Read More...]
Hong Xiuquan vs. Jim Morrison: The Taiping Lizard King?
On twitter last week, Shanghai-based author and [Read More...]
Aftershock and the legacy of the 1976 Tangshan Earthquake
Feng Xiaogang’s new movie 唐山大地震 [Read More...]