Of course, a man who writes stories cannot help having his own views. For instance, as to why I wrote, I still felt as I had a dozen years earlier, that I should write in the hope of enlightening my people, for humanity, and of the need to better it. I detested the old habit of describing fiction as “entertainment,” and regarded “art for art’s sake” as simply another name for passing the time. So my themes were usually the unfortunates in this abnormal society. My aim was to expose the disease and draw attention to it so that it might be cured.
—Lu Xun, “How I Came to Write Stories“
April 22, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Cool site.
April 29, 2007 at 11:56 pm
Thanks!
July 9, 2007 at 9:01 am
Gut!
July 15, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Interesting…
September 20, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Terrific site.
Noticed you linked to my site, The China Desk.
Thanks!
I’ll add a link to your site too.
Keep up the good work.
Bevin
October 3, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Thanks for adding me to your blogroll
February 22, 2008 at 12:08 am
We have enjoyed your site and followed your writing. Fantastic job.
We have opened a great place in New Brunswick NJ would love to have you over anytime. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Thank you for your time.
Tarek
April 29, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I wrote this you might find it interesting.
CHINA – AN HISTORIAN’S VIEW
by Kevin McKern
May 20, 2007
The China story is one of the most amazing tales of our time. From the incredible turmoil of civil war and war with Japan arose a Marxist State that bemused boomers like myself as we pondered the “Great Leap Forward” and the famine that followed, the happy smiles of contented workers on model farms and iconic images of millions of Chinese waiving the “little red book” on the television.
Real GDP per capita grew 17% in the Sixties, 70% in the Seventies, 63% in the turbulent Eighties and 175% in the Nineties. While this development has been concentrated in the coastal and southern provinces, efforts have been made in recent years to expand the prosperity to the inner provinces and the industrial North East.
Since the start of the “China story” we often hear how it will all end badly in civil disorder or economic collapse, whereas, Jim Rogers, the commodity guru has argued that the next big correction in China will be a massive buying opportunity, for both commodities and Chinese equities.
Well then, what’s the real deal on China?
Perhaps it might be useful to consult an historian and I found a strong opinion was held by a great one, a man who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for literature and the highest award granted by the United States government to civilians, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (President Ford in 1977).
William James Durant (November 5, 1885–November 7, 1981) was an American philosopher, historian, and writer. He is best known for his authorship (and co-authorship with his wife Ariel Durant in the later volumes) of “The Story of Civilization”.
Will Durant received his doctorate in 1917 and worked as an instructor at Columbia University.
The Story of Philosophy was published in 1926 by Simon & Schuster and became a bestseller, giving the Durant’s the means to travel the world several times and allowing Will Durant to spend four decades writing the eleven volume opus “The Story of Civilization.”
This is what Durant wrote sometime in the 1920’s as he concluded his history of China and reflected on its future. (the emphasis is mine).
This nation, after three thousand years of grandeur and decay, of repeated deaths and resurrections exhibits today all the physical and mental vitality that we find in its most creative periods.
There are no people in the world more vigorous or more intelligent. No other people so adaptable to circumstance, so resistant to disease, so resilient after disaster and suffering, so trained by history to calm endurance and patient recovery. Imagination cannot describe the possibilities of a civilization mingling the physical, labor and mental resources of such a people with the technological equipment of modern industry. Very probably such wealth will be produced in China as even America has never known and once again, as so often in the past, China will lead the world in luxury and the art of life.
No victory of arms or tyranny of alien finance can long suppress a nation so rich in resources and vitality…… Within a century China will have absorbed and civilized its conquerors and will have learnt all the techniques of … industry..
Roads and communications will give her unity, economy and thrift will give her funds and a strong government will give her order and peace. Every chaos is a transition. In the end disorder cures and balances itself with dictatorship. Old obstacles are roughly cleared away and fresh growth is freed. Revolution, like death and style, is the removal of rubbish, the surgery of the superfluous; it comes only when there are many things ready to die. China has died many times before and many times she has been reborn.
The History of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage Volume One Will Durant
I conclude, therefore, that only a fool would bet against China at this point and we can therefore surmise that Rogers is correct, driven by huge structural change in the global economy – in this case the strong growth and industrialization of China, the current boom is part of a supercycle that will last for years to come.
I unconditionally recommend Will Durant’s work to readers and await the next major China correction to establish a position.
October 7, 2008 at 4:18 pm
My man we think alike! Please check out my site. We do have a lot in common. Good stuff and I like your site a lot.
October 7, 2008 at 4:18 pm
My site davidhallinvest.blogspot.com
December 4, 2008 at 1:09 am
Ah sorry, i didnt mean to offend you with my blog post, I wasnt directly referring to you, but rather to the other link that lead to a post about how American woman were abusive, and Asian women should be treated like sex toys. :/ that really pissed me off.
April 15, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Hello
I’m happy to find your blog and I wonder if we could exchange friendly links and help each other to reach a wider audience.
I have three personal blogs below with different themes, please tell me which one do you like to do the link exchange if you would like to.
Women Lifestyles Blog: about things women interested in.
http://www.style-women.com
China Fashion & Lifestyles blog: about random stuff related to China.
http://micmm.blogspot.com/
Fun Life in The Kitchen Blog：about stuff and happy cooking in the kitchen or yummy food.
http://www.kitchen-fun.com/
Best Regards;
Janey Yang
May 5, 2009 at 6:00 am
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May 5, 2009 at 3:45 pm
I am interested. Please tell me more.
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