Moral Vacuum in China? It’s nothing new, as Pearl Buck’s Pavillion of Women will attest to, but it may require rethinking the family
Is there a moral vacuum in modern China? It’s easy to wonder in a country where, during Chinese New Year, the most common greeting is “æå–œå‘è´¢” (congratulations on getting rich). While perhaps what Ted Koppel has dubbed the “People’s Republic of Capitalism“, and its fixation on wealth accumulation, may have a hand in it, this […]
China-foreigner relationships: it gets complicated when you’re sleeping with the enemy – Book Review of Pearl Buck’s Patriot
In a perfect world, being an international couple would be as glamorous as a James Bond movie. You would spend your days intermingling your world in different languages, swept away by the fascinating customs of your partner’s country, and have the benefit of dual citizenship and a jet-setting lifestyle. It would be nice, wouldn’t it? […]
Dragon Seed – a China story for tough economic times
Well, everyone, it’s the year of the Ox — fittingly, in these economic times, a year of getting back to basics, simplifying, and making progress through hard work and sweat. Perhaps then, days such as these, there is nothing more comforting than literature that not only understands us, but uplifts us with the resilience of […]
Buck’s East Wind: West Wind: The feminist side of the Good Earth, where foreign women married Chinese men, long before it was cool
I’m a huge fan of Pearl Buck. From the moment I opened the “House of Earth” trilogy — which includes “The Good Earth”, “Sons” and “A House Divided” — I was hooked, and devoured every word passionately. But yet, there was always one part of the book I found heartbreaking, perhaps for personal reasons. In […]
More Beijing than just Babes: Book Review of Foreign Babes in Beijing
Let’s clear up a few things first. Despite the title of Foreign Babes in Beijing — and the suggestive picture of a foreign girl in a sultry little silk black dress, fishnet hose and stilettos, towering over what seems to be her Chinese hotel fling for the evening — this is not a book about […]
A very red summer reading list: books on marketing and business in China
In the spirit of “summer reading list” frenzy that signals the start of the season, I’m jumping on the bandwagon. Interested in learning more about business and marketing in China? Here’s a peek into what’s on my list for this summer and beyond. 1. One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business […]
Book Review: Mr. China by Tim Clissold
Mr. China: A Memoir is a book for all of us who have ever longed to “crack” the China market and Chinese culture — and come out as the ultimate “Old China Hand”. “But in the end, it’s an illusion” states the author Tim Clissold of this pursuit. He should know — he’s gotten about […]