Thank you again for reading What China Wants and for the excellent feedback I’ve had so far. Please do continue to send me messages and any suggestions you might have for topics you want me to cover. And if you like what you read then please share, even just with one or two people
As I said at the beginning, the purpose of this newsletter is to tell the world what China is really up to, for better or for worse. But there is more to China than the latest geopolitical intrigue.
Based on the feedback I’ve received, from now on what I’m planning to do is to send out my main post on a Tuesday, dealing with What China Wants from a geopolitical/economic/military perspective.
Then on Saturdays, I’ll send out something more on the cultural side. Ever since my first visit to China in 1996 I’ve been obsessed with the deep history and culture of China. So, here are a few highlights that I’ve enjoyed along the way.
As most of us settle into the Christmas holidays at the end of this ridiculous year I thought I’d take the opportunity to go through a few books to fill the time (or the stocking) over the next few weeks.
In the meantime Happy Christmas to you all - and I’ll see you on Tuesday when I have a piece that discusses something that really will put the cat amongst the pigeons.
Factory Girls by Leslie Chang explores the world of the millions of female Chinese migrant workers who have left their homes in rural towns to find jobs in China's cities. If you want to understand the Chinese people who have seen their lives transformed by their country’s engagement with the world then this is a good place to start. Told through the experiences of two girls, it’s a fascinating read that really illuminates the people behind the Chinese economic story.
Mr China by Tom Clissold. If you have even the smallest inkling about doing business in China you need to read this. When I talk to friends about books on working in China this is always the one that springs to their lips - probably because it’s frighteningly accurate, even today. “Mr. China tells the rollicking story of a young man who goes to China with the misguided notion that he will help bring the Chinese into the modern world, only to be schooled by the most resourceful and creative operators he would ever meet.”
The Vagrants by Yiyun Li. Chinese novels aren’t popular in the West but there are some brilliant stories out there if you look for them. The Vagrants is a good place to start as it is written by a Chinese-American and so is a bit more accessible. Here is the blurb: “In the provincial town of Muddy Waters in China, a young woman named Gu Shan is sentenced to death for her loss of faith in Communism. She is twenty-eight years old and has already spent ten years in prison. The citizens stage a protest after her death and, over the following six weeks, the town goes through uncertainty, hope, and fear until eventually the rebellion is brutally suppressed.” It sounds heavy and it is, but the characters are wonderful and the tale is one you won’t forget.
Seeking East. Whilst we are on the subject of books, I thought I’d do a shameless plug for something I published a few years ago about expat life in Hong Kong. It’s all rather different now, of course.