Empires of Tedium
親敵背盟戰無休
天選之子有奇謀
川皇如今罵不得
像是明日蒞神州
‘Befriending enemies, betraying allies in tireless war,
the Chosen One then came up with a canny ploy:
Since it’s now verboten to slag off King Trump,
looks like he’s about to visit our Holy Land’.… Read
‘Reviving from my drunken state, the spring has left me in its wake.’ — paintings and poems by Lao Shu
The Other China
Lao Shu 老樹, the nom de plume of Liu Shuyong (劉樹勇, 1962-) is a Beijing-based artist, writer and critic whose works are featured in The Other China.… Read
A National Suicide Pact — pity about allies, family and friends
Contra Trump
禮崩樂壞
We share the pathologies of all dying empires with their mixture of buffoonery, rampant corruption, military fiascos, economic collapse and savage state repression.
— Chris Hedges, quoted in Death Wish — Promises Made, Promises Kept, 16 February 2026
***
A renowned journalist, writer, commentator and broadcaster, Chris Hedges has featured in China Heritage over the years, as well as in our Contra Trump — America’s Empire of Tedium series, which we launched on the eve of the 2024 Presidential Election.… Read
Hungary and China, 1956 & 2026
Seeds of Fire 40th Anniversary
香花和毒草的辯證法
Ruszkik haza! — “Russians Go Home!” — the Hungarian chant from 1956 echoing through the streets of Budapest following Victor Orbán’s crushing electoral defeat on 12 April 2026.… Read
Lying Flat on May Fourth 2026
Seeds of Fire 40th Anniversary
舊啟蒙、新蒙蔽
China’s annual Youth Festival 青年節 falls on the 4th of May. It commemorates a mass student demonstration in Beijing on 4 May 1919 and marks a historical turning point in China’s modern political and social history.… Read
The Zealot and the Pretender — Dasheng’s Calligraphic Comments on Current Affairs (III)
The Other China
又双叒叕
Liu Chan 劉蟾, who also goes by the pen name Dasheng 大生, is a writer, scholar and calligrapher. Born in Shaanxi, he lives in Beijing where he edits The Chinese Study 中國書房.… Read

