Dies Irae — June Fourth 2025

Xu Zhangrun Archive 送葬接續燔祭中
化作劫灰的飄緒 The Fifth Month of China’s traditional lunisolar calendar (May-June in the Gregorian tradition) includes three anniversaries — one ancient, the second international and the third a contemporary day of remembrance:
  • 端陽節 The Double Fifth Festival;
  • 兒童節 International Children’s Day; and,
  • 六四 June Fourth.
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    Billionaire Dilettantes

    Contra Trump 禍國殃民   An abiding drama of post-1949 Chinese life revolves around how political hacks, or dilettantes, have dominated people with expertise or professional knowledge in any given field. In Chinese, the disconnect is summed up in the expression 外行領導內行, ‘outsiders in charge of experts’, and for decades the Communist Party has worked to reconcile the two.… Read

    25 May 2025, Centenary of ‘The Monkey Trial’

    Contra Trump 愚民、弱民、疲民、辱民、貧民。 Ignorance and fanaticism is ever busy and needs feeding. Always it is feeding and gloating for more. — Clarence Darrow The 25th May 2025 marks the centenary of what is known as ‘The Monkey Trial’.… Read

    Why I’m Resigning

    Contra Trump 不平則鳴   On Heritage 遺 is an explanation of the rationale behind China Heritage. It features ‘Letter to Shan Tao’ 與山巨源絕交書 by Ji Kang 嵇康, one of the celebrated Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove 竹林七賢, in which Ji famously broke off a friendship for political reasons.… Read

    Other People’s Thoughts LVIII

    This is the fifty-eighth chapter in Other People’s Thoughts, a China Heritage series inspired by a compilation of quotations put together by Simon Leys (Pierre Ryckmans), one of our Ancestors, during his reading life.… Read