Viral Alarm   The expression 勝利衝昏頭腦 shènglì chōnghūn tóunǎo — ‘dizzy with success’ should be familiar to anyone who knows about the folies de grandeur of the Stalino-Maoist era (c.1927-1977). As part of the First Five Year Plan of the Soviet Union, from the late 1920s, Stalin supported forced collectivisation in the belief that agriculture production would increase dramatically.… Read

Other People’s Thoughts is a section in the Journal of the China Heritage site. It is inspired by a compilation of quotations put together by Simon Leys (Pierre Ryckmans), one of our Ancestors, during his reading life.… Read

The Other China 詩言志   In early February 2023, the calligrapher and cultural commentator Liu Chan 劉蟾, whose work features in The Other China, republished a handwritten version of ‘The Orange Tree’ 橘頌 jú sòng, one of the Nine Pieces 九章 jiǔ zhāng in Songs of the South 楚辭 Chǔ cí, an ancient collection of poems attributed to Qu Yuan 屈原.… Read

Viral Alarm   Viral Alarm is the title of China Heritage Annual 2020. That series focussed on the COVID-19/ Coronavirus/ Wuhan Influenza epi- / pandemic and its significance both in China as well as in China in the world.… Read

Xi Jinping’s Empire of Tedium Chapter XXIV, Part One 楓橋   The calendar of China bristles with anniversaries marking significant historical events and political moments. Every year is one of some significance and 2023 is no different.… Read

Xi Jinping’s Empire of Tedium Appendix XXXIV 水中撈月   The 28th January 2023 marks the Seventh Day of the First Lunar Month of the guimao Year of the Rabbit. In China, ‘The Seventh of the First’ 正月初七 is celebrated as ‘The Festival of Humanity’ 人日節 rén rì jié.… Read