China Books

This is a wonderful book by a sensitive contemporary practitioner, a German who became a Buddhist monk in a SE Asia monastery and traveled through Tibet with his wife Li Gotami (who published a book of fascinating photographs). The author is probably best known for his "Foundations of Tibetan Buddhism" which is probably a modern classic. This book is, perhaps, more personal in nature, however. But, as I've heard Lama Govinda (Anangavajra Khamsum Wangchuk) quoted (but I don't know the source), "A religion whose ideal is only a matter of the past or the distant future has no living value for the present day." He has considerable insight into the human condition and its relation to religion and spirituality as demonstrated in some quotes from this book:

"Seriousness and a sense of humor do not exclude each other; on the contrary, they constitute and indicate the fullness and completeness of human experience and the capacity to see the relativity of all things and all `truths' and especially of our own position. The Buddha's sense of humor--which is so evident in many of his discourses--is closely bound up with his sense of compassion: both are born from an understanding of greater connections from an insight into the interrelatedness of all things and all beings and the chain reactions of cause and effect. His smile is the expression of one who can see the wondrous play of ignorance and knowledge against the universal background and its deeper meaning. Only thus is it possible not to be overpowered by the misery of the world or by our own sense of righteousness that judges and condemns what is not in accordance with our own understanding and divides the world into good and bad. A man with a sense of humour cannot but be compassionate in his heart, because his sense of proportion allows him to see things in their proper perspective. pp. 176-7.

"Events and facts become meaningful only if seen against the back¬ground of inner experience." 1970 p. xiv

"Personality consists in the power to influence others, and this power is due to consistency, harmony, and one-pointedness of character. If these qualities are present in an individual, in their highest perfection, then this individual is a fit leader of humanity, either as a ruler, a thinker, or a saint, and we recognize him as a vessel of divine power." p.297

"The Way of the White Clouds" is a truly wonderful piece of art. On my own path this has been the most significant book to open my mind and heart to what is beyond the obvious.

Govinda writes from the heart with an openness and clarity which is rare in this world. Combine this with a description of a journey of Tibet just prior to it's invasion, and you can nearly grasp the Heart of tibetan spiritual culture.

Highly recommended, I truly hope Rider/Random House get enough requests for this literary gem to be printed again.

You'll need your reading glasses, for sure, when you pick up Lama Govinda's The Way of the White Clouds because you won't want to miss one word of this marvelous text. Travel log, personal diary, and spiritual pilgrimage - I have read this book twice and will read it again. I have only loaned it out once - and only to a family member. It is that previous to me. Govinda's images of Tibet of the 40's are vivid - he takes you there. Another - much more modern - book that shares a similar place of importance on my shelf is The Blessings Already Are by John Morton. You may have to ask for it at your favorite book store as it was just recently published this year. Peace, fellow travelers.

Lama Govinda visited Tibet in times pre-chinese. His tale is of a personal character - and wonderfully so. It feels as if the author is present, when reading.
I have the book in German, purchased thru Amazon.de, and can highly recommend this to anyone who is able to read German fluently. It is, as said in the title of my review, a wonderfully poetic tale.

This book will fill you with love, compassion, warmth and dreams.It will take you on an unforgettable journey through Tibet and this in turn will urge you to follow your dreams and not just your ambitions.Its written from the heart and written beauifully.I will be reading it again and again.Having been on a 21 day journey through Ladakh, I could almost relate to the author's experience.Its a truly wonderful and I urge all of you to partake in it.Tholing and Tsaparang, here I come..

Reading the introductory first chapter I was worried that Hutton's reputation for careful analysis may have left him, as he appeared to offer an overly simple thesis and an embrace of the United States' system of government that was too uncritcal.

Thankfully that chapter is misleading as Hutton leads his readers through a detailed analysis of China's economy that is equal parts illuminating and disturbing, and begins to build explanation on his desire to see US-style enlightenment institutions develop in China, while being very open about the fact that several of those institutions are in severe decline within the USA.

Some of that coverage of the USA, its history, institutions and current situation, feels like it would have made sense as a separate book, slimming down this volume considerably and potentially making the material much more accessible for those with limited time. But the intertwined themes do make sense and the reader is considerably better placed to judge the material when we have both parts together.

At times there is certainly still a sense that Hutton is calling for a form of cultural imperialism. The merits of the institutions he outlines are clear, but they have grown out of a lengthy philosophical tradition which China does not share and it is vital that any such institutions are contextualised if they are to succeed in China.

I think it is fair to say that the conventional wisdom is that the United States and China are on a collision course. John J. Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago summarizes this point of view this way; "China and the United States are destined to clash militarily and the United States has an interest to do all it can to forestall China's becoming economically rich enough to challenge it." Author Will Hutton vehemently disagrees with this point of view. In "The Writing On The Wall" Hutton presents a methodical, logical and compelling case for the United States to pursue policies that will only encourage the continued and inevitable modernization of China. Hutton's thoughtful and convincing analysis of the situation certainly turns conventional wisdom on its head.
According to Hutton, the continued mercurial growth of the Chinese economy is simply unsustainable given the current policies being pursued by the Communists who are still in charge in China. There is simply no way that the policies and political environment favored by those who are currently in power in Beijing can mesh with the continued and sustained economic growth that China is seeking. Time and again Hutton points to the nearly total lack of what he terms "soft" infrastructure as the primary reason why current Chinese policy is doomed to failure. This rather monolithic economic system lacks such fundamental cornerstones as a legitmate banking system, a free press and the ability of workers to organize. Add to that the fact that most major industries are still SOE (state owned enterprises) and it is plain to see why the major flaws in the Chinese economy are almost certain to rear their ugly heads in the near future with potentially devasting consequences for us all. And there are a whole host of other systemic problems with the Chinese economy that time does not permit me to list here. Hutton argues vigarously that the United States and the EU should be encouraging the Chinese to move away from those policies that will ultimately hold them back.
I found "The Writing On The Wall" to be a particularly well written and equally well documented book. Will Hutton avoids a lot of technical jargon and presents his case in clear, easy to understand language. Based on my limited knowledge of China prior to reading this book I would have probably come down on the side of Professor Mearsheimer. I thought that conflict with China was a probably a foregone conclusion. But Will Hutton has convinced me of the wisdom of encouraging China to modernize and perhaps even in making some changes in the way we do business ourselves. "The Writing On The Wall" is an extremely thought provoking book and one that I can very highly recommend!

So happy this wasn't another paeon to chinese industrial invincibility like china inc. (which was ridiculously glowing bizlit).

I'm not with Hutton on all his assumptions-- such as the sweeping assertion that social mobility is decreasing in the west--huh?-- but he's honest and takes a principled, methodological approach in his analysis i like.

i will search out other hutton titles now!

As an American peasant, who has never taken a course in economics, I was curious about, What is all the todo about China? What is Chinas history that I would understand them better? How bad is the huge differential in GDP really hurting our economy? Whats the REAL chance of my job going over seas? Should I truely despise WalMart? Why don't we just with-draw all our troops, and to hell with the rest of the world?

To say Mr. Huttons book is comprehensive, is like saying the Grand Canyon is Big. He made many good points, and seemed to make alot of sense to my un-trained mind. I will definately have to re-read it again to gain the full benefit.

Did he answer all my questions? Yes and a whole lot more. I highly recommend his book to any who would ask the hard questions.

Am I now fully educated on the subject? No. But, am I now a part of the enlightenment.....definately.

This book provides an interesting description of China's many problems and offers a set of policies designed to counter what threatens to be the globe's most pressing set of conflicts. For an alternative view, see my own book The Coming China Wars: Where They Will Be Fought and How They Can Be Won

Love this book, so does my Daughter. I've read it to her hundreds of times and I still enjoy the zen-ness of this book. Great twist on an age old tale.

Beautiful pictures and simply written story. It's a great story about patience and perseverance, and the pictures keep the kids (2&3 yrs old)engaged. They want it as a bed time story ever night.

As a mother of a 2 year old who is half Tibetan, I am a ravenous consumer of children's books that relate to this culture. This is our most often read book in that collection! The simple, timeless message is presented so beautifully and in a way that is easily accessable to even very young children, yet profound enough to engage all readers. When we first started reading this book at night, my son began building "the Holy city of Lhasa" with legos and blocks and having his little people make the long journey there. It certainly has made an impact upon him!

This is a gorgeous book, with a beautiful story. My 2 year old daughter wants to read it every single night.

A beautifully illustrated book for children of all ages. My three year old and 1 yr. old both love it. The artwork is ethereal yet engaging. A must-have for any child's collection.

This book is a great addition to any elementary classroom. It is visually beautiful and a great introduction to poetry. It can also be used in art class (I use it for poetry and art) as well as a book rich with Chinese culture.

There are really no words but the text itself to describe this poetry. A wonderful way to introduce children to poetic innovation and convention all at once. Took me outside myself.

The book is designed in such a unique way that the graduated lengths of the pages enable readers
to read the entire poem from the title page. Enchanting. Children and adults are fascinated by the
composition of pictures that form a single word (or character). When they exclaimed, "Wow! These
words are so different from English." I couldn't help but add to the beautiful words of the Author
and said, "Be open to difference, Difference helps us see beauty."

The design of the book is extremely creative and artistic. The pictorial language of Chinese, besides its beauty, is thought provoking. It makes children think with imagination and ask to learn more. When a book stimulates curiosity, it translates to search for knowledge, and results in growth. It's a wonderful thing.

Rev. Marie of Rebeccasreads highly recommends BEYOND THE GREAT MOUNTAIN as Caldecott Medal winner author & artist Ed Young offers a book that will enchant adults & children alike as it transports you on a journey of words & art, to a strange & wondrous land far, far way in both time & place.

Unique & very different fare for parents & children.

I read this book when I was 19, and I still remember it vividly. It tells you about China's Cultural Revolution from the perspective of a Chinese young man. The author writes about his experiences as a witness, a perpetrator and ultimately a victim of those crazy times. He doesn't gloss over his own crimes, everything appears vivid and touchable, like you were there at the time. His fight with his father, destroying 1000-year old temples, humiliating their teachers and being humiliated themselves. Ultimately it leaves you with a sense of bitterness of the story not continuing and glad that most things have changed for the better in China. Get this book for a firsthand account of the Cultural Revolution from a perpetrator who has redeemed himself by writing about his experiences.

Gao does a wonderful job in writing a really engrossing memoir of his experiences during the Cultural Revolution. His is a story that should be told.

I was a bit surprised by other reviewers who saw this book as evidence of the stereotypical "easily-brainwashed Chinese." Such generalizations feed an overly simplistic view of history - if you read this (and other books on the Cultural Revolution) without attempting to project preconceived notions onto the characters, I think you'll find that Gao and his friends had their own reasons for their actions, and the story will seem much more rich for it.

Two things have always amazed me in people's attitudes toward dictatorships: (1) The lengths to which supporters, particularly intellectuals, of the ideology (usually state socialism) go to refute, ignore, explain or justify the brutalities occurring under those regimes. (2) Once sanity has returned, there is an utter lack of apology, self-criticism and recognition of support for such evil.

Unlike Germany, neither China nor Russia have been particularly singled out by the culturally elite, despite the recognition that both nations behaved abhorantly toward the academic and intellectual community. This was nowhere more true than in the "People's Republic". How is it possible for such an ancient culture to descend into madness on such a grand scale? But in a hermetically enclosed place and with an ideology that promoted irrationality people, and particularly youth, can be manipulated into performing awful deeds.

Yuan Gao was away at school and was swept up in a fervor that gripped a nation far worse than any religious trauma. China was turned into a nation in which every citizen was suspect unless they participated fully in the madness itself. It was something so horrible and so unbelievable that even today the subject is rarely broached. The human cost of communism is a subject that should receive more attention (but hasn't) and this story, as terrible and heart-breaking as it is, should help this lack of focus.

In the end, he did escape the madness but the horrors of those times will remain with him - and CHina - forever. It is only slowly that Mao has been transformed from a god into something approaching his true, unstable self.

Here Gao Yuan provides a personal account of the political insanity of China's Cultural Revolution, which he was swept up into as a teenager. Chairman Mao's instructions to the youths of the countryside to ferret out those who weren't "revolutionary" or "pure" enough quickly lead to the real-life "Lord of the Flies" scenario that we can see in this book. Now I'm certainly no expert on Chinese history, but Mao's attempt to lead the people to a glorious revolution through the elimination of so-called enemies hardly made the population stronger and ready to move forward to his glorious communist future. This would require teamwork and cooperation among all people. Instead the Cultural Revolution made everyone suspicious of everyone else, as people were desperate to prove how righteous they were by ferreting out class enemies. If you couldn't find any enemies, you just made them up. Whoever was the loudest and most violent won the battle, and proof went out the window.

Gao Yuan was swept up in this insanity, and in the beginning of his narrative he enjoyed proving his revolutionary zeal by "outing" the teachers at his school who supposedly were not righteous or revolutionary enough, and participated in destroying many of their careers. But Gao stopped having so much fun when the lives of his friends, his family, and finally himself were destroyed. Instead of the unified force of revolutionary youth that Mao envisioned, the logical outcome was the disintegration of the youth movement into smaller and smaller factions, who merely used Mao's instructions as an excuse to bully each other and consolidate power. Gao is not afraid to admit to his own evil acts, such as when he participated in the beating of a teenage girl, pulled a meat cleaver on his own father, or when he helped destroy a hospital, all because he was lead to believe that his politics were more righteous than everyone else's. He then watches helplessly as the countryside descends into factionalism and anarchy. Some parts of this book are quite alarming, as the youths digress into torture and warfare, and many of Gao's friends are severely injured or killed in the factional fighting.

One interesting side effect of this book is Gao's descriptions of the personality cult Chairman Mao built around himself, and how he bullied the people into worshipping him as a supreme deity. This man succeeded in making a billion people think he was a god. That's an interesting study in politics and sociology.

"Born Red" is a fascinating and horrifying book recounting one boy's experiences during the Cultural Revolution. As an American, steeped in our culture from birth, I find it is nearly impossible to truly grasp a culture that would permit the kind of reflexive parroting of official party line to take hold as it did in China (and continues today in North Korea).

The book does a fine job of painting Mao as a cult leader that succeeded in making himself a virual infallible god in the eyes of the citizenry, pushing one socialistic national program after another that were universally irrational and doomed from the get-go. The book showcases a unique traditional asian culture that promotes/permits this lemming-like following of "the leader", migrating blindly into disaster.

To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of "Born Red" is the apparently honest and heartfelt attempts by the citizenry to, at one level, mentally embrace and pursue the communist paradise promised by Mao while, at a much more personal and everyday level, actions that are more practical, rational, pragmatic, selfish, carnal, and capitalistic prevailed. In "Born Red" one sees students memorizing entire books written by Mao, formally criticizing others/themselves endlessly, and violently persecuting those that are PERCEIVED to be even one iota less than 100% loyal to the official party line (as they see it) -- all the while these same students guiltlessly steal, cheat the system, seek and peddle influence, lie, rape, even murder. The contrast is striking and impossible to reconcile.

The other horrific lesson one takes away from "Born Red" is how easily these chinese students (representative of the entire nation) could so easily be compelled to completely and quickly alter, even reverse, their allegiances and internal mindsets -- those who were enemies could, overnight, become allies; that which was wrong one day would (upon authorized dictate) be considered right the next day; a political system (Capitalism) that was seen as the greatest evil in the world would, within a decade, be officially lauded as the road to national success -- all of these flipflops seemingly being accepted by everyone without the batting of an eye or otherwise questioning the irrationality of it all. This aspect of the tale is strikingly reminiscent of Orwell's "1984".

My biggest single criticism of "Born Red" is the level of detail in which the author recounts his lifestory. Countless conversations are recalled word for word; minute details, complex sequences of events, names & places are described in apparently flawless detail in spite of the decades that have passed. I don't begrudge dramatic reconstructions "based upon factual events" but I do think they should be identified as such.

"Born Red" is a quick and easy read -- it should be manditory reading for all High School govenment or social studies classes.

This book contains four basic elements that despite the name of the book do not all deal directly with the Chinese Communist Party in power. The first element of the book deals with the political history of P'eng Shu'tse and his wife. The second deals with the theoretical differences between Stalin and Trotsky, P'eng Shu'tse and Mao Tse-tung. A third element deals with the Chinese Communist Party's rise to power. The third element then finally deals with P'eng Shu'tse's analysis of the Chinese Communist Party in power. All of these elements are important to the message of the book so I will try to cover them all briefly here.

Background, The Political History of P'eng Shu'tse

In 1911 the feudal Qing dynasty fell. It had been destroyed by years of humiliating imperialist subjugation as well as having been destroyed by its own feudal backwardness and a yearning of the people for a better society. Included in this subjugation were unfair trade policies and the British militarily enforced selling of opium to the population.

The new capitalist government, however, failed to stand up to imperialism in any meaningful way and left the feudal relations of the countryside intact. As a result, the new government also collapsed and authority disintegrated into the hands of regional warlords under the sway of competing imperialist interests.

It was during this time of chaos, in 1920, that P'eng Shu'tse joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He joined the party at a time when the total failure of capitalism in China was self-evident as was the need to end imperialist subjugation. Communism held a strong appeal in its advocacy for anti-imperialist revolution as well as for worker's power, the smashing of feudal land relations, and for the end of the subjugation of women and youth to the old patriarchal system.

In 1921 P'eng Shu'tse moved to Moscow where he attended the Communist University of the Toilers of the East until 1924. There he was elected and served as secretary of the Moscow branch of the CCP for the time he was there.

At the time of P'eng Shu'tse's attendance at the university the revolutionary government of the Soviet Union was young and had only been born four years earlier of the October 1917 revolution. The revolutionary leadership in power was the Communist Party under the leadership of Lenin and Trotsky. Joseph Stalin was part of that communist party as well, and he held some power, but he had not yet risen to the position of absolute power that he would later enjoy.

Upon P'eng Shu'tse's return to China in 1924 he published two articles in the CCP's theoretical magazine, New Youth, and the CCP's official organ, New Guide, both of which he became editor of. One was a defense of the Boxer movement of 1900 as an anti-imperialist and not an anti-foreigner movement. Another was on the nature of the coming revolution in China, where he argued that the wealthy classes of China were timid and weak and utterly incapable of leading the bourgeois anti-imperialist revolution. He pointed out that the only hope for revolution would be one led by the working class that was socialist in nature.

A year earlier Mao Tse-tung had published an article in New Guide advocating the opposite position of P'eng Shu'tse on the nature of the coming revolution. In it Mao advocated a bourgeois capitalist government and called on the unity of the merchants to help bring it about.




The Theory Of Permanent Revolution, The Koumintang, And The Interference Of Moscow

The debate between Mao Tse-tung and P'eng Shu'tse was not a new one for the socialist movement. The same debate had taken place in Russia before the 1917 revolutions. The ideas of P'eng Shu'tse dealing with the conditions of China coincided heavily with Leon Trotsky's analysis of Russian conditions written in what later became called the Theory of Permanent Revolution.

Trotsky wrote the Theory of Permanent Revolution in a Czarist jail after his experiences in the failed 1905 revolution. He saw through his experiences in the revolution that not only was the working class the only class interested and capable of carrying out the revolution; he also saw that the Russian revolution would have to be socialist to succeed.

The reasons given by Trotsky were several, but the most important being that the capitalist class would sabotage production if the workers took power. He correctly saw that the only way to have a working economy was to nationalize industry and to implement a socialist economy.

Lenin later adopted these fundamental tenants of the theory of Permanent Revolution in his famous April thesis of 1917. As a result Lenin and Trotsky's parties merged at that time to lead the socialist revolution against the Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries who since taking power in February were restarting the war with Germany on behalf of the bourgeoisie and refusing land reform and a socialist revolution.

Trotsky also explained that not only was there no need for Russia to go through a bourgeois capitalist revolution, but that the bourgeoisie was utterly incapable of leading such a revolution in Russia. He explained that the working class had developed to a point that the bourgeoisie feared revolution more than anything else because they saw that a revolution, no matter how small in its original leadership's goals, would potentially unleash the power of the working class to carry out a full socialist revolution. Thus the bourgeoisie sided with the old feudal system instead of trying to bring about their own power.

Trotsky explained this phenomenon as compared to the developments in the west, such as the the bourgeois revolution in the United States, through his theory for Russia of Combined and Uneven Development. Simply put, the technological advances of the capitalist west had become part of Russian society and had created a working class capable of overstepping the bounds of the bourgeois revolution against Czarism, making the bourgeoisie uninterested in any kind of revolution.

In Russia the Menshevik's ridiculous attempts at establishing a bourgeois government confirmed this with the bourgeois representatives they appointed trying to impose military dictatorship and hand power back to the old feudal system. Later Stalin repeated this same sort of mistake carried out by the Mensheviks in his support for the corrupt and murderous bourgeois Kuomintang in China. In fact, in Russia, Stalin had been negotiating the unity of the Menshevik and Bolshevik Parties before Lenin's arrival from exile in April.

As Stalin took the reigns of power in the Soviet Union he also exerted his influence within the Chinese Communist Party to remove P'eng Shu'tse and other like minded leaders that opposed Moscow's position of dissolving much of the CCP's work into the corrupt and brutal Kuomintang. Despite the Koumintang carrying out numerous massacres of the CCP and their worker peasant supporters, the CCP maintained this position of subjegation to the leadership of the Kuomintang from for much of the time from the late 1920's up until not long before the 1949 revolution when Chaing Kai-sheck's attacks finally forced Mao onto the road of leading the struggle for power.

Due to P'eng Shu'tse's opposition to any kind of support for the Koumintang and his defense of Trotsky and Permanent Revolution he was first stripped of his leadership position in the CCP and later completely purged with other fellow travelers. They set up their own political organization and publications. These positions in light of Chaing Kai-sheck's massacres, including his butchering of the workers of Shanghai in 1927, and Chaing Kai-sheck's failure to fight the Japanese, attracted recruits to their Trotskyist organization, but also attracted the oppression of the Kuomintang themselves.

Many of P'eng Shu'tse's comrades were jailed or executed by Chaing Kai-sheck. P'eng Shu'tse spent a number of years in prison under Chaing Kai-sheck himself and was only released after a Japanese bomber destroyed the prison he was in.

Yet while Mao and the CCP had the luxery of Soviet aid to bolster their movement by paying their full time party cadre and writers for much of the time from the 1920s to the 1949 revolution, the Trotskyist movement always stayed a lesser party despite their superior program, because they never had foreign aid. Mao was even able to make gains during the Japanese occupation while he was capitulating to the hated leadership of Chaing Kai-sheck, while at the same time the Trotskyist movement that had been mostly jailed before the Japanese invasion was paralyzed by their small size and Japanese oppression during the occupation.

After the defeat of Japan the Chinese Trotskyist group once again grew in size and was about 350 people at the time that Mao was on the verge of seizing power. Knowing they were not large enough to do much in the coming revolution, and knowing what kind of oppression other Stalinist regimes had carried out against Trotskyists in eastern Europe, the party's last meeting before the 1949 revolution made a decision that all prominent Trotskyists should leave the country and that those that the CCP members did not know should join the CCP.

P'eng Shu'tse and Ch'en Pi-lan moved to Hong Kong where the Trotskyist movement was also being hunted and persecuted by the British. The oppression they faced there forced them to then immigrate to Vietnam. In Vietnam comrades of theirs were under attack from the Vietnamese communists so P'eng Shu'tse and Ch'en Pi-lan were then forced to immigrate to Europe where they continued to be active around the issues of China in the Trotskyist Fourth International.

Some members who stayed behind in China were rounded up in the night by the PRC government with their entire families. Many were never seen again. Others were released from prison in 1976.

The Chinese Communist Party in Power

From exile P'eng Shu'tse continued to speak and organize on the issue of China. He held the position that an undemocratic Stalinist government had taken power in China with the 1949 revolution, and while he saw many improvements for the Chinese people come from that regime, he was highly critical of the leadership of Mao Tse-tung.

In the early years, among other things, P'eng Shu'tse criticized Mao for not holding real elections, for suppressing the freedom unleashed by his earlier slogan of "Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom", for the horrible and predictable failure of the "Great Leap Forward" and its attempts modernize China by producing useless steel in backyard furnaces, for the forced collectivizations that he saw as copying the methods of Stalin's same project with both causing unecessary hardship amongst the peasants as well as having a horrible impact on food production.

In his analysis of these events P'eng Shu'tse saw an opposition open up within the CCP to Mao's ultra-left adventurist failures that forced Mao's resignation in 1958. The leadership Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yun, Peng Zhen, Bo Yibo were then forced to deal with correcting Mao's mistakes. They ended the production of backyard steel, restored private plots of land in the countryside, personal ownership of livestock, and the free market in the countryside. Even where collective farming can be more efficient, it will never be unless it done on terms that the peasants enjoy. The peasants greeted these reforms with enthusiasm and production increased. By 1963 food production had risen to levels that ended the famine caused by Mao's policies.

In the international arena P'eng Shu'tse also felt that Mao was also discredited in 1965 with a U.S. backed coup d'etat in Indonesia that left half a million Communists dead. The Communists were close allies of Mao and P'eng Shu'tse saw this as a repeat on a larger scale of Mao's policy of subordinating the national, worker, and peasants struggle to the bourgeoisie just as Mao had done with the Koumintang. Some party members also blamed this defeat on the CCP's influence, with P'eng Chen stating, "Everyone is equal before the truth, and if Chairman Mao has made some mistakes he should be criticized."

After this further setback for the prestige of Mao, Mao proceeded to organize the so-called "Cultural Revolution" to regain power. Mao used sections of the military as well as highschool aged youth organized as "Red Guards" to launch a civil war against intellectuals that had criticized Mao as well as large sections of the leadership of the CCP that were fed-up with the leadership of Mao. This was a coup d'etat carried out by Mao against the collective leadership of the CCP that was supposed to be the proper channel of discussion. Mao did not feel he could get his way through the CCP.

In response to Mao's coup, many local leaders organized their own youth groups to fight back against the Red Guards, as well as turning to military units loyal to them, and even mobilizing workers on their behalf. Ultimately, however, Mao was successful in his power grab through violence that ushered in the reign of terror of the gang of four. In 1976 Mao died and the Gang of Four went on trial. Like his mentor Stalin, Mao had managed to silence his opposition and get rid of all of the leaders that had fought beside him to make the 1949 Revolution.

The 1949 revolution, among other things, made major advances in women's rights, healthcare, and education for the people of China. Yet the legacy of the gains made by the Chinese people through the 1949 revolution must always be tempered by a knowledge of the crimes of Mao.

I think that P'eng Shu'tse would have given up a long time ago if he didn't have a strong love for the truth and for the people combined with an overwhelming optimism. As a revolutionary socialist he did not feel that the Stalinist system was an inevitable product of socialist revolution, but that the money and popular influence of Stalinism at a certain point in history caused China and Eastern Europe to repeat the mistakes of the Soviet Union. There is no reason for future revolutions to repeat those same mistakes.

Today P'eng Shu'tse would also oppose the headlong jump of China into capitalism under the continued brutal rule of the CCP and instead advocate the road to democratic socialism in China and around the world.

Liberation News
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/liberation_news

This remarkable collection of essays and reports comes from the pen of Chen Shu-tse, the central leader of the revolutionary Marxists in China from the 1920s through the 1960s. As a young rebel Chen worked together with Mao Tse-tung to develop a revolutionary party of the working people beginning in 1919. This comradely relationship lasted until the Stalinist degeneration that overtook the Russian soviet leadership in the 1925-29 period overwhelmed the Chinese Communist Party. Chen and his followers were expelled from the party in 1929 and subsequently became known as Trotskyists. As such they continued the battle to build a revolutionary workers party in China.

In the 1925-27 revolutionary upheaval, the Communist Party achieved a decisive leadership position among the masses of urban workers in China. But the party, under Mao's leadership, and working along the lines of Comintern policy, attempted to build an alliance with Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang. The Kuomintang was a nationalist party increasingly coming under the control of China's tyrannical landlords. This mistaken policy resulted in a massacre of the Communist-led workers in Shanghai carried out by Chiang's troops. Chen and his followers opposed this disastrous course.

A large portion of this 580-page book deals with the explanation of how the Stalinized Chinese Communist Party came to power in 1949. In the post-WWII chaos the peasant masses surged forward repeatedly demanding control of the land and its resources and an end to landlord parasitism. The weakened Kuomintang was like a rotting wooden raft in this stormy revolutionary sea which served as the only hope of salvation for the wealthy and privileged elements in China, and they found themselves desparately clinging to it.

The Communist Party, having retreated to Yenan in 1934 after a series of defeats, found itself bolstered by the massive influx of worker and peasant fighters who saw this party as the starting point of opposition to the decaying Kuomintang regime. In the years leading to the insurrection of 1949, Chen explains, the CCP (a non-revolutionary, Stalinist party) repeatedly sought to dampen the rising struggles of the oppressed masses, to limit their gains, and to come to terms with Chiang in the formation of a coalition government. The Kuomintang was too weak, however, and the outcome of the struggle was determined by its own inner logic, not the aims of the CCP.

Forced to flee to Hong Kong in 1948 Chen continued to guide the Chinese Trotskyist movement as well as to participate in discussion and debates among revolutionary Marxist leaders worldwide. He supported the 1949 victory of the Chinese revolution, which was a giant gain for the masses of workers and peasants in spite of the Stalinist leadership. A workers state was formed. But he stressed that the accession to power of Mao's party did not change its essentially counterrevolutionary character. In order for the masses of Chinese people to achieve their liberation from all forms of exploitation they would need to effect a political revolution to bring to power a genuine Marxist party. This party would then serve as the vehicle for bringing the weight of the Chinese masses to bear in the worldwide struggle for socialism.

The Chinese revolution that triumphed in 1949 was a mighty event, which shook the world. The Chinese workers and farmers, in spite of their misleadership, tore one-fourth of the world's population out of the hands of U.S. British, German, French, and Japanese capitalists (all had investments and huge holdings in China at one time or another), out of the hands of what Malcolm X called the "Western or American system of imperialism." Read this book and "The Third Chinese Revolution And Its Development" and " Maoism Vs. Bolshevism", and learn what Malcolm found so admirable about the Chinese Revolution. Also here you will find the history of betrayals by the wish-they-were-capitalists-themselves Maoist-Stalinist bureaucrats who still rule today.All this in the testimony of two veteran communist fighters, Peng Shu-tse and Chen Pi-lan, who opposed imperialism and its puppets in action, as well as the monstrosities of Maoism. The resistance of the Chinese working class to the pro-capitalist "reforms" and to the attempted selling of the nation, its wealth, and its people by the bureaucracy to the same imperialists kicked out in 1949 has barely begun (3,000 illegal strikes in one year alone in the midnineties). That resistance will shake the whole world again.For the story of China today you need "Capitalism's World Disorder" by Jack Barnes.

I had the honor of knowing and working with ST Peng a little in the 1960s and 1970s. This was a man who had worked with Lenin and Trotsky in the Comintern who had stood up the Chiang Kai Shek, and to Maoism. This was a serious revolutionary Marxist who became a focus for former Red Guards escaping Mao who went all the way to Paris to learn from him. These articles and documents explain the nature of the Chinese revolution, its strength and its betrayal by Stalinism, as well as the capacities of Chinese workers and peasants to change the world. In his writing, Peng had the gift to be both theoretically clear as a revolutionist, and to be concrete as a writer showing how what he was talking about affected the real lives of the Chinese people. Of great interest is his depiction of how the "higher officials" actually lived their lives of privilege and luxury in the supposed days of "Maoist austerity.: As new battles are simmering in China-- strikes, demonstrations, protests--the new generation of fighters must find this wonderful book by one of China's first generation of real communists.

I was fascinated reading this unique and important collection of writings -- a detailed analysis of the Chinese revolution and the Maoist leadership. The articles cover the 1949-53 revolution and the overthrow of capitalism in China as well as major turns in Maoist domestic and foreign policy and political struggles within the ruling bureaucracy. Very useful discussion of the People's Communes and forced collectivization in the 1950s, the so-called Great Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, and the Tien An Men protests in 1976.

P'eng Shu-tse's was an early member and central leader of the Chinese Communist Party-- one of the many young rebels won to revolutionary struggle inspired and educated by the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the leadership led Lenin and Trotsky. Although imprisoned by the U.S.-backed Chiang Kai-shek dictatorship and later forced into exile by the Maoist regime, P'eng remained true to the course of working class struggle, leading small revolutionary forces in China, Vietnam and later in exile in Europe. H writes to explain and to encourage others to join the struggle.

I also found very useful the lively article and interview by Ch'en Pi-lan, P'eng's companion and fellow revolutionary, on the course of the workers movement in China and on the "Cultural Revolution."

I purchased this book from Amazon last week and am already using it all the time. I grew up in Taiwan and wanted to make recipes that were genuine chinese. My mother always used the Wei Chuan cookbooks so when I found this one I had to have it. It's been a real treat. My sister and I looked at the recipes and reminisced about our childhood and all the yummy dishes we missed, many of which are in this book. The Kung Pao chicken alone made the book worth buying. The recipes are easy and don't call for a lot of ingredients. There is also lots of variety between the meat dishes, noodles, soups, fried rice and dessert recipes.

If you love to cook, this book is worth having. The recipes are written very clearly, the pictures look so great you want to take a bite out of the page. I have tried many different Chinese cookbooks in the past, this one beats them all. Just for the Kung Pao Chicken and the Beef and Pepper Sauce alone makes this book worth having. The author also tells you how some recipes originated, e.g., Kung Pao means "Royal Teacher to the Prince," this recipe was named after Ding Bao Zhen after being promoted to that position in the Qing Dynasty. Little tidbits like this I find fun and fascinating! You don't need a wok to prepare the recipes, I use a nonstick 12-inch skillet and the recipes come out great. Very easy to prepare. The trick is to have all the ingredients measured and handy when you are about to cook, because everything cooks so fast. My husband said he'll never eat take-out again!

This is the latest cookbook from my collection of cookbooks by Mrs. Su-Huei Huang. She makes cooking authentic Chinese food almost effortless. If you have limited time, but enjoy cooking at home, this is the perfect cookbook for you.

I love this cookbook because it contains pictures of every dish that's in the book, the instructions are easy and simple to follow, and most importantly, the dishes are authentic Chinese food from the south to the north of China. We're Cantonese and we're tired of cooking cantonese at home so this book gave us more menu options. I have to say, with some experience in chinese cooking, this book contains some recipes that we already knew. But I think it'll be useful to those who doesn't have much experience in Chinese cooking because it contains basic information about the type of noodles, vegetable herbs and spices.
I was a bit disappointed with the dessert section as it only contain 10 recipes and we already knew how to cook most of them.

I purchased this book along with some other Chinese cookbook and I have to say nothing compares to this book. Everything is simply described and easy to understand. There are pictures of every recipe and she also gives variations to recipes. My favorites are the wontons, so easy to make, and the Three Sauce Chicken, again so easy and delicious. I am sure in a few weeks that will change :)

I could not do without this book in my kitchen, I use it every day. This book is amazing!

Okay- I admit it. I did not have a room full of R.S.Prussia china to reference when I bought this book. I just loved the pictures and had to have it! I can dream a little dream and imagine finding a portrait bowl or vase at a small town flea market for next to nothing...and then I can look up its worth and smile as I place my prize in the china cabinet ( a coveted possession NOT for resale!).

This is an excellent book! I teach an antique porcelain class and found it useful to gain expertise quickly. This book is successfully used by appraisers, dealers, collectors and teachers. I have read many porcelain books, and this one was one of the easiest to read and understand. It was well organized and contained a good variety of the styles and characteristics of RS Prussia.

All four volumes are needed to identify pieces, although Ms. Gaston provides a shape guide to help date pieces not pictured.

What I'd like to see in the next book is 1) clarification on how the marks were made, i.e., printed over or under glaze, 2) the types of glazes used (and were pieces refired) 3)repeat of history with changes incorporated, verses the new and updated info section. The history only appears fully in the ist volume.

Wonderful book with full color pictures. Also pictures of the marks. Great price guide! Will use this over & over.

This book was very insightful for me. I was searching for a particular "mark" on a piece that I own. This was the only book that was of help.

As a new collector of R.S. Prussia I found this book to be an excellent reference. It's detailed description and beautiful pictures of the different molds, decorations and marks was very helpful. I know there are a lot of "fake" pieces on the market and this book is proving to be an invaluable guide for me. The history was very interesting also. Thank you Ms. Gaston! A really beautiful book and very informative.

The book is about one of the most well-known peices in Feminist art, Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party". It not only features photos and accounts of Chicago and her hard-working team of volenteers (both men and women) as they worked for almost eight years on the project and fought to have it exhibited, but it also features detailed sections on each of the place settings and kind of symbolism used in them, and biographies of all the other women whose names around them. A very interesting and exciting book to flip through.

What could be more thrilling than a genius like Judy Chicago as she challenges assumptions and traditions with her own brilliant and harrowingly moving depiction of Womyn's struggles. Truly enthralling, and, as another reviewer noted, a threat to the white male agendas of patriarchy. Give this book to all your friends!

"Dinner Party" is one of the all-time great works of feminist art, and although it proved too threatening to males, especially the white males of congress, it is art which MUST be witnessed by all young women. I applaud the other reviewers who have distributed this great book to other women.

Even though I have rated this book, I have never read it. Why? Well its for the simple fact that I can't find it anywhere. I know that it is out of print but I need it for a class and also for the fact that I want it . Iv heard so many interesting things about The dinner Party. I hope to share this not just with my classmates but with my mom and in the far, far future when I decide to have kids, I would like to share it with my little girl. so hopefuly whom ever reads my review (so to speak) it will be listened to and the people who need the book will have it as well and the people who want it.

A triumph! A long-awaited celebration of truth about all womankind! A must-have for all women. and for men who truly appreciate their worth! Every female in the world should read this book cover-to cover and rejoice. A rare and beautiful work of art--second only to The Dinner Party exhibit itself. I am going to give this book to my daughter, friends of varying ethnic backgrounds, and several lesbian friends. How often do you find a book that speaks to the entire human race about the valuable contributions of the so-called "weaker sex"? Now we must all work to get The Dinner Party exhibit traveling, as it was originally intended to do, so that we can all personally stand in awe at this altar to all Eve's daughters!

Follow the path to foodie enlightenment in this witty and entertaining book. The short vignettes will not only satisfy your appetite for witty banter, but also dish up a good serving of culinary history, cultural anecdotes, and just plain interesting tidbits. The chapter "True Grits" had me laughing out loud! One warning...be sure to make a snack before you sit down to read this book!!

With a thoroughly enjoyable collection of articles and anecdotes focused on "gastro ethnography," the study of a country's food, meal rituals, and history of the cuisine's dishes, Pennington-Paget chronicles a journey toward enlightenment. Along the way she finds insights to the cultures of several European and Asian countries, her familial ancestry, and getting enjoyment out of life. As she points out, "...food is a good introduction to other cultures. But you never get beyond introductions if you fail to ask questions and read."
This book will carry you past the introductions, but be forwarned: reading "the Edible Tao" on an empty stomach may cause insatiable cravings.

Having a meal with this author would be an adventure! I am already pretty open to trying just about anything new. With her sense of adventure and her witty spoken thought, it would be MY treat!
Gave her book as gifts and everyone loved it.

"The Edible Tao" by Ruth Paget is a fun, fascinating look at diverse cultures and cuisines. Each chapter feels like a memorable conversation with an old friend. The author shares her experiences and insights with humor and passionate energy, disclosing nuggets of wisdom along the way.

This book is well written, engaging, witty and informative. It was a joy to read, an easy read. It definitely peaked my taste buds and desire to cook something fabulous, wish the author had provided some of her recipes!