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Nov 10

The Fall of the Berlin Wall on our Mind…

Written by: Allen | Filed under:Analysis, General, News, politics | Tags:, , ,
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The Fall of the Berlin some 20 years ago is again on the mind of many. According to the NYTimes, “[t]he historical legacy of 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell and the cold war thawed, is as political as the upheavals of that decisive year.”

For many in the West, the events of 1989 represents the ultimate triumph of the West over East – of democratic, capitalistic liberalism over communist authoritarianism. Many envisioned that we were entering an “End of History.” Writing in 1989, Francis Fukuyama (a professor of international political economy at Johns Hopkins University) wrote: Continue reading »

Apr 22

minipost-Letter: Mainlanders and their pasts, Mainlanders and their selves

Written by: Joel | Filed under:-mini-posts, culture | Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , ,
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For me personally, the Mainland’s grandparents and great-grandparents are China’s most interesting generation. As soon as I could string a few sentences together I was trying to get our neighbours to tell us about their stories and experiences. But Xinran, the authour of China Witness: Voices from a Silent Generation, being Chinese, can go light-years farther in an interview than I can with my novice Mandarin, mere beginner’s cultural understanding, white face and 大鼻子。
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Aug 22

(Guest Post) Communism causes Olympics fatigue?

Written by: admin | Filed under:Analysis | Tags:,
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Note: This was written by Michael at World-China Bridges, cross-posted here.

I thought there is a new democracy fatigue, but Gordon Chang, author of “The Coming Collapse of China,” quoting what he called “a well-known fund manager in Beijing,” thought “there is now an Olympics fatigue.”He wrote at the Far Eastern Economic Review: Continue reading »