History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Beijing and Shanghai (Eyewitness Travel Guides) (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Average customer rating:

Beijing and Shanghai (Eyewitness Travel Guides) (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Great breadth and depth
Travel Guide

Beijing and Shanghai (Eyewitness Travel Guides) (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
DK Publishing
Manufacturer: DK Travel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0756625009

Book Description

These two fascinating cities reflect different aspects of China - Beijing is the traditional capital, the seat of political power and home to the ancient monuments of Imperial China; Shanghai is both a financial powerhouse and a city at the cutting edge of fashion with an interesting modern history. This DK Eyewitness Travel Guide provides in-depth coverage of these cities, including Beijing's Great Wall and Forbidden City, Shanghai's Bund and the French Concession, as well as the water towns of Suzhou and Hangzhou, graced with serene and timeless gardens and lakes. Explore China's cultural heritage through richly illustrated features - on everything from Beijing Opera to Confucianism, Chinese Gardens and the Cultural Revolution. Illustrated food features highlight the differing regional cuisines, and resident China experts have provided detailed listings of the best places to stay and eat. Specially devised walking tours take you easily to the heart of these bustling, enigmatic and ultimately bewitching cities.

Customer Reviews:

Beijing and Shanghai (Eyewitness Travel Guides) (Eyewitness Travel Guides).......2007-08-02

Very informative and accurate. Gave us a "before" overview of what we were going to see and an "after" review of what we had already seen. Up to date information.

Great breadth and depth.......2007-05-07

As a repeat visitor, I can tell you this guide is a great outline of the major sites, map locations, and profuse illustrations and photos. The street maps are thorough, too. It is thinner and lighter than the complete DK China Guide, so it travels with you much more easily. As all Eyewitness Guides, this one is brief when reviewing hotels and restaurants, so Frommers, Fodors and others can give you those.

Travel Guide.......2007-03-22

A great guide to Beijing and Shanghai. Thin and light enough to fit in a shoulder bag.

The Chinese Alchemist: An Archaeological Mystery (Archaeological Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

Mystery Nestled In Chinese Boxes
Armchair travelers can journey to famous Chinese historic site
The Chinese connection is fascinating
Hamilton delivers another winner!

The Chinese Alchemist: An Archaeological Mystery (Archaeological Mysteries)
Lyn Hamilton
Manufacturer: Berkley Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0425213951

Book Description

Antiques dealer Lara McClintoch is targeted by ruthless criminals while tying to recover an eighth-century Tang Dynasty silver box-with an alchemical formula for the elixir of immortality etched on the inside of the lid. The rare item holds the key not only to the mysterious death of a museum curator, but to Lara's own survival.

Customer Reviews:

Mystery Nestled In Chinese Boxes.......2007-08-28

Hamilton just gets better and better at bringing together an ancient mystery with a current day missing artifact.

There is also fascinating information on how art auctions work and how the Chinese are trying to prevent their heritage from being sold to foreign collectors.

However, this is not Hamilton's best book as it reads as if it was a longer and denser book and then was edited down, leaving some character development missing and some of the action confusing.

And, add in one too many coincidence.

Armchair travelers can journey to famous Chinese historic site.......2007-05-14

This mystery series takes readers on trips to famous ancient sites while the protagonist tries to fulfill purchase orders for her upmarket antique store in Toronto. The latest one involves spending time with protagonist in ancient Chinese sites. The sense of place is wonderful but I could have used even more description of the sites as I have never been to China.

The Chinese connection is fascinating.......2007-04-26

Lara McClintoch is an antiques dealer who faces down an Asian gang called the Golden Lotus that is terrorizing a Canadian city's Chinatown. It seems Lara's significant other, Rob Luczka, a sergeant in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, has angered the gang and they may be targeting Lara because of her relationship with Rob.

Lara travels to New York and attempts, on behalf of her friend, Dory Matthews, to bid on a rare Tang Dynasty silver box--a box that has added value because the lid is etched with a formula for immortality. It is also a box very similar to one Dory already has.

The box is mysteriously withdrawn from the New York auction and ten days later, Dory is dead. It is learned that the box will be auctioned in Beijing and Lara travels to China (per a request in Dory's will) to bid on the box. Her rival, Burton Haldimand, turns up dead and the race is on. Lara must find the box or she might join Haldimand in death.

The Chinese Alchemist by Lyn Hamilton is the first of her novels that I've read. It's a fun, fast and easy read. Lara McClintoch is interesting, the plot takes some wonderful twists and turns and the Chinese connection is fascinating.

Armchair Interviews says: The Chinese Alchemist is recommended. You might want to check out Lyn Hamilton's other titles.

Hamilton delivers another winner!.......2007-04-10

Lyn Hamilton has graced readers with a series of stories featuring antiques dealer Lara McClintoch that take place in beguiling locales. The Chinese Alchemist is no exception. Lara's pursuit of a rare Chinese box takes her into the cities and byways of that exotic country whose elusive culture is only recently becoming known to Westerners. As always, the stakes go higher as intrepid Lara finds herself in a fight for survival.

Eleanor Sullivan, author of Assumed Dead.

Average customer rating:

A Resource & A Bargain
Doesn't tell you the whole truth about Beijing
Missing major component
So much to see, so little time...
Accurate Information

Lonely Planet Beijing
Damian Harper
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1740597826

Book Description

There's a not-so-quiet transformation brewing on the streets of Beijing. Set against a backdrop of dynastic opulence and centuries-old traditions is a city hurling itself headlong into the future. Whether your penchant is for Beijing opera or Peking duck, this smart and stylish book will guide you through all the excitement, grandeur and magic.

• ENGAGE WITH THE ARTS with our cutting-edge chapter on contemporary art, written by an expert

• BE INSPIRED by our extensive coverage of the world-famous sights, complete with insider twists

• BICYCLE round the city with improved maps and walking tours

• SHOP TILL YOU DROP - detailed coverage of the latest boutiques, markets and malls

• CONNECT WITH LOCAL LIFE - etiquette advice and our user-friendly language chapter

Customer Reviews:

A Resource & A Bargain.......2007-09-13

Comprehensive, concise and well-organized. A great resource and a true bargain. The fact that this series proudly features long-time local residents in their guides says a lot about their commitment and values. I also appreciate that they inspire enthusiasm and exploration in the reader almost from the first page. Also note this is hot off the presses in August 2007. Unless they somehow got everything totally wrong (I'll know when I visit over New Year's) this is 5 stars easily.

Doesn't tell you the whole truth about Beijing.......2006-09-20

If you go the largest imported books bookstore in Beijing, which is located in Wangfujing, and grab this title from the shelves, you will find that several paragraphs in the book have been covered with a white paper strip: my own educated guess is that one probably dealt with Beijing's traffic congestion and the other with a certain bloody episode which happened on Tian'anmen Square in 1989.

I asked an employee what this meant. "The content must have been politically harmful", was the answer. There was no trace of embarassment in his voice. Business as usual...

Nevertheless, the book is available. Who will want to buy a blatantly censored copy for what is still a high price remains an open question. This may sound anecdotal but it isn't. It just shows how little things have really changed although China is reputedly the land of Change. I must congratulate the author for having written some "politically incorrect" stuff about Peking (let's stick to the old name, it is so much easier to pronounce), but I have to disagree with his general appraisal of the city. It is quite true that, as he states in the preface, Peking has been a "global irrelevance" for many decades, but it is simply false to claim that it is now an "exciting time" to visit the Chinese capital.

Think about this: John Blofeld (1913-1987), a British scholar who wrote books on Eastern philosophy and religion, and traveled extensively in Asia, including China, reports in one of his travelogues that when he visited Peking in what are for us "the good old times", before the Communist takeover that is, local people were already complaining that the old ways had disappeared.

Today, more than half a century later, after the Great Cultural Revolution and the demolition of the magnificent city walls, Peking finds itself in the midst of what in fact amounts to a second Cultural Revolution: an unprecedented, huge urban overhaul designed to turn it into a futuristic metropolis.

To sum it all up, Peking has completely lost its soul and one must ask: Where is the excitement, really? Are we talking about the five-stars hotels with their international buffets? Are we talking about the fact that local people can now buy French foie gras in the nearest supermarket? Are we talking about those glass and steel skyscrapers that have turned large areas of the city into what looks like a kind of alien Martian base? If that is something that makes you excited, yes, then by all means do visit the city. You will be satisfied.

Leaving aside the architectural monstrosities of the recent past and those that are being built in complete disregard to the ancient city environment, let us have a look at Peking's much publicized cultural heritage. Is it really worth seeing?

My answer is a definite NO. Keep your money for Pompeii, Tikal, Versailles or Angkor Vat. First of all, unless you are acquainted with Chinese culture, chances are that you will not be able to appreciate what you see. Just as it takes some time to appreciate a book or a piece of music. The reason is that Chinese architecture is not spectacular at all. And it is quite devoid of originality. If you have seen one pagoda, you have seen them all. Besides, you probably can't read Chinese characters. Chinese art is an extension of the writing system.

But there are many other factors that combined will probably make a visit to Peking quite disappointing, if not infuriating (for a sensitive traveler, that is). First of all, the crowds of tourists, both foreign and Chinese. They are overwhelming (and unfortunately most interesting sites have rather short opening hours). Second, the ruthless commercialism and incredibly bad taste: the merchants of the Temple are omnipresent. I am not only talking about nagging vendors, souvenirs shops, noisy fast-foods and bars inside the premises, but also about big and small advertising boards and a multitude of ugly modern artefacts that mar both the great monuments and the more modest ancient alleys ("hutongs").

A few examples: if you go to the Forbidden City, you will find pistachio green plastic garbage cans everywhere. The benches inside the palace all bear advertising plaques for a company that sells air conditioners. If you visit the( few remaining)hutongs, you will find that the old houses are lined with brand-new cars and that their façades are marred by big air conditioners. Near the Forbidden City, the hutongs are dotted with ugly telephone booths in the shape of an orange mushroom (yes!)every five or ten meters. The tiles on most pavilions and pagodas are made of ugly, grey concrete (the real thing is too costly). There must be more than a hundred big, red fire extinguishers in the otherwise quite beautiful Lama Temple and there are alas not hidden from view. Roofs around Tian'anmen Square are bristling with huge, unsightly mobile phone towers. The wonderful animal and human statues in the Spirit Way, which is part of the huge Ming Tombs Site, are all flanked by a big plastic garbage can and they have built new roads on both sides of it: enough noise to scare away the spirits and prevent you from entering a meditative state...

Etc., etc., etc. There is no end to the list of things both small and great that spoil the remnants of the past in Peking and elsewhere in China, which shows just how culturally decadent Chinese people have become. One could without exaggeration say that today the urban culture in China is an extension of Las Vegas and Hollywood with some Chinese elements thrown in for good measure (and face!).

Sometimes the incongruities are so blatant, so ludicrous that one starts wondering if there isn't a kind of conspiracy, a deliberate attempt to debase and desecrate the past, which is after all just superstitious rubbish for a true Communist and a mere merchandise for a true Capitalist (they are pretty much the same in my opinion). The alliance of the two has produced what may be the biggest kitsch paradise on earth: Pe-kitsch.

The third point you need to keep in mind is the weather, which can be summed up as: cold winter smog, spring sandstorms and smog, summer sauna and smog (+heavy rains in July) and dry autumn smog. Twenty years ago(yes, I have lived that long here!), Peking had a Mediterranean climate of sorts with clear blue skies most of the time, but due to heavy traffic pollution the city has now smoky skies with no wind and therefore a suffocating atmosphere most of the time (let's say about 70 percent of the time). In many places, the air stinks with the smell of chemical paint. It is also full of dust particles from the thousands of construction sites, to say nothing of the exhaust fumes from the hundreds of thousands of trucks, bulldozers and private cars that race through narrow alleys and oversized avenues alike.

The fourth point is traffic. It is increasingly difficult to go from one place to another without being caught in huge traffic jams (the government actually encourages people to buy cars and they hope every household will have its own car by 2020!!!). The happy times when you could go around leisurely riding a bicycle are basically finished. Now the streets have become a battleground and cars crowd even the sidewalks. The subway network is pitifully inadequate and incredibly crowded. As another expat once said to me: "I never take the Beijing subway because to find the nearest subway station, I have first to take a taxi."

The fifth point is service. While young shop assistants and other employees are generally friendly (but not always competent), a large part of the local staff, specially in parks, museums and big supermarkets, is composed of (sexually frustrated?)middle-aged women who are rude, indifferent and lazy. There is a pervading mood of discontent and irritation in the city, which is quite comprehensible considering the high level of environmental stress, the lack of genuine community life (most "local" people are rootless domestic immigrants)and the political tyranny. Add to this the fierce competition for jobs, the money problems and all the cares inseparable from both great and modest affluence (blessed are the poor, indeed!). Almost everyone will try to rip you off. Money reigns supreme.

This is not to say that there aren't any beautiful or interesting places to see--the author of this guide has done a good job in this respect since he mentions not only the (fake) Great Wall at Badaling, but also other segments of the wall in wilder areas-- but most of them are outside the city. Or you have to be in the Forbidden City on a cold, rainy day or at the peak of a media-orchestrated flu epidemic, when the crowds are away. Even then, you will have to close your eyes often in order not to see all the jarring details I mentioned before.

You may appreciate the cheap food. The poor will still smile at you and greet you (while the new middle-class rich won't even look at you). The huge parks provide a welcome respite from the ugliness and noise of the rest of the city, but they are quite ordinary and, like the whole place, not genuinely Chinese, but a sloppy mixture of styles. Even here, under the shadow of gracious willows, your contemplation of the beautiful lotus ponds will often be interrupted by the awful noise of spitting indigenous males clearing their throats. This is China!

Remember the white tags of censorship in the book. And know that contrary to what the cover photograph wants you to believe, very few young people in Peking practice kungfu. These days they prefer to play basket-ball or electronic games.

PS: Read the "Ugly Chinaman" by Boyang to understand why this country has become such a mess.

Missing major component.......2006-08-22

The information is good but there are no Chinese characters of locations/names to show to taxi drivers. The pronunciations are just too difficult for some one not adept at languages or who has not studied some Chinese. I have taken over a dozen trips to China and find books with Chinese characters far more useful.

So much to see, so little time..........2006-08-12

Since I was on a guided tour, I used the book mainly to familiarize myself with the various sights and sounds. I agree with other reviewers who mentioned that some areas of the book are being outdated by the fast development of Beijing. Overall, the book is well put together and would have been useful if I had done more on my own. Would not hesitate to pick up a revised edition on my next trip to Beijing.

Accurate Information.......2006-03-26

Though I found the layout of this Lonely Planet book odd (even the Index is divided by topics), its content proved to be accurate. If you visit Beijing, expect very few people to speak even limited English.

Average customer rating:

i did not like this book at all.
tai ji le! (Fantastic)
priceless
Needed info
extensive but already out of date

Insider's Guide to Beijing 2007
Adam Pillsbury; Editor
Manufacturer: True Run Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0977333418
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Product Description

There are guidebooks and then there's the Insider's Guide to Beijing. This is a guide that punches through the tourist facade of this mighty city and tells you where real Beijingers like to eat, sleep, study, party, work, primp and play. Whether you are a current or future Beijing resident or just a visitor looking for something deeper than your average tourist guidebook, the Insider's Guide to Beijing will tell you what you really want to know. Fully re-written and updated for 2007, this guide taps into the aggregate knowledge of over 40 Beijing-based writers.

Customer Reviews:

i did not like this book at all. .......2007-08-16

it is not intended for travelers, but for expad, or for pepole intending to move to beijing

tai ji le! (Fantastic).......2007-03-27

I hefted this voluminous tome all the way to Beijing and back, and it was worth every pound! In addition to being a facinating read, we used it for tracking down restaurants and out of the way sights, but mostly, MOSTLY for shopping! This book saved us a ton of money and time; the article on bargaining really brought home some great techniques on buying everything we needed/wanted. It made this traveler feel like a real Beijinger! (PS..if you can read some Chinese, buy the current Beijing Busroute atlas at any bookstore: you'll save a ton of money getting round and it also pinpoints exactly the locations of sights/stores/better known restaurants/Post Offices/banks/hotels and many of the things mentioned in the Insider's Beijing book and how to get there on public transport--it was the best 15 yuan/2$ I spent!)

priceless.......2007-02-07

Kudos to these authors. I don't live in Beijing, but as a frequent visitor, this book has really provided valuable information. Now if they could just do something about those pesky dust storms!

Needed info.......2007-01-10

The "Insider's Guide to Bejing" is a needed book, going to Bejing for the first time. Of course if you have friends there, that is one thing. But soon you will wish to see the city and surroundings. The book gives many ideas and how to approach certain places. There are do's and don't in every society and this book show's easy places to see and places with more difficulty, how to approach them... Or makes you think..?? "Should I approach this" :-) Yes, it's all fun to learn from these people and see a great culture.

extensive but already out of date.......2007-01-09

The editorial content is excellent and very thorough, especially restaurants, which receive shallow treatment in other guides. I preordered the 2007 edition, and used it within 2 weeks of receiving it from Amazon. However, I found many stores/restaraunts/etc not as listed, because they had moved or gone out of business. Such is the reality of Beijing -- it is changing so frantically, that no guide can be reliable, even when newly published. So the frustration is there is wonderful information to use to plan a visit, but your plans will be thrawted by construction upheaval and property speculation.

I appreciate generally complete Chinese language addresses with places listed. I would recommend that information be organized more around neighborhoods, since Beijing is so spread out that finding something interesting may not necessarily be easy to get to. Also, I would concur that the maps could be improved. Finally, while this guide is is useful to the visitor, it is oriented to the expat living in Beijing. The proof is the heavy weight of the guide -- quite uncomfortable to carry around.

Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power

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Aikman on China
Jesus in Beijing
Two Jews - Marx & Jesus in China
A FERTILE, WELL-TILLED LAND
God's Work in China Prospers

Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power
David Aikman
Manufacturer: Regnery Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1596980257

Book Description

This book details the great unreported story of the Chinese giant and its enormously rapid conversion to Christianity and what this change means to the global balance of power.

Customer Reviews:

Aikman on China.......2007-09-13

Mr. Aikman has presented an excellent picture of the development of Christianity in China, right up to the present. It is very well written, enjoyable to read, and very informative. Having traveled to China on numerous occasions in recent years, I have found that my experiences have been confirmed by what he writes. This book is the best I have come across if you are looking for a picture of the recent development and situation of the church in China.

Jesus in Beijing.......2007-03-02

Jesus in Beijing is a well written account of the history of Christianity in China from 600 A.D. to the present. Most of the book deals with the 20th Century. In the early 1970's, after the oppression and persecution of Mao's Cultural Revolution some western observers wondered if Christianity still survived in China. As it turned out, the church was alive and well. In spite of persecution of varying intensity throughout the reign of the Communist Party in China, the church has grown from about three million to approximately seventy million people today. One of the most surprising things about this rapidly growing church is its response to the increasing affluence of freedom within China today. Instead of focusing on material pleasures and toys, much of the church is dreaming of evangelizing the predominately Muslim lands between China and Israel. They reason that the Chinese church already knows how to suffer poverty and persecution and feel that they are prepared to pay the price for spreading the Christian message in Muslim countries. The author's speculation about the impact of Christianity on China's geopolitical future are also very interesting. While the possibility of the emergence of China as a belligerent, adversarial superpower exists, the author feels that the influence of Christianity on China may lead to a future in which China and the United States may in fact become allies. An interesting, informative book. Highly recommended.

Two Jews - Marx & Jesus in China.......2006-11-18

Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity is transferring China and changing the Global Balance of Power, is a personal account of a reporter who dedicated the martyrs for their faith from CE 635 to modern time.
This book gives a brief orientation on how Christianity came to China in 7th Century known as Nestorian Christians. There was a stele commemorating this east-west cultural and religious exchange, being translated by James Legge in bilingual text that I happened to have a reprint copy. Then he carried on the history to the new millennium. Besides Franciscan, Dominican and Augustinian, Jesuits had a good relationship with the Royal Court in the exchange of knowledge in 17th Century. However, the Pope, a religion authority tried to interfere the cultural and internal affairs of China over the tradition rite of honoring ancestors and Confucius. The Chinese Emperors issued "Edit of Expulsion and Confiscation" to drive Catholics out. The 19th Century of Anglo-Saxon Protestant ventured back to China in opium boats and gunboats. No wonder why Marx called Religion is the opium of people. Robert Morrison, an Englishman, was credited to translate the Bible into Chinese with no mention to the assistance from his convert Liang Fa. Morrison came in and was employed by East India Company, the monopoly opium pusher and smuggler to Chinese. England waged the Opium Wars 1839 and 1856. He died of diseases and was buried in East India Company cemetery in Macau. The Gospel of John was beautifully translated in Taoist terms, totally disregard to intellectual property. Chinese God Son, Hong Xiuquan who wanted to establish Chinese version of Kingdom of Heaven, made the Christian Tai Ping Rebellion. However, this Heavenly Peace Kingdom was brutally suppressed by the Christian Europe in manpower and gun power in support with The Ching Dynasty The 1900 Boxer Movement was a struggle against foreigners especially missionaries. The book did not mention two humiliating unequal treaty terms known as most-favored nation clause meaning if a foreign power squeezed any Chinese concessions, all other powers would share the same privileges, and extra-territoriality which meant all foreigners in China were not subject to the laws and jurisdiction of Chinese government. This book did not ask the question: why Boxer pick on the disciples of "love your neighbors as yourself"? These God's representatives did not practice what they peach. There were many exceptions such as American Rev. Hunter Corbett, whose grandson I met last year. The American share of Boxer Indemnity was devoted to Chinese higher education with heavy lobby. (See articles in magazine Chinese American Forum).
The Three Self Churches was created by Chinese Christians in 1920s not in 1950s as alleged, to declare independence from foreign masters who dictated power, donations and policy, long before Mao's regime to administer patriotic church affairs. A Chinese pastor confirmed recent incidence of such hard-nose attitude and he rebuked and refused such conditional funding. The subsequent chapters described Christian mainly protestant house church activities and politics under Mao's Republic. Only one chapter was about Roman Catholics. Chapter 14 talked about missionaries came in disguise as English teacher by lies and deception. In mid 90s, some feverish American missionaries came to recruit Chinese converts to smuggle Bibles to China. Why not they themselves do the dirty work? This chapter also exposed a home grown quasi-Christian cult know as Eastern Lightning with an reincarnation of Jesus as a Chinese woman along with others such as Born-Again movement, Falungong and Little Flock.
David gave an impressive detail account on the development of Christianity in China. It is "love your neighbor as yourself" doctrine to the teaching in the land of "do not do onto others as you do not want others do onto you". He devoted the last chapter in "China's Christian future?" with the possible answers - a more responsible power, an emerging menace, democracy and changing the fare of Christendom.

Reading this book creates the following questions.
1. Nestorian Christians came to China but died out long time, Mohammed established Islam and immediately sent his four disciples to China where they all left their body and soul in Beijing. Does it mean China will become Christian or Moslem?
2. China is a virgin land from missionary eyes, what will happen if all denominations ranging from Baptist, Mormon, Christian Scientist, Pentecostal, Jehovah's Witness, Seven-Days Adventists, Moon's Church to Branch Davidian of Waco Texas claim their share and dominate with eventual government tanks crushing?
3. Will orthodox Christianity accept Chinese Gnostic Christians incorporating the teaching of Buddhism, Taoism and folk religions as cult members?
4. What will happen if Chinese Christians find out lie in be(lie)f, history and theology, Jesus and Christ, truth and faith, and Catholic and Protestant?
5. Will Chinese Christian burn witches, start Crusade killings, and turn hospitals into churches with faith healing miracle to avoid high medical cost?
6. Will Chinese Christian support stem cell research, abortion and the teaching of evolution?
7. Will US accept Chinese Christian made according to American compassion self image? (The allegation P.288 about China closed in upon great hostility to US between Korean War and Kissinger's visit was doubtful. If he researched further, he would find that Premier Chou En-lai always wanted American friendship but US red scare prevented it from happening. Chou extended his hand to the American official at the encounter of Indo-China Peace meeting 1954 and was refused. This is why Nixon upon arrival Beijing stepped up and extended his hand to Chou first for a 28-year make-up.)
8. Will the evangelical Chinese Christian on west journey to Jerusalem convert Moslems to bring about crush and confrontation?
9. Will foreign powers invade Christian China to protect national interest?
10. Will a Christian China lamb become the political and economic scapegoat when Christian brothers lose their jobs or rocket secrets?
11. Does the American public know about the educator missionary - Minnie Vautrin being honored with a bronze bust and a scholarship fund in her former campus in Nanking, China 2002? Please read about her in book, The American Goddess at Rape of Nanking, by Dr Hua-ling Hu and review.
12. The Bill of Rights came about because before American and French Revolutions in Christian world, there were only Divine rights and king's right, but not human rights. Was UN human right draft based on Christian or Confucius idea? Check it out.
13. Will Jesus laugh or cry if he witnesses his disciples instead of standing with him on humanity, justice and peace, destroy other ethnic cultures, change their value system and the mode of thinking?
14. Will Chinese Christian send back missionaries to first and second world countries to win back lost souls as major Cathedrals serve more as tourist attraction than houses of worship?
15. Will Chinese Christian make the same remarks as their American Indian brothers: We used to have land and they have the Bible; now we have the Bible and they have the land?
16. Will Chinese Christian be the blessed peacemaker on diversity harmony among the brotherhood of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as God is the Father of three faiths?
17. Will a powerful Christian China become an imperial or colonial power as their Christian brothers of 19th Century?
18. What will happen when Chinese Christians are Bible lover but ignorant about Buddhism and Taoism both of which are the spiritual salvation for Western seekers?
19. Will Chinese Christian want to have the best by declaring to be a Taoist-Christian as so claimed by my American campus minister friend?
20. Will Chinese Christian practice what they preach?
21. The producer of River Eulogy, Yuan Zhiming and company dreamed of democracy in China based on Christianity. He tried hard to adapt by misinterpreting and distorting ancient Chinese Classics to convert. It is interesting to ask why Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, a devoted Christian failed miserably in bringing about democracy even some of his supporters baptized their troops with garden hose.
22. Will a Christian China become American two-party or European multi-party democracy? Why a high number of Christian countries notably in Africa and South America are not relevant?
23. What will happen if China becomes a theocracy?
24. Will Chinese Christian accept from the DNA burden of "Communist five black types" to that of "Original sin"?
25. Will Chinese Christians be willing to switch from "shame" culture to "sin" culture?
26. Will Chinese Christian prevent exposing clergy in sexual scandal and corruption?
27. Will Chinese Catholic keep Vatican II in treating Jews, Buddhists, Moslems and people of other faiths in respect without conversion?
28. Will Chinese Christian judge others, good or bad depending on their Christian membership?
29. What will happen when Chinese Christian create a "Chinese Messiah" and start a "People Temple"?
30. How will Chinese Christians treat belivers as family menbers or as Confucius teaching that all human around four seas are?
31. Will chinese Christians unite Catholics, Roman and Eastern Orthodox,and all denominations of Protestants?
32. Will God feel good if the Garden of Eden is full of only Christians, one kind of plant, animal and fish?
33. Will Chinese Christians become Anti-Semitics because the Bible said Jews killed Jesus?
34. Will Chinese Christians expect the victims turn the other cheek?
Will Chinese Christians accept other Christians as brothers and sisters or accept all human as brothers and sisters taught by Confucius?

It is a miracle to see how a Jewish cult develops into a culture. Jesus sacrifices his life in protest against inhumanity, inequality and unjust of the Roman Empire. Truly this man was the Son of God, exclaimed the Roman centurion (Mark 15:39)

Mr Karl Marx, please sit down!
Will the real Jesus please stand up?

A FERTILE, WELL-TILLED LAND.......2006-09-27

As China re-emerges as a dominant power in the 21st century, much will hinge on the beliefs of the people in that country when it comes to the actions it takes and tolerates around the world. Oddly, the fascism of the Communist regime remains largely in place in the era following Mao's disastrous reign, even as capitalism and other Western ideals spread like wildfire through this huge, heavily-populated, and (from a Western perspective)oftentimes strange land. Aikman does an excellent job of covering the basic bullet points of the history of Christianity in China, as well as introducing readers to the many Chinese Christians who have led or continue to lead the church in their country. On a recent trip to China, I was highly impressed by the deep generosity, humility, resourcefulness, strength, perseverance, and kindness exhibited by Chinese of all ages. This spirit hums just below the surface in the stories Aikman tells of the Christian Chinese and their faith. This spirit is also, I believe, one of the major reasons why the life and teachings of Jesus seem to so easily take root in the hearts of so many Chinese. Also, those who are concerned that a "Christian China" would somehow gut the land of its culture and heritage while propping up a Westernized facsimile in its place should rest easy. It seems that the faith is spreading through this nation in a very distinctly Chinese way.

God's Work in China Prospers.......2006-04-11

Aikman turns a reporters eye to a careful analysis of the incredible move of God in Mainland China over the past 30 years. Three significant movements are identified and explored -- the Underground Church -- the Revival within the Three Self Church -- and the unusual influence of Christian scholars in Chinese culture. Captivating reading -- but apparently the naming of names and inclusion of pictures of famous Christians in China has led to some increased persecution.

Aikman's assertion that some day the critical mass of Christianity will reach the tipping point and bring sweeping social change has proven to be an embarassment to the government, And if there is one thing the government of China won't stand for, it's being embarrassed. Read it with discretion.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

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Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

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`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

"China and the New World Order: How Entrepreneurship,Globalization, and Borderless Business Are Reshaping China and the World"

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Cooking With the Iron Rice Bowl
The most important book I read in the last 5 years
Is a new world order in the making?...It might just happen.
Insightful and Intelligent
Prepare for the Dragon Market - Winston Ma, Author of "Investing in China: New Opportunities in a Transforming Stock Market

"China and the New World Order: How Entrepreneurship,Globalization, and Borderless Business Are Reshaping China and the World"
George, Zhibin Gu
Manufacturer: Fultus Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1596821078

Book Description

China is the world's number-one growth story now. But how is it that China has achieved such quick growth in this era? How is it that made-in-China products can flood the globe? Is a trade war going to happen? Or is a new world order in the making? This second volume of a trilogy-by Chinese journalist/consultant George Zhibin Gu-aims to answer these questions and more.

Today, more than a half-million overseas companies conduct business inside China. Learn about all the opportunities this exploding market presents, including banking, insurance, and stock market, as well as the yuan and trade and cross-border business issues. Moreover, it contains extensive studies on China's political-economic reform as well as evolving international relations.

This volume addresses eight key topics:

I. China's New Role in the World Development
II. The Yuan, Trade, and Investment
III. China's Fast-Changing Society, Politics, and Economy (in light of Chinese and global history)
IV. China's Banking, Insurance, and Stock Market Reforms
V. Chinese Multinationals vs. Global Giants
VI. The Taiwan Issue: Current Affairs and Trends (federation as an alternate way for unity)
VII. India vs. China: Moving Ahead at the Same Time
VIII. The Japan-China Issue: Evolving Relations in Light of History

Today, all nations increasingly rely on one another for development, a trend that will only strengthen as time passes. As a saying goes, "The future is being shaped today." This book will appeal to readers everywhere regardless of their particular interests.

Customer Reviews:

Cooking With the Iron Rice Bowl.......2007-03-27

Part reference, part musing, part insightful and timely analysis, George Zhibin Gu's latest book "China and the New World Order: How Entrepreneurship, Globalization, and Borderless Business are Reshaping China and the World" is a welcome and refreshing read among the endless new titles printed on China today.

Picking up on a focus of his previous book "China's Global Reach...," Gu goes further and identifies the chief impediment to China's latest and perhaps most difficult transition as the Chinese state itself. Gu reveals the seemingly historical inevitability of China's vast government apparatus but explains that Communist Party bureaucracy is unique in Chinese experience in the size and scope of its all-encompassing control.

In topics relative to today's readers Gu ably demonstrates through the book that changes in China come from the revived entrepreneurial instinct of the Chinese. Along with huge foreign investment China's ever-growing private sector is the outside influence that is challenging Chinese bureaucracy as never before. But while the Chinese people struggle to create a law-based society and break the bureaucracy's grip on all aspects of economic life, the Chinese state seeks an equal footing among world national powers.

"China and the New World Order" is nicely segmented into short but highly relevant chapters. As in his earlier works Gu deftly examines the pros and cons of numerous hot-button issues on China. For example he takes on the Taiwan - China knot and proposes an interesting solution, a federation or federal system as a means toward meaningful (and mutually beneficial) reunification although his federal system shares more similarity to a commonwealth in the opinion of this reviewer. Gu's look at delicate state of Japan and China relations reveals that Japan remains as apprehensive over Chinese growth and potential as it was in the past. In examining the India versus China debate Gu shows that there is far less competition (as Western press prefers to portray it) and more similarities between the two giants of Asia.

There is plenty of current information here and the detailed contents and summaries make the book a good quick reference for anyone with an interest in what's happening right now in China. And there are goodies such as a lengthy interview with Mark Mobius and a foreword by Hoover Institute fellow William Ratliff.

At one point in his analysis, Gu intriguingly compares the struggle in China to the old European church-state alliance. With that view in mind, what may be needed next and with luck what Chinese entrepreneurs may succeed in bringing is a Chinese "Glorious Revolution."

The most important book I read in the last 5 years.......2006-12-25

This new book from Dr. George Zhibin Gu is a geo-economics and geopolitical masterpiece from an insider, someone that thrives his consulting work and daily life inside China, not writing or comment from a comfortable chair in London or New York paid by a western think tank, or only for academic proposals. His challenge is to write for a broad audience out of China. I must refer his clever suggestions about Taiwan - a political proposal for a a federation - and the way he sees the go global from Chinese emergent multinationals. It is needed a lot of courage for an insider to be so clear in his proposals and to identify the old Chinese problem - bureaucracy, the same that stopped admiral Cheng Ho and the Discoveries in the XV Century, that closed China for so many centuries and gave an opportunity for foreign powers to humiliate China, hyper-bureaucracy that in the Mao period pulled China for chaos and economic and social distress. China and the New World Order is a must reading. Jorge Nascimento Rodrigues, editor of www.gurusonline.tv and translator of Made in China (published in Portuguese language).

Is a new world order in the making?...It might just happen........2006-12-15

Base on the number of book in relation to this matter so far I believe that no one has come close to capturing "new China's" spirit and meaning as Gu. After reading his second volume I found it to be hugely insightful on the current events of China and global affairs. It greatly explores the key factors that shape Chinese and global development in the next stages. It gives tremendous info and analysis on the Chinese government, politics, business and economy for any one's interest.

There's a huge amount of info on foreign businesses inside China. You will be able to see about twenty five American and global multinationals inside of China that are studied. In the meantime it gives us a very provocative analysis on China's new role in the world. Gu details this general picture of how China is walking away from a practical society and embracing an open, restless and dynamic society. It claims that an overextended, self-appointed bureaucracy remains the key problem for China. To overcome countless technical barriers, greater openness, entrepreneurship and global involvement is all needed. Again, it's very insightful on the issues between China, Taiwan, Japan, India and West. I will add that his analyses on Japan-China line up are very interesting as well as Taiwan. There' a tremendous amount of info and analysis on China's financial, banking, insurance and stock market.

Author George Zhibin Gu is a very outspoken and a well known Chinese journalist who has generally covered mergers and acquisitions, capital activities, business expansion, and restructuring. He's an insider who gives us scrupulous examination on current China and global affairs which is more than a reason why you should grab hold to this book.

Insightful and Intelligent.......2006-12-11

George Gu provides a depth of understanding that distinguishes his work from most other business books. His wide network of contacts gives insight into emerging trends. He provides useful context that western authors often lack and Chinese authors frequently take for granted.

Prepare for the Dragon Market - Winston Ma, Author of "Investing in China: New Opportunities in a Transforming Stock Market.......2006-11-07

For the international investor community, "Investing in China" in the new century is more or less a one-way investment and capital flow. Mr. Gu's book, however, looks one step further to explore how all these interactions would reshape the global horizon, both for China and the rest of the world.

In fact, China's outward influence is increasingly obvious. For instance, whether China would diversify its foreign currency reserve -- and consequently whether China will enter into the gold market to hedge its US dollar exposure -- has profound implications in the global financial markets.

Comparing to many other books on China, Mr. Gu's book has a truly "authentic Chinese" flavor. The reason is obvious: He is an INSIDER. As a native Chinese, he captures the spirit of China's latest developments in its not-too-short historic context.

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Lao She must be rolling over in his grave! The exploiting class is back with a vengeance
Lao She's attack on individualism
The nobility of losers
common people's struggle
Worst book ever!

Rickshaw: The Novel Lo-t'o Hsiang Tzu
She Lao
Manufacturer: University of Hawaii Press
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ASIN: 0824806557

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Lao She must be rolling over in his grave! The exploiting class is back with a vengeance.......2007-05-02

(This book is also known as Camel Xiangzi and Rickshaw Boy, and has had different translators. I read the version translated by Shi Xiaoqing and illustrated by Gu Bingxin that I bought in China. ISBN 7-119-00512)

This is the great classic novel of exploitation in Old China, before the 1949 Revolution. It's also anti-individualist. It's the early 1930s and Xiangzi arrives alone in Beiping (Beijing) with dreams of making a living as a rickshaw puller. He is a loner who constantly struggles against forces beyond his control. On more than one occasion his rickshaw is destroyed and each time he tries to bounce back. Class struggle is woven throughout the tapestry of this story.

I read this after Nawal El Saadawi's Woman at Point Zero. So what really caught my attention was the character, Joy, who enters in the last third of Camel Xiangzi. I decided to use both of these novels in my thesis on women forced into prostitution. Joy is sold to an army officer by her lazy greedy father. Joy learns that temporary "marriages" are the MO of her officer "husband." Each time he is transferred he just buys a new wife, because it's cheaper than hiring housekeepers and prostitutes, and he leaves them with the bills.

When Joy returns home she's damaged goods and her father forces her to prostitute in order to support his drinking habit and her two younger brothers. Her life becomes hell on earth. I don't really want to spoil the ending. Let me just say that Chinese novels rarely have happy endings.

In his 1954 afterword Lao She reflects back on how much China has evolved since those dark days and how "Today, nineteen years later, the working people have become masters of their own destiny." Tragically more than half a century later, while China has the fastest growing economy in the world, many of its citizens, especially girls, are much worse off. The great exploitation novel of 21st century China would be called SWEATSHOP GIRL or HOSTAGE HOOKER. The protagonist would be a teenage girl from one of the inner provinces like Sichuan or Hunan. She would be forced to leave school and migrate to a city like Guangzhou. She would lie about her age to obtain a job in a sweatshop working around the clock, for pennies an hour, to support herself and send money home. Another worse, but unfortunately very common scenario (in Russia as well), she would be abducted walking home from school by a pimp from organized crime. When her parents try to find her the police sit back and do nothing because they are working with organized crime. A search engine turned up numerous articles about this. China is also the only country where more females than males commit suicide. Its one-child policy has led to a birth ratio of 119 males to 100 females. Rather than leading to a greater appreciation of women, who "hold up half of the sky," it has fueled a higher demand for trafficking in women.

I am reading Will the Boat Sink the Water: The Life of China's Peasants by Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao. It was written in the last few year by a husband and wife who are journalists from Anhui Province. The suffering of China's billion peasants seems even worse than in Lao She's day. I also recommend The Garlic Ballads, a novel by Mo Yan.

Lao She's attack on individualism.......2005-11-30

Rickshaw: The Novel Lo-t'o Hsiang Tzu, a 1936 novel penned by Chinese author Lao She, depicts the struggle of the unskilled, lower class worker in early 20th century China with painstaking accuracy. The story is a commentary on the corruption of Chinese society and its impact on the people, but it develops to reveal an additional message: Individualism and selfish ambition lead to downfall, failure, and misery. Hsiang Tzu is the victim of his times and circumstances, but not completely; he is also his own worst enemy. What begins as a sympathetic tale of the rickshaw puller's plight gradually turns into a moralist's warning of the catastrophe spawned by individualism and the danger of a society which promotes it.

The old rickshaw man, Hsiao Ma's grandfather, sums up Lao She's point the most succinctly: "any poor guy who thinks he can succeed by himself will find it harder than going to heaven. How far can one man hop? [A grasshopper] can go a long way in one hop by itself. Let a small boy grab it and tie a thread around it and it can't go anywhere. But if it joins up with a whole lot of other grasshoppers in a horde and they all move together, whew!"
According to Lao She, in a society that promotes and necessitates individualism, people will never be able to truly succeed. When people serve only themselves, corruption and deceit flourish, which in turn promotes individualism, which then begins the cycle anew.

Rickshaw is a condemnation of Lao She's corrupt China and the selfish people that it produced. However, it also serves as a vivid and historically accurate account of the hardships faced by the lowly rickshaw puller. This book will not tell you, it will SHOW you how an honest and upright man can be beaten down into the most degenerate of scumbags.

Highly recommended.

The nobility of losers.......2005-03-26

I had read, before starting this novel, that Lao She was influenced by Dickens. Perhaps he was, but this novel is not as much reminiscent of Dickens as of Zola at his bleakest, or of Frank Norris' McTeague.

Just like McTeague (Norris' San Francisco unlicensed dentist), Hsiang Tzu is an inarticulate man.

The greatness of Lao She or Frank Norris' writing is that they allow us to get inside men who are so out of touch with their own feelings. Not mockingly or judging them in any way. Just deeeeeply.

It is difficult to be a man. One would almost think it has become more so, as men now are expected to be strong but caring too. But exceptional novels like Rickshaw or McTeague show that even in previous societies, with different challenges, men were already ravaged by inner contradictions.

Of course, the description of early 20th century Peking is fascinating, as are the omens of revolution.

But what made the book a special experience for me is the psychological accuracy.

common people's struggle.......2003-11-20

This book absolutely deserves it's honor to be a Chinese classic. Yes, this book is a required text by many asian study courses, but there is a significant, and a great reason for it. Lectures only talk about the lives of the emperors and the lord of the dynasties. They lived wealthy lives, but what about the common people? even though lectures normally don't discuss the lives of the working people, that doesn't mean they aren't important.

Rickshaw brings the hardships of the labors to life through a somewhat humorous and satire tone. It's is worth reading, both for a class or not. The main character Hsiang Tzu will take your emotion on to a roller coaster ride!

Worst book ever!.......2002-11-21

Don't ever read this book or take Chinese History where you will be forced to read this book. I can't tell Hsiang Tzu from Sang Wu.

Top 10 Beijing (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

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Top 10 Beijing (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
DK Publishing
Manufacturer: DK Travel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0756624746

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Top 10 Items.......2007-04-01

This is a must have book while visiting Beijing. We would have been lost if we had not purchased this book. A real life saver.

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