Private Life Of Chairman Mao.

[Lager]

Has anyone read this? I'm looking forward to it.

Couldn't find it in God's country. Only cost 200 RMB but that's life in the free world. Going to be a classic book. (I hope)

Did I mention how economical it is to drink in a bar? Not that I would engage in such nefarious activities...

They have other books about China-------not getting hysterical but they might be banned in my favorite country./ And country music and 6-Nations Rugby----How happy can one be"

[George61]

Leisure activities sound good, BUT what's the work like??

[Lager]

Not bad as kids go,

I got quite lucky yaking this job based on a phone call only. (Gotta be smart to be lucky eh?)

Anyway thanks for asking ---it's all pretty good!

Sorry you got robbed in your sleep. I don't miss mo-fo's watching my every move. Here nobody gives a toss what I do and that's the way I like it.

Here in the free world we know that GOD is about to invade Taiwan.



TAIWAN IS NOT A COUNTRY,,,, ;D

[George61]

Well, I'm glad you're having fun at last. Keep it up.

[Raoul Duke]

Me too, Lager. And I have read Private Life of Chairman Mao...you're in for a good time. Try to smuggle me in a copy sometime...I borrowed the copy I read...

[Newbs]

If it's the one by his private physician, whose name escapes me, it is a rip snorter, and definitely recommended.

Couldn't find it in God's country.

Nonsense, it's readily available in Australia.

[Lager]

It IS the one by his Doctor and is excellent.
Can you guess what Mao said were China's 3 great contributions to civilixation?

1) Chinese medicine
2) mah-jong
3) the novel Dream Of Red Mansions

But the maniac only took Western medicine, didn't play mahjong -as far as I gather. He admired the most psycho of China's past Emperors.

PS: Is the CCP annual congress getting much attention there? It's all over CNN Asia. Esp the anti-secession bill. Come to think of it China gets tons of press which you dont notice (or I didn't) while living there.

If I'm back soon I'll bring it for one of you (and for teaching.) Next up is Red China Blues ,

[Newbs]

"Red China Blues" is also an interesting read, especially towards the end where, if my memory is correct, she starts to confirm some stereotypes about how well hung are our Middle Kingdom brothers.

[Lotus Eater]

Red China Blues is interesting, and she has written a follow up to it as well. Jane Hutcheon's From Rice to Riches is good, Peter Hessler's River Town is really good. I have several others - Sky Burial by the woman who wrote Hidden Voices (sorry left them in Oz, too much weight to bring back books I had read on the way over!).

There are some really interesting books around - Sorrel Wilby and her bicycle ride through Tibet is another one.

Read Mao Ze Dong: Man not Myth (by his valet) - intersting hagiography, but .......

Deng Xiao Ping by his daughter was also interesting - covered the time until he came back into favour and leadership - all through the cultural revolution.

[Steiner]

How's Life and Death in Shanghai? I've had a couple people mention it to me recently.

[Newbs]

How's Life and Death in Shanghai? I've had a couple people mention it to me recently.

Certainly worth a read. It actually took me a couple of goes to get into the book, and I wondered what was wrong with me, because everyone else thought it was really great. However, once I did get into it it was worth it. Recommended.

Although not everyone has recommended it I also enjoyed "The New Emperors" or is it "The 2 Emperors" by Harrison Salisbury, on Deng and Mao.

[woza17]

The Secret Life of Chairman Mao was a good read but got bogged down a bit. I really liked Dragon Lady and the The Soong Sisters. Just finished reading Rape in Nanking, sadly the author committed suicide recently. Past teachers have left 2 books in the flat. A biography of Samuel Pepys which I enjoyed and Portrait of a Young Man as an Artist but I didn't care enough about artistic young men to read it.
I have ran out of books to read and am now going through the English resource library and encouraging students to do more written homework for a good read.
Fortunately I can get the Shanghai Star here in Dalian.
Cheers Carol

[Raoul Duke]

Beware the movie of The Soong Sisters! It sucks. There were three sisters from a rich Chinese family. One married H.H. Kung, a wealthy Capitalist-roader who eventually abandoned the Motherland and moved his empire into HK and Taiwan. One married Chiang Kai-Shek, El Supremo Bull-Goose Humongous of the Kuomintang, who betrayed his country to Japan, ruthlessly slaughtered thousands of Communist martyrs, and eventually forced his evil will upon the democratic, peace-loving people of Taiwan. One married Sun Yat-Sen, pure, ardent, and saintly revolutionary whom, had he not died 30 years before the Revolution, it can be safely assumed would fully approve of everything that has happened in China since 1949.

I won't give away the exciting ending, but 2 of the sisters end up less than completely happy and self-actualized as a result of their choices. I'll let you find out for yourselves which one chose the right life!

I think that's Rape OF Nanjing, Woza. We can't take you anywhere can we?

[Hamish]

It's Song Sisters, S O N G , asshole.

[Hamish]

Sterling Seagrave wrote "The Soong Dynasty," so you're right, but you're still an asshole.

[Raoul Duke]

Hamish called me up to gloat after posting these pearls, and I was able to inform him that although "Song" is technically correct today under the modern Pinyin system, the sisters in question predate that era and are generally known to the world under the older rendition "Soong". Even my DVD copy of the turkey referred to above (the movie, I mean) is titled The Soong Sisters despite being a recent product of the good ol' PRC.

Try it: a quick Yahoo search under "Soong Sisters" netted me nearly 14,000 hits while a search under "Song Sisters" netted me less than 700- and some of those were sites for bad conceptual nightclub acts. For the final nail, please turn to my old friends at Wikipedia- The Free Encyclopedia at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soong_Sisters

Therefore, I see no reason to heap yet more humiliation upon this good and simple soul's weary grey head.

Nevertheless, yeah, I am an asshole. Life is more fun that way.

[woza17]

You can take me anywhere I am desparate to go out.
You will have to chatise the author. The Rape of Nanking old name for Nanjing. The movie about the Soong sisters sucked big time especially since I enjoyed the book so much. One old black and white film, the rickshaw puller, based on the novel by the Chinese writer whose name escapes me, was great. Watched Purple Butterfly.long drawn out pauses, anguished looks through a haze of cigarette smoke. Mangaged to watch it while doing all the housework without missing a beat.
Cheers

[Raoul Duke]

woza17 said:

You can take me anywhere I am desparate to go out.

Let me please again tell you how delighted we all are that you are joining us for May Day. I think you'll have a great time.

Rape OF Nanking I have no problems with. It was Rape IN Nanking that had me wondering.

[woza17]

Thanks Raoul. I am looking forward to being there.
Cheers Carol

[con's fly is open]

Was Mao a sports fan? Did he have a hobby, like collecting bird feathers? Did he have any weird phobias, apart from rival power grabs of being contradicted? Who was his favourite singer? What kind of jokes did he laugh at? What were his most and least favourite foods?

[Lager]

Con you may be joking but.....

Mao was an avid swimmer (and reader), and collecting young girlfriends was a later hobby.

Weird phobias--too many to mention. Dentistry for one. He would wash his mouth out with green tea and refused any dental work-at least until the pain was too much. And cleanliness and doctor's "A fish can't live in distilled water" is a famous Mao quote.

Food- he ate spicy Hunanese. Refused foreign foods such as in a trip to Russia.

A lot of this type stuff author doesn't go into---gets dry after a while as someone above said but worth the read overall...

[hankuh]

During an "Independent Film Week" symposium at my university back in the states, one of the indie films I watched was a documentary of the three most evil dictators in the world: Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. I vaguely remembered that the narration of the documentary said that each of these dictators possessed one testicle. I am not making this up. Did Mao really have one testicle? Has that been confirmed in any of these biographies? I wonder about things like this. God knows there ain't much else to do here where I am.

Sorry, had to modify this:
This is my 100th posting and please let it be noted that it was about the one-testicle Mao theory.

[Raoul Duke]

I don't remember reading that Mao was a uniball. Does anyone else?

[Mr Nobody]

I did't even know the other two were. Maybe I should get out more.
Why it should even be relevant is also beyond me. Did they wake up one day and say to themselves, or their boyfriend or whatever, "M'kay. I only have one testicle. I think i will take over large proportion of the planet and kill millions of people."
















I take that back. I now see the point.

[hankuh]

" Mao also had an undescended testicle and was infertile. He had a venereal disease from the late 1950s on and contracted herpes in 1967. He stayed awake 24 to 48 hours at a time, before sleeping with the aid of barbiturates, to which he built up a huge tolerance."

For more info: check out this book review of The Private Life of Chairman Mao:

scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1995/vp950319/03140268.htm