SeligmanOnline
China II
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Chinese at a Glance, a phrase book for travelers I wrote with I-chuan Chen, has also been published three times: in 1985, in 2001 and again in 2006. Amazingly, fully a third of the book needed updating when we tackled it the second time - and this is a language book! Among the things that existed in China in 2002 that had not been there 16 years before: Western breakfasts, forms of address like "Mrs." and "Miss," tipping, hailing taxis, facials, discos, karaoke, CDs and DVDs, e-mail and Internet cafés. Among my other interests related to China: |
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To return to the previous China page, click here. |
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The
Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.
This was an
unmitigated disaster for China, and my
interest in it implies no support for its ideology or
those who espoused it, often violently. But as a PR
professional, I have to marvel at the propaganda
developed to fuel this mass movement that mobilized
millions to build socialism. My
collection includes books, posters, art, porcelain
Mao busts and badges bearing his
image. Among the most valued pieces is a gun with rubber-tipped darts and four targets emblazoned with
caricatures of the "Gang of Four." 
Western
Architecture in China. I also enjoy China's old Western architecture, of which
vestiges remain if you know where to look. I collect images of Beijing's historic Legation Quarter
and the foreign concessions in the treaty ports. I
am also fascinated
by the Jewish experience in China, notably that of Russian
Jews from the late 19th century through WWII. ©2007, 2008, 2009, 2010. Scott D. Seligman. All Rights Reserved. To contact me by e-mail, please click here.