My China Kanfa.....China on My Mind

I’ve a whole litany of things I’ve wanted to write about, alas none of them are worthy of a post in of itself.     So this will be a fluff post.   A fluff post is when I combine various smaller topics into one post, for efficiency sake.   Otherwise, I’d simply write only 500 words a post and to me, that would simply not make blogging worthwhile.    I know for many of you that’s enough, and I’m fine with that.    But as I’ve developed my writing style, 500 or so just isn’t for me.    My last post was around 2500 words for example.   Probably the longest it’s ever been.    I’d like to think that when I’m late on a post(7 days), that many of my veteran readers will simply understand it’s because I’ve either got a long post coming out,   many disparate thoughts to put to paper,   or simple conflicts in my daily schedule keeping me from just sitting down and doing what I like best.  My version of paradis...

As most of you know, I’ve often commented there is no such thing today as a true “China Hand”.    But if there was, John Service, within the context of the times, would have to receive my vote.    (How could someone with the experience of having met Mao one on one to discuss the future of China not be considered as such?) He and John Davies were perhaps, within the context of the times, America’s greatest China Experts.   (Davies nailed Vietnam, too..in the 50’s…when no one was listening) But as regards John Service, despite his knowledge of China, he was having much difficulty getting through to Chiang Kai Shek and his cunning, seductress of a wife, Madame Chiang Kai Shek .    Why? There is something about us.   As individuals, we all hide behind a bit of a facade.    We like to say to others, as if to end a conversation, or debate or argument, “You don’t know me!” And so when we hear it ourselves, what do we do...

Walking to my apartment I heard her casually utter I was trying to seduce her.   But her tone was that of mock disgust.    She was wearing white jeans.   They weren’t tight, merely form fitting. Her legs nicely filling them out.   She was a dark girl, which for us Westerners was nothing to detract from.      Indeed, it actually denoted a wisp of legitimacy to her.   Chinese girls are so fascinated with having those mythical, highly sought after porcelain features.    Refusing to accept   the fact Chinese girls tan so easily.    Of course I knew her darkly tanned features had not come from the beach, or time strategically spent at poolside.  She was a peasant . I tried to imagine her parents.   Were they dark, sinewy and taut, wearing those floppy wide brim hats in the fields? Here in Shenzhen one could frequently see well dressed peasant girls walking arm in arm with their plump peasant ...