The Middle Kingdom – Page 13 – The Scholar's Stage

Why the Mongols Conquered the World, According to the Mongols

23 February, 2015Dogs of War, History, Korea, Narrative, Steppe and Sown, The Middle Kingdom

Illustration of Rashid-ad-Din’s Gami’ at-tawarih. Tabriz (?), 1st quarter of 14th century. Source: Wikimedia. “One day after the suppression of the Sambyeolcho rebellion, the two comrades in arms, Koryo general Kim Pang-kyong and Mongol general Hsintu enjoyed a moment together in Kaeyong. Presently, Hsintu caught a young sparrow and, after playing with it awhile, he clubbed […]

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Notes From All Over (8/1/14): Tech Giants, Asian Media, and Japanese History

08 January, 2015Demographics, Europa Regina, Geography, History, Japan, Military Affairs, Monied Interests, Notes From All Over, Political Theory, Religion, Southeast Asia, The Middle Kingdom, Tyranny, Wealth

A collection of articles, essays, and blog post of merit. TOP BILLING “The State of Consumer Technology at the End of 2014“Ben Thompson, Stratechery (16 December 2014). One of the defining characteristics of the three major epochs of consumer computing – PC, Internet, and mobile – is that they have been largely complementary: we didn’t […]

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The Radical Sunzi

02 January, 2015Dogs of War, History, Political Theory, Possessions For All Time, The Middle Kingdom

Victor Mair’s translation of the Sunzi Bingfa. Image Source. When translated into English, the Sunzi Bingfa, usually titled Sunzi’s Art of War, is a fairly small work. When we take away the commentary and annotation added by its translators we are left with a sparse text indeed: Roger Ames’ translation is 71 pages long, the […]

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Can China Liberalize in Time? Keep Your Eyes on Shandong

27 December, 2014Monied Interests, The Middle Kingdom, Wealth

Shandong is the red one. Map by Uwe Dedering. Wikimedia. Things are looking up for President Xi Jinping. Arthur Groeber sums things up well in a challenge he recently gave China File readers: “Name one world leader with a better record.” [1] Mr. Groeber has a point. All those who predicted that the Hong Kong […]

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Bargaining with the Dragon: Some Straight Talk on Hong Kong

06 October, 2014Bargaining and Balancing, Demographics, Electoral Intrigues, The Middle Kingdom, Tyranny

Note by the author: I cannot take credit for most of the ideas and observations I present below. The protests in Hong Kong are now in their eighth day. Since they began last week a great amount has been written about why these protests are happening and what their eventual outcome may be. It has […]

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Notes From all Over (14/09/14): China’s Economy, Samurai, and Adam Tooze’s Take on Europe

14 September, 2014Bactria, Climate, Cognition, Demographics, Entangling Alliances, Europa Regina, Geopolitics, History, Japan, Monied Interests, Notes From All Over, The Legislature, The Middle Kingdom, Wealth

A collection of articles, essays, and blog post of merit. TOP BILLING “What Does a “Good” Adjustment Look Like?“ Michael Pettis, China’s Financial Markets (1 September 2014). This essay is long but excellent. It is also the best thing I have read about the Chinese economy in months. Two quotes to give readers the flavor of […]

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What Edward Luttwak Doesn’t Know About Ancient China (Or a Short History of Han-Xiongnu Relations), pt. 2

06 September, 2014Dogs of War, History, Narrative, Steppe and Sown, Strategy, The Middle Kingdom

This is Part II of a two part series. We strongly recommend reading Part I before reading another sentence of this post. A modern depiction of Huo Qubing’s cavalry charging a surprised Xiongnu force. Image Source. Edward Luttwak is wrong. The Han did not corrupt, bribe, or culturally weaken the Xiongnu Empire into submission. If […]

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What Edward Luttwak Doesn’t Know About Ancient China (Or a Short History of Han-Xiongnu Relations), pt. 1

04 September, 2014Dogs of War, Entangling Alliances, History, Narrative, Steppe and Sown, Strategy, The Middle Kingdom

A Mongolian stamp depicting Maodun, founder of the Xiongnu Empire.Image source. A few weeks ago a friend passed along one of the least correct essays I have ever had the misfortune to read. It was written by Edward Luttwak, secret agent author of classic titles in the field of strategic studies like Coup D’état: […]

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Passages I Highlighted in My Copy of “Red Capitalism”

16 August, 2014Monied Interests, The Middle Kingdom, Wealth

Carl Walter and Fraser Howie’s Red Capitalism: The Fragile Financial Foundations of China’s Extraordinary Rise is a hard book to review. It follows the style of the fox more than the hedgehog; with so many useful figures, facts, and insightful asides between its covers it is impossible to reduce the book to a summary of […]

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It is Time to Talk Honestly About the U.S.-Japanese Alliance

10 August, 2014Entangling Alliances, Japan, Military Affairs, The Middle Kingdom

Image source: “The New Cold War: China vs. Japan,” The Diplomat (25 January 2014) Peter Lee, who writes columns for Asia Times Online, International Policy Digest, and Counterpunch, is one of the more astute observers of East Asian affairs I have the pleasure to read. He is also a staunch contrarian whose columns are almost always […]

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Category Archives: The Middle Kingdom

Why the Mongols Conquered the World, According to the Mongols

Notes From All Over (8/1/14): Tech Giants, Asian Media, and Japanese History

The Radical Sunzi

Can China Liberalize in Time? Keep Your Eyes on Shandong

Bargaining with the Dragon: Some Straight Talk on Hong Kong

Notes From all Over (14/09/14): China’s Economy, Samurai, and Adam Tooze’s Take on Europe

What Edward Luttwak Doesn’t Know About Ancient China (Or a Short History of Han-Xiongnu Relations), pt. 2

What Edward Luttwak Doesn’t Know About Ancient China (Or a Short History of Han-Xiongnu Relations), pt. 1

Passages I Highlighted in My Copy of “Red Capitalism”

It is Time to Talk Honestly About the U.S.-Japanese Alliance

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