The Useless Tree

Current Affairs

  • Heading Home

       Time to turn off the laptop, pack up the bag, bundle into a taxi, and head out for the Capital Airport for my flight back to the US.  It could be an eventful trip.  You see, there is a… Continue reading

  • Changes

        I have retreated to a hotel.  The college guest house where I was staying was OK, but was having some hot water problems; so, I packed up and high-tailed it to the Hilton.  The benefits: a more comfortable… Continue reading

  • Something hopeful

        At dinner last night I heard something hopeful.  We were at the Lao She Tea House – which I would not really recommend: it is not a historical preservation of the famous author’s Beijing but, rather, just a… Continue reading

  • Crazy Thought of the Day

         Not much time to post just now, but here is a thought that has entered my mind these past two days of the conference: Confucianism is not longer Chinese.  Or, to be more precise, if China wants to… Continue reading

  • The Conference

         Here I am, back at the internet cafe.  This time, however, I am off in a side room, sipping ice latte and blogging – is this what they mean when they talk about the "superiority of socialism?"  … Continue reading

  • Blogging from Beijing

         So, I found an internet cafe just down the street from where I am staying, and, as you can see, I can access Typepad.  Not too long ago people were saying Typepad was blocked in China.  But I… Continue reading

  • North Korea: Retaining Heart

          Something about this picture (from CDT) struck me:              They are a North Korean couple.  Apparently urban, fairly well-off: his suit suggests that he is a cadre with some job or link to… Continue reading

  • A Loyal Brother

        Confucianism pushes against nationalism of any sort because it defines our moral selves in terms of how well we cultivate and preserve our closest loving relationships.  If there is a conflict of obligations between family (or most immediate… Continue reading

  • How Many Chinas?

        A couple of days ago we had a bit of a discussion over at Peking Duck around the question of how many Chinas there are.   Dave was wondering how Chinese culture might manifest itself in various locations: PRC… Continue reading

  • The Way of Property

        As economic reform deepens in the PRC, the tricky question of private property continues to pop up.       Last March, a law was ready to be enacted by the National People’s Congress that would have begun a… Continue reading