The Useless Tree

Current Affairs

  • It’s Hard Out Here for a Confucian

        OK, this might be a stretch, but I see a connection….     For those of you following the Oscar’s (and that does not really include me), you know already that the "best song" award went to a… Continue reading

  • Prosperity for All – But Just No Land Rights For Farmers

        I guess I should say something about the National People’s Congress – the PRC legislature – which is currently in progress in Beijing.       Premier Wen Jiabao promised "prosperity for all."  How can anyone be against that?… Continue reading

  • Breaking Historical Laws

        Roland, at ESWN, has provided some great coverage of the closing, and then the reopening, of the Freezing Point (Bingdian) section of the China Youth Daily newspaper.  His posts are numerous and spread about his site; it is… Continue reading

  • Sun Tzu and the US Failure in Iraq

        I haven’t talked about Sun Tzu here in quite a while, but he came to mind when I saw this story the other day (hat tip, Kevin): Knight Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON – U.S. intelligence agencies repeatedly warned the… Continue reading

  • If They Can Admonish, Can We Remonstrate?

        Why do I think this will not work? The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has set up a mechanism of supervision based on admonishment as an intensified step to keep its officials upright, honest and incorruptible.… Continue reading

  • The Winter Olympics: Learning Not To Think

        Some in the US are unhappy about the Winter Olympics.  More medals were expected, more gold medals.  Bode Miller has become the poster boy for high-level athletic underachievement.  I am not personally upset by this: there were plenty… Continue reading

  • The Pursuit of Happiness

        In an article in this week’s New Yorker, "Pursuing Happiness," John Lanchester reviews some new books on that contented emotion.  It is a sweeping piece, engaging recent research in psychology and brain scanning technology, and running across a… Continue reading

  • Any “Chinese Culture” Here?

        Two stories today bring up the question of how we define "Chinese culture," a question dear to the heart of The Useless Tree, which everyday pursues its quixotic mission to apply elements of ancient Chinese culture to modern… Continue reading

  • A Not-So-New Socialist Countryside

        The PRC government has announced a new initiative to revitalize the rural economy.  This People’s Daily editorial lauds the creation of a "new socialist countryside."  But, when we look at it carefully it is not so new.  It… Continue reading

  • What Larry Summers Should Do Now

    You can resolve great rancor,but rancor always lingers on. Understanding the more noble way,a sage holds the creditor’s half of contractsand yet asks nothing of others.Those with Integrity tend to such contracts;those without Integrity tend to the collection of taxes.… Continue reading