Author Archives
Retired lawyer studying Chinese and linguistics
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A Visit to the Geological Museum of China in Beijing
During my visit to Beijing in June 2017, I visited the Geological Museum of China in the west central part of the city, near Xisi subway station. This museum opened in 1959 and is showing its age, but it does… Read More ›
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A Visit to Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum in Nanjing
During a recent visit to Nanjing, I visited Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum. Sun Yat-sen was the first President of the Republic of China following the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. He later founded the Nationalist Party of China (Kuomintang)…. Read More ›
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Chinese Has at Least One Advantage over English
I have spent around 2,700 hours over the past three years studying Chinese, about the time it would have taken to complete an undergraduate degree. I am still far from fluent in speaking Chinese, but I can read it reasonably… Read More ›
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The Chinese Love of Calligraphy
On each of my visits to China over the past year and a half I have been struck by the number and quality of calligraphy displays one finds in museums and galleries there. Almost every museum contains at least a… Read More ›
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Whither Brexit?
In my last post on this site I set out my predictions for the outcome of the Brexit negotiations. When I wrote that post in March, Theresa May was on the verge of submitting the Article 50 notice to the… Read More ›
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My Predictions for the Outcome of the Brexit Negotiations
Theresa May has announced that she will serve the Article 50 notice on 29th March. This means that the UK will leave the EU two years later, in March 2019. As a strong Remain supporter, I continue to hope that… Read More ›
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A Visit to the ‘Presidential Palace’ in Nanjing
While in Nanjing last November (2016), I visited the ‘Presidential Palace’, located on Zhongshan Avenue in central Nanjing. The Presidential Palace is a museum comprising numerous buildings, pavilions and well landscaped gardens. It is located on the site of a… Read More ›
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A Saturday Morning Walk in Beijing
During my last visit to Beijing, in November/December 2016, I set off one Saturday morning from my hotel at Chongwenmen (about one mile southeast of the Forbidden City) to visit the Lu Xun Museum in west central Beijing. Though not… Read More ›
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Whither Brexit?
I was of course very disappointed by the outcome of the EU Referendum last June. However, I was not at all surprised. I opposed David Cameron’s decision to call a Referendum in the first place, as I knew it would… Read More ›
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The Beijing Home of Soong Qing-ling
During a visit to Beijing this July, I visited the former home of Soong Qing-ling （宋庆龄故居）on the eastern side of Houhai Lake, not far from the Forbidden City. Soong Qing-ling was one of three sisters of a wealthy Chinese banker,… Read More ›
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Reflections on the EU Referendum Campaign: the Immigration Issue
Looking back over previous posts on this site today, I was struck by my 31 August 2015 post ‘Will Immigration Concerns Lead to Brexit?’. As I predicted in that post, immigration has indeed become the number one issue of the… Read More ›
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The Beijing University ‘Red Building’
One of the most interesting places I visited during my recent trip to Beijing (March 2016) was the Beijing University ‘Red Building’. This building is only a short walk from the north west corner of the Forbidden City and is… Read More ›
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Photos of Visit to Beijing
I set out below a few photos from my recent visit to Beijing. I will also be writing a few posts about specific places I visited there.
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Tokyo: Parks and Museums
Tokyo is famous for its highly developed urban landscape of modern office and apartment high rises, elevated freeways and shopping districts. It does have all of these things, but it is also a city of parks and museums, a number… Read More ›
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Will Immigration Concerns Lead to Brexit?
Pre-EU Referendum polls show a continuing (and even increasing) lead for the ‘Yes’ campaign for Britain to stay in the EU. However, I am concerned that the constant focus on immigration issues in the UK could overturn this lead by… Read More ›
