The Story of CHINA

The Story of China is a book written by Michael Wood, British Historian and Professor of Public history at Manchester University. The book has been published by Simon & Schuster in the UK in 2020. As the title suggests, the book revolves around China, its history, civilisation and the Chinese people. Complementing the book is a six part documentary series on the Story of China produced by PBS and is an excellent follow on to be viewed along with the book. 

The book traces the path of China which commences at the establishment of modern great civilisations like the Egyptians, Sumerians and the Indus Valley. Laying out the geographical considerations of China, its rivers, vegetation and topography and supplemented by archeological finds, the author begins by establishing how China and the Chinese civilisation came into being. The initial chapters of the book concentrate on the early dynasties such as the Xia, Shang, Zhou and Qin, Han dynasties. The reader can get a flavour of the early periods, what the rule under different dynasts was like and most importantly how one rule collapsed and was replaced by another. 

Discontent among its people, internal weaknesses, stretched military campaigns, poor agricultural harvest, climate change and natural disasters are some of the catalysts that result in pivotal moves from one leader to another. Reading these chapters serve as useful lessons for us even today as they give us an understanding of the key challenges facing societies, countries and civilisations and what are the agents of change.  

Wood’s book also repeatedly stresses the importance of ‘The Mandate of Heaven’, celestial omens, phenomenons etc in the Chinese Civilisation. The central theme is how and why this mandate changes and how upon change of the mandate results in a new emperor and a new dynasty. This is a concept that holds relevance even in today’s China. Securing a ‘mandate’ is critical for any ruler in China and establishing order and peace is paramount. 

Middle chapters are devoted to Song empires, The Mongol invasions and the Ming Dynasty. The age of enlightenment and renaissance, development of art, culture, ethos, science and political systems. The reader can get a very good sense of the advancement attained by the Chinese civilisation at a time when Europe was still grappling with basic fundamental societal issues. The book also encapsulates a time when China was outward, confident in contact with the world, keen to explore, peaceful naval expeditions and embrace new ideas, religions, cuisines and philosophies. 

The fall of the Ming dynasty is pivotal and is replaced by the last dynastic rule of the Qing dynasty. The book chronicles the Manchu invasions, the loss of the mandate, the change in society and outlook for China. Most importantly, this is also the time when the European maritime expansion project begins and ultimately peaks in Asia. Chapters around the optimum wars, internal rebellions, weakening of the state mandate, Taiping Revolution, civil wars demonstrate a steady decline that led to a precipitous removal of the emperor in the early 20th century and a state of helplessness and lawlessness.

The latter chapters dwell more around the recent past of China. A past that has been humiliating, challenging, dismembering of the country, brutal invasions, loss of territory, dis-functional governments, famine, natural disasters and massive social upheaval. This coupled with the treacherous civil war, the establishment of the Communist Party, the miscarriages of the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution and then the stunning miracle when China re-opened and pivoted its economy and country to where it is now.  

The book does touch upon all these events but in my view its rather fleeting. This has been a very important part of contemporary China and would have been appropriate to devote more depth in the book to these events. In defence of the author, a book that talks about the Chinese civilisation has to be parsimonious with pages on any particular era given more than 4000 years of history has to be condensed into a single book. 

Besides reading about invasions, war, governments, rulers and monarchs, the reader will also get a chance to appreciate the unfolding of Chinese history from the vantage of poets, writers and people from everyday walks of life. This gives us a sense of what living conditions were for the ordinary person as well as the emperors and nobility and how they evolved over time. One can safely conclude that for the ordinary Chinese, there has not be a linear improvement in life and quality. Ordinary people have experienced unsurpassed cultural highs but have also faced significant catastrophes, natural and man-made and brutal wars killing millions.  

For anyone who wishes to read one single book which captures the development of the Chinese civilisation and its people, this is a good book. Micheal Wood has listed out in chronological order how the Chinese order unfolds and what are the common and uniting threads for this ancient yet incredibly vibrant civilisation. 

So where does China go from here? 

That of course is left to the reader's imagination as the future prognosis is not the subject of this book. But the author does make a poignant ending remark. The key date for China is 1 Oct, 2049 which would mark the 100th anniversary of the Revolution and key date for the Chinese Communist Party. However, would 8 September, 2040 prove to be an even more important date? 

Since the founding of China, the heavens, omens, planets have played a crucial role. Note that there is no direct scientific evidence established to any of this but the 'Mandate of Heaven' has been a crucial factor in China since time immemorial. The extremely rare event of the five planet clusters that impacted the Xia, Shang, Zhou dynasties or even the latter Han and Song ones will once again re-appear on 8 September, 2040 after more than 500 years! 

It is your guess as much as it is mine, what that means! 

https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Story-of-China-Michael-Wood/9781471175992?redirected=true&utm_medium=Google&utm_campaign=Base1&utm_source=SG&utm_content=The-Story-of-China&selectCurrency=SGD&w=AF7JAU96QDUZTZA8VRSH&pdg=pla-824982385190:cmp-6485098310:adg-77818344677:crv-381246268071:pos-:dev-c&gclid=CjwKCAiAhbeCBhBcEiwAkv2cY064C_u2B5iWP3q7r8iSIV5f0K3a7KDU1xSkfrwKHShAroOmk00z4hoCDPMQAvD_BwE

By Fahreed Balsara

The author is an Indian national and a permanent resident of Singapore.

He has lived and worked in Singapore for over a decade.

Before Singapore he spent many years living, working and studying in London

INDIA On Our Minds

India On Our Minds is an excellent compilation of around 50 essays written by Singaporean friends of India. The book has been edited by Professor Tommy Koh and Harnaikh Singh and was published in 2020 by World Scientific Publishing.

Just like true friends in our lives, these individuals, from extremely diverse & accomplished backgrounds, have demonstrated the importance of a long and lasting friendship between Singapore and India. However, like honest friends, they have not shied away from highlighting aspects where this relationship is found wanting, where Singapore’s aspirations for India have not been entirely reciprocated and when India has proved frustrating.

This book is recommended for anyone who wishes to understand and appreciate the long standing relationship between these two countries. The natural readership would include Indians living and working in Singapore, Singaporean citizens of Indian descent and professionals engaged in trade and cultural exchanges between the two countries. However, the book is an excellent read for any curious reader who is keen to secure a better flavour of India, its history, culture, ethos and its people through the lens of Singapore and its people. 

The book could not have had a better forward than the one written by Emeritus Senior Minister Mr. Goh Chok Tong. After all, it was Mr. Goh Chok Tong and his visionary leadership that sowed the seeds for the ‘mild India fever’ in Singapore in 1992 . This pivotal contribution by Mr. Goh Chok Tong resulted in a complete recalibration of the Singapore - India relationship across trade, commerce, investments, culture, defence, foreign policy and diplomatic relations. Since his meeting with Prime Minister N Rao in 1992, Singapore has elevated India in its mind and soul and has constantly sought a deep and genuine friendship with India. Some of the essays chronicle how this relationship has unfolded since 1992 and where things stand today.

Whilst 1992 might be a watershed year for the contemporary Singapore - India relationship, it would be a misnomer to suggest that ties between the two countries were absent before that. In fact ties between the two have existed for centuries and Section 1of the book, Thinking About The Past provides that historical context. 

Scholars of colonial history have provided a flavour of the India - Singapore connection during the British colonial period giving readers insights how the two colonies were governed and the role  trade and commerce played. Essays have highlighted events around Indian Independence movement where Singapore provides an important backdrop (the historical Farrer Park address to the Azad Hind Army to name one). Some of the essays have gone back even further to examine the roots of the connection and attempt to explain how the cultural, economic, religious, human migration and historical exchanges have evolved, withered and cemented over time.  

The second section is devoted to more contemporary history and events. Numerous essays outline the current relationship, recent challenges (Amravati, Nalanda University, RCEP etc), the growing trade and investment between the two countries, defence ties and modern cultural exchanges. 

The book would be incomplete if essays were not devoted to how Singapore and Singaporeans would like to see this relationship evolve and what their aspirations are for India as a country and Indians as a diaspora. That is well covered in Section III aptly named Thinking About The Future with essays listing issues and challenges for India like developing an inclusive and plural society, education and skill development for its youth, women empowerment, human development, free trade, job creation and delayering the bureaucracy to facilitate investments and reducing the friction of doing business in India. 

Whilst all the essays are well written, and researched and cover a multitude of topics my favourites, in no particular order, are the foreword by Mr. Goh Chok Tong, essays by Ma Swan Hoo, Karen Tan, Walter Woon, Chan Jia Hao, Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Gopinath Pillai and Benjamin Yap.

The book is comprehensive and touches on most critical issues, however, some aspects that could have been covered in greater depth include thought-leadership between Singapore and India in the pressing field of climate change. Essays could also have been devoted around educational exchange and formal learning institutions, high end technology collaboration in areas like Artificial Intelligence / Robotics and exploration of frontiers in outer space and the deep oceans. The book would have also been significantly richer if the essays were accompanied with a collection of photographs to give the reader a visual context to many of the topics. 

Notwithstanding the few shortcomings, the book remains an excellent read for all those interested in understanding India, its potential & challenges and Indian people and culture from Singapore’s vantage point. Many lessons can be learnt, historical facts & contexts appreciated and cultural biases blunted from reading this book. Most importantly, all readers are likely to walk away with a healthy respect and admiration for this long standing solid relationship between Singapore and India.  

https://www.amazon.sg/India-Our-Minds-Shanmugaratnam-Singaporean/dp/9811224900/ref=sr_1_1?crid=GET7UL9SZFM0&dchild=1&keywords=india+on+our+minds&qid=1615779385&sprefix=india+on+o%2Caps%2C297&sr=8-1

By Fahreed Balsara

The author is an Indian national and a permanent resident of Singapore.

He has lived and worked in Singapore for over a decade.

Before Singapore he spent many years living, working and studying in London.