Reply from a fan, with three China book recommendations and a refreshing, hopeful point-of-view about Sinoland.

I always try to reply to comments left after posts and this one is particularly informative. Jeff

That was a wonderful reply Jeff. Five or so years ago I would still have been suspicious of your answer, but after learning about China through your efforts and others, plus reading what Chinese say about themselves and their government as well as talking to Chinese here in Australia, the contrast with the West is blindingly obvious. And yet friends I talk to here are so propagandized (and sadly, willfully ignorant) they are convinced black is white.

Anyway, what I wanted to say is that when reading the comment you received I thought, this person will have great difficulty coming to grips with the truth, because Westerners think differently from Chinese. What I mean is that their underlying metaphysical outlook or philosophy are like chalk and cheese. This was beautifully revealed in a recent book by Shuchen Xiang titled ‘Chinese Cosmopolitanism’. You probably wouldn’t learn anything from it, but for me it was extremely helpful. For example, I’d never reflected on the fact that racism is a uniquely Western ideology.

Oh, and the other books I would’ve recommended to your Substack interlocutor (besides your Big Red Book on China) is Roland Boer’s book ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics: A Guide for Foreigners’ and John Ross’s ‘China’s Great Road’. With those under your belt, you begin to understand why an extraordinary beacon of hope for humanity China really is and in all aspects of life – social, economic, philosophically and perhaps most importantly, ecologically.

Sorry for the rambling, but please continue your fantastic work and keep informing the west. One or two wake up and they wake up one or two more and who knows, maybe it will start a revolution.