From Sandton to Shanghai

This page is dedicated to smart people who have smart insights to contribute on China. The more of these intelligent perspectives you can add to your China worldview, the deeper and well rounded your understanding will be.

In the words of Oliver Wendell Homles Jr: ‘I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.’

Here is some of the best simplicity on the other side of China’s complexity:

Professor Jonathon Spence

According to the BBC website, Professor Jonathan Spence is one of the world’s leading authorities on Chinese history. Professor Spence was named a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George and in 2006 a Fellow at Clare College, Cambridge. e was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985 and was named a MacArthur Fellow in 1988, the same year he was appointed to the Council of Scholars at the Library of Congress. In 1993 he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society and in 1997 was named a corresponding fellow of the British Academy. Professor Spence is currently presenting a fascinating and infornative Reith Lecture Series called Chinese Vistas through the BBC that is available for download.

Orville Schell

Orville Schell is a long time Far Eastern expert who has written 9 books on China. The Long Now Foundation recently recently hosted a talk by Orville titled ‘China Thinks Long Term, but can it Relearn to act Long Term.’ Orville starts his conversation off with this powerful insight: ‘China is the most unresolved nation of consequence in the world.’ This is a talk that is almost timeless in nature and something I can to this speech again and again - especially when I feel that I am losing my grip on a long-term China perspective. His talk is 1.5 hours in length, so the best option is to download it here or alternatively listen to it online here.

Peter Hessler

Peter Hessler wrote one of my favourite China books called ‘Rivertown.’ It is a fascinating insight to the life of a foreigner in a far flung Chinese town on the verge of huge change. Peter’s subsequent Mandarin skills, inquisitive mind and connection to everyday Chinese people pursuing personal goals in a rapidly transforming society has provided a unique and grounded perspective to Peter’s further writings. While the story and subject matter are not as concise, his follow up book, ‘Oracle Bones’ is also definitely worth getting your hands on. You can listen to a wide-ranging National Geographic interview with Peter here.

Clem Sunter

I really like Clem Sunter. He has an easy going manner that does not bely a fascinating career from professional musician to CEO and Chairperson of Anglo American’s Gold and Uranium Division and before heading up Anglo American’s CSR Foundation. Probably Clem’s most famous undertaking was to create a presentation called ‘The World and South Africa in the 1990s’ that looked at the two diametric futures that South Africa was headed towards - ‘The High Road’ of negotiation and political settlement or ‘The Low Road’ while predicted collapse into civil war. While not a China hand by any means, Clem did have the honour of giving a scenario planning presentation to Beijing’s Central Party School. The essence of his China thoughts can be found in a revealing assessment called ‘China’s Game’

Edward McBride

Edward McBride is an Energy and Environment Correspondent with the Economist. He was the recent author of a Special Report for the Economist titled ‘China’s Quest for Resources.’ In an online interview with Edward, he has a level headed perspective to offer on China’s huge appetite for global resource resource acquisition, especially around China - Africa issues: ‘“People are looking at China’s quest for natural resources the wrong way around…Africa and Latin America are benefiting greatly from Chinese interest.” In many ways, I share very similar views to Edward’s although definitely not voiced as succinctly. You can listen to or download his discussion here.