“The Rise Of China”, part of the Netflix “History 101” series, is a suitable TV companion of The Trouble With China.
Border trouble
With a long history of border disputes, there is still tension. While Vietnam is covered in the book, there is one that could have been part of it. A fellow teacher in Shanghai once went to Vladivostok, the nearest Russian city to China. During the Sino-Soviet split, there were a few shootouts. This teacher is bilingual, so was able to learn popular opinion. A group of Russians pointed towards the border and firmly stated, “we are no longer scared of them, but we will never trust them!”
Analysis of that notorious event and its aftermath:
The Trouble With China coming this year
Review by Jasper Becker, author of “The Chinese”: I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The trouble with China’. Its a refreshing and entertaining look at this vast country, packed with lively anecdotes, encounters with real people and descriptions of the author’s time spent living and working in China initially as a teacher. He ranges over a lot of subjects from dating to the economy, that gives you a clearer picture of life in China than the statistics which most books rely on. It all rings very true. They do things differently in China. I am sure a lot of readers will enjoy it, both those who have been to China or those who are thinking of working there. And at a time when China’s actions haver impacted all our lives so much, it gives the reader a lot to think about.