On China
by Henry Kissinger · first published 2011
41% recommend53% neutral6% critical
Why HN recommends it
Gives a digestible overview of China's history, from the arrival of the British through the civil war to roughly 2010, with context on how China sees itself; suited to readers wanting a broad introduction.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"In this sweeping and insightful history, Henry Kissinger turns for the first time at book-length to a country he has known intimately for decades, and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape. Drawing on historical records as well as his conversations with Chinese leaders over the past forty years, Kissinger examines how China has approached diplomacy, strategy, and negotiation throughout its history, and reflects on the consequences for the global balance of power in the 21st century. Since no other country can claim a more powerful link to its ancient past and classical principl
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If anyone is looking for a relatively digestible book on China, I can wholeheartedly recommend On China by Henry Kissinger [1]. While he does tend to meander at some points, it gives a solid introduction to China's recent history (arrival of the British, the civil…
on “Arrests of Hong Kong democrats shows why EU must reject China investment” ↗First 3 chapters of Kissinger's On China do a good job, but I'm certain you could find better sources. ED: outside getting a book, the main characteristic to look at is China having the lion's share of historical world GDP, especially during…
on “I’m leaving China” ↗The China Dream: Great Power Thinking and Strategic Posture in the Post-American Era https://www.amazon.com/China-Dream-Thinking-Strategic-Post-A... On China by Henry Kissinger: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/on-china_henry-kissinger/26645... Destined for War - Graham Allison: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/destined-for-war_graham-alliso... Lee Kuan Yew:…
on “China’s assault on Cathay Pacific” ↗…by your logic I am so qualified for the next POTUS. - When was the last time you saw bad news about Taiwan on your media? Does this mean Taiwan is heaven on earth? - Have you read Henry Kissinger's On China? Do you know who Edgar Snow is? Have you heard of the 1938 Yellow River flood and know its cause? If you answer no for all three questions, it is unlikely that your opinion about China worth a read. -…
on “The China Cultural Clash” ↗I recommend reading some of Kissinger's books to get a different perspective on that era than you find these days online. I'm making my way through "On China" right now.
on “Laser Scans Unveil a Network of Ancient Cities in Cambodia” ↗On China, by Kissinger. Slightly outdated but still contextualizes china w/i its history.
on “China’s assault on Cathay Pacific” ↗…my post got downvoted. "Useless to talk with someone where the hint of an idea is not sufficient" Gomez da Vila. It is all pretty well explained in "The rise and fall of great powers" by Kennedy or "On China" by Kissinger.
on “The China tea trade was a paradox of global capitalism” ↗…concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels. It's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.
on “Ask HN: What literature do you read?” ↗> I can wholeheartedly recommend On China by Henry Kissinger [1]. I will wholeheartedly not recommend anybody to read Kissinger. The man has completely imaginary idea of what China is, and even more so about its leadership. I can only lament…
on “Arrests of Hong Kong democrats shows why EU must reject China investment” ↗The book “On China” by Henry Kissinger makes almost that exact argument. Whatever your opinion on Kissinger, he opened relations with China and definitely has an interest viewpoint.
on “AWS is playing chess, Cloudflare is playing Go” ↗In fairness, there are many who got it wrong on China. Not just Kissinger. Many made a lot of money off of China as an emerging market. Trying to calm the situation down in Ukraine is to his credit. Few seem to be calling for a ceasefire. On the contrary,…
on “European natural gas imports and storage reserves” ↗…Yes. As I mentioned these ideas are not mine but advanced by 3 books which explain the Chinese perspective. These books are bipartisan and multinational and explain this principal. * Henry Kissinger's on China (Republican) * Destined for War by Graham T. Allison (Democrat - Joe Biden recommended book) * The China Dream by Liu Mingfu (Chinese PLA General)
on “Trump says he will ban TikTok through executive action” ↗Quite correct - I took Kissinger at his word [1] when he said Mao coined it. Kissinger tends to gloss over smaller details at times though, he's an excellent student of historiography. [1] On China
on “Why drivers in China intentionally kill the pedestrians they hit” ↗I started reading Henry Kissinger's On China. I'm currently on the Cold War chapters. USSR and China actually had a very tense relationship and Mao often played Soviets off against the Americans. One reason I wanted to read the book is Kissinger…
on “Ask HN: Book Recommendations?” ↗…overly diplomatic. If anything, I think knowing the weaknesses of the book in advance is advantageous for weighing what Kissinger says throughout. If not, I'm curious to know your thoughts. My knowledge on China is limited to discussions with family friends who have some experience through their work, and this book, so I would not be surprised to know that I am severely lacking.
on “Arrests of Hong Kong democrats shows why EU must reject China investment” ↗