
10-14998 Job:10-14996 Title:RP-Go Logo
#175 Dtp:221 Page:124
(RAY)
001-208_14996.indd 124 10/15/09 3:36:52 PM
Text
W
orld War II was the defining
event of my childhood, and films
about the Asian part of the
global conflict always portrayed
the Chinese as stalwart allies. Not much later, I was
aware that the old order was gone and the new gov-
ernment of Mao was in. For many years, China was at
odds with the entire Western, non-communist world.
Information was sparse, but stories about the Great
Leap Forward and the turmoil and upheavals leaked
out. The country seemed more foreign than ever. My
initial trip to Hong Kong in the early 1970s provided
a real ...