Just finished his first Inspector Chen Cao's novel, "The Death of a Red Heroine" and enjoyed it. It gives insights into how the opening of the Chinese economy in the early '90's begins to have profound effects on society. Some of the examples are metaphors for the decisions of the younger generation to eschew traditional values in their pursuit of money and a better life. The ending was fascinating showing the trade-offs between what would be considered "justice" versus keeping the tea pot from exploding within the upper ranks of the CCP – I think this part was a bit different from your typical "who-done-it" – less of a confrontational showdown. I'm sure I didn't pick up on every nuance and insight but found it enjoyable anyways.
The prevalence of translated books in Europe vs. the States is perhaps an amusing reinforcement of American insularity, lol.
That said, did you get a chance to discuss Qiu's personal optimism of cynicism for China's evolution into the future beyond what he projects onto his protagonist in his books?
Anyone who is openly associated with the TSM and its enduring legacies is obviously going to be sensitive or suspect (depending on where one comes down on any objective judgement of it), but it's always informative to consider their perspectives, right or wrong, fair or not, given their personal proximity.
I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed by this interview. I was expecting interesting anecdotes and some real information about police work in China, but this is just a giant advertisement masquerading as an interview. I hope there aren't more articles like this in the future.
Just finished his first Inspector Chen Cao's novel, "The Death of a Red Heroine" and enjoyed it. It gives insights into how the opening of the Chinese economy in the early '90's begins to have profound effects on society. Some of the examples are metaphors for the decisions of the younger generation to eschew traditional values in their pursuit of money and a better life. The ending was fascinating showing the trade-offs between what would be considered "justice" versus keeping the tea pot from exploding within the upper ranks of the CCP – I think this part was a bit different from your typical "who-done-it" – less of a confrontational showdown. I'm sure I didn't pick up on every nuance and insight but found it enjoyable anyways.
Just downloaded the first of his books to my Kindle, I am looking forward to this.......
The prevalence of translated books in Europe vs. the States is perhaps an amusing reinforcement of American insularity, lol.
That said, did you get a chance to discuss Qiu's personal optimism of cynicism for China's evolution into the future beyond what he projects onto his protagonist in his books?
Anyone who is openly associated with the TSM and its enduring legacies is obviously going to be sensitive or suspect (depending on where one comes down on any objective judgement of it), but it's always informative to consider their perspectives, right or wrong, fair or not, given their personal proximity.
I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed by this interview. I was expecting interesting anecdotes and some real information about police work in China, but this is just a giant advertisement masquerading as an interview. I hope there aren't more articles like this in the future.