封神演義 巧讀

Book Name : 封神演義 巧讀 (The Creation Of The Chinese Gods)

Author : 許仲琳 明朝

What is it about : A classic work of fiction from an author in the Ming Dynasty (明朝), bringing together all the ancient legends and myths into a story of heroic proportion where the vain and corrupt Shang Emperor (商朝 circa. BC 1,600) was defeated by the uprising of the clan of Chau (周朝 circa. BC 1,100) where good gods battled against evil gods - essentially the history of 武王伐紂. To name just a few of the all-so-familiar characters and relevant figures in the story - 太上老君, 太乙真人, 姜子牙, 申公豹, 哪吒, 雷震子, 妲己, 土行孫, 誅仙陣, 萬仙陣, 哼哈二將, 狐狸精. These Chinese Gods had legendary abilities such as riding clouds to battle fields, submerge and escape underground when the battle heated up and the going got tough, killer beams coming out from their eyes, charging at enemies on monstrous fire-blowing beasts (often with a few heads and multiple limbs), extraordinary weapons such as flags which made your opponents faint when you waved the flags at them, nets and blankets thrown up in the air which would suck the weapons off your enemies' hands, mirrors which showed up the evil spirits (such as centuries-old tree, rock, bull, centipede, python and swine monsters) hiding behind their human forms ; and of course, those magical pills which took a thousand years to produce which would make the dead live again.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Extraordinary fantasies and way-out-there imagination could best describe this well-known Chinese classic. The heroes and villains involved in the story had all been familiar figures in every Chinese's childhood. One could think of the equivalent of X-Men where each "gifted" person would utilise their extraordinary abilities to zap, freeze, blow-away, electrocute, burn and vaporise their nemesis at the drop of a hat or a click of her fingers. On the one hand, this story was told with liberal embellishment and a satirical theme of well known historical incidents; on the other hand, this classic was told less in a fashion of bloody gore and glory but with more family fun in telling the interesting origins of each hero and villain, descriptions of dramatic entrance for the colorful characters into battle-field and the book conveyed many of the Confucian moral lessons in life. 

Would I recommend this book to you : It was pure joy to catch up with these fabled tales one had been so familiar since primary school days. Go ahead, re-live those magical moments when this book got your imagination all fired up. For non-Chinese readers, sorry, a bit of an uphill struggle for you to bridge the cultural divide - try reading and see for yourself. What's more though, one could learn many "Four Worded Idioms (四字詞)" which originated from this popular Chinese classic, examples included : 香消玉殞, 心血來潮, 背暗投明, 垂名竹帛, 凡夫俗子, 隨聲附和, 露面拋頭, 顛三倒四, 思前想後, 汪洋大海, 心血來潮, 陰陽交錯, 左道旁門, 出口傷人, 鏤心刻骨, 趕盡殺絕, 酒池肉林, 眼觀四處, 耳聽八方. Wow !

Imperialism - The Highest Stage Of Capitalism

Book Name : Imperialism - The Highest Stage Of Capitalism

Author : Lenin V.I.

What is it about : In a precise and matter-of-fact manner, Lenin penned this great insightful and clear-eyed work with his analysis on the state-of-play of Capitalism during his time, and he foresaw how logically following on from the initial intention of free trade, Capitalism would lead to the formation of monopolistic cartels, syndicates and Finance-Combined (mega banks with mega influence) and ultimately the inevitable rise of Imperialism where peace would be nowhere to be found in the world as imperialistic "groups of countries" would compete or go to war to satisfy the increasingly parasitic citizens of prosperous coupon-clippers, speculative share-holders and hopelessly needy welfare-seeking voters. Lenin also made a brief remark toward the end of the book, stating "... there is created a bond between imperialism and opportunism ...", of course - Opportunism, sadly now a prevalent political reality in our present day Western societies.

Some thoughts after having read the book : Lenin put together a masterpiece and an o-so-accurate dissection of Capitalism with succinct passages and analysis which came studded with bells and whistles - full of facts, figures and quotes from people-in-the-know (Marxists, Socialists, Capitalists, Imperialists, Reformists, Bourgeoisie alike), during those tumultuous times in the late nineteenth century of great mass awakening and enlightenment. Much of what he presented as well as the phenomena he described still permeated our present-day societies and would still ring true resonance this very day. In the Chapter headed The Division Of The World Among The Great Powers, Lenin quoting a then Imperialist-leaning British advocate " ... If you want to avoid civil war, you must become imperialists ... ", especially rang true to those present day informed readers in tune with current affairs, who viewed daily news with historical perspectives and hindsight. 

Would I recommend this book to you : Surprisingly easy to read and follow - not so much a book on ideology, but more a sober reflection and brutal attack on what he saw that was prevalent in his days and since, on the subject and implementation of Capitalism. A must-read for all political science students as well as anyone wishing to gain a clear insight in what actually had been going on this century. A most informative read !