In love and war
bySeymour Topping’s love of storytelling has been matched only by his love for his wife, Audrey.
Audrey Ronning Topping
The lure of the thunder dragon
byAudrey Ronning Topping was 10 years old when she heard the song “Faraway Places” and knew it was beckoning her. Now, eight-decades later, those “faraway places” are wonderful memories. Among the most wonderful memories and strangest-sounding-name was that of Bhutan, Kingdom of The Thunder Dragon, so she had to go.
Mother love
byHumans may be the only sentient beings who actually celebrate Mother’s Day with presents, cakes and cards, but we can’t claim to be the only worthy mothers on planet Earth.
When cats were king
by“Dog” may spell “god” backward, but cats were once worshiped as gods, as Audrey discusses.
A not-so-distant mirror: The fall of Nanking
byOct. 1 marks the 68th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Seymour Topping – who covered the fall of Nanking, ending Nationalist rule, for the Associated Press – looks back on a time with parallels to our own.
China’s shadow play
byOnce banned under the Communists, the beloved folk art form of shadow puppetry has enjoyed a resurgence in China.
A famed route’s reincarnation
byIf any place deserves to be haunted, it is the Old Silk Road.
Unique designs in the Kingdom of The Thunder Dragon
byEvery nation creates its own distinctive culture expressed in its literature, music, art, architecture and design, which is usually inspired by the surrounding environs. …
The complex design of the ‘One China’ policy
byWritten by Seymour Topping President Donald J. Trump, in flippant disregard of a binding American historical commitment, thrust the United States recently into a…
Vintage valentines
byA rickshaw full of red roses delivered to a beautiful young woman living in Nanking, China, nearly 70 years ago was the catalyst for…
In China, charity begins at home
byDespite its legion of 569 billionaire titans now topping the U.S.’ 537 billionaires, China has comparatively few charity organizations or private philanthropic donors. One…
Monkeying around
byAccording to the Chinese Zodiac, this was The Year of the Monkey. So we sing “Auld Lang Syne” to a time in which we…
An encounter worthy of Shelley
by“Art for art’s sake” is the theme that motivates most contemporary artists. Yet paradoxically, much of history’s most striking classical artwork has been created…
Moonstruck
byTo this day, when I bite into a mooncake, I taste and feel the magic of the Moon Festivals I celebrated as a student…
Do animals think?
by‘EPITAPH TO A PARROT” For thirty years he talked in feathered pride; For thirty years he talked before he died. You say that parrots…
How China’s one-child policy has benefited women
bySince the fall of the imperial dynasties, China’s traditional family structure, based on Confucius’ philosophy of filial piety, has changed dramatically. Mencius, the leading…
Riding the rails on the roof of the world with Tibetan travel
byTibetan travel, then and now Journeying to Tibet on the fast Sky Train is science–fiction compared to 65 years ago. Until 1950, Tibet was…
Happy (Chinese) New Year!
byNowhere is the passion for living expressed more exuberantly than during the jovial Chinese New Year celebrations, which are also held in many other…
The Tao of Chinese thinking
byWell, we must’ve had a brain-freeze or something, because we forgot to include China expert Audrey Ronning Topping’s piece on Sino brain power in…
The unraveling of a suit
byPhotograph by Audrey Ronning Topping Of all the power suits in the world, the Chinese jade ceremonial suit is arguably the most powerful suit….