Personal history: On 9-11-2001, I put up a US flag at my home in Beijing (189 Dragon Villas). Most Chinese were sympathetic/supportive. Here, the community guards are showing their solidarity with my daughters. This wouldn’t happen today as both sides have squandered their political capital.

If you're in need of a book that succinctly and clearly explains China's gaokao to a non-specialist reader, THE HIGHEST EXAM: HOW THE GAOKAO SHAPES CHINA, by Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li with Claire Cousineau, is the answer. My WSJ review: www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

Always glad to have Maura’s insights on new China books! She has the writing chops and the China experience to know what makes a book good

I am super excited for the upcoming release of the Japanese language edition of The Peking Express. Once out, I am looking forward to a road trip to Tokyo, Osaka, and other cities in Japan to chat with old and new friends about China's great train robbery of 1923. Details soon. Here is the cover:

I am excited to meet old and new friends in the South Florida area on September 28th. Join me at the legendary Books & Books Coral Gables for a talk about China's great train robbery of 1923 and a host of other China-related issues. shop.booksandbooks.com/event/2025-0...

As military parades go, the 50th anniversary parade in 1999 was one I will never forget. This was Jiang Zemin's big day and the first parade since 1984 (as the 40th parade in 1989 was cancelled for reasons we all know). Lots of clunky, noisy stuff on the streets and in the skies. Times have changed.

My favorite parade photo of the day. Even the little guy loves a good parade. (Taken by me while watching a mini-parade of departing tanks rolling through Sanlitun after the big parade was over.)

I am excited for my book talk at the fabulous JF Books in WDC on 9/25, along with pal Phelim Kine of Politico. We'll be talking about China's great train robbery of 1923 (The Peking Express), and lots more about contemporary bandits, hostage diplomacy, and more. Join us! jfbooks.org/pages/event-...

#sinology A must watch! James Zimmerman @jmzbeijing.bsky.social on the development of the legal system in China! #law

I finally got my hard-copy of long-time Beijinger Steven Schwankert's outstanding book, The Six: The Untold Story of the Titanic's Chinese Survivors. A fabulous read. Not to be missed.

I am delighted to meet old and new friends at the Keystone Academy in Beijing to talk about The Peking Express. Join us if you are in Beijing this coming Wednesday, April 16, 630pm.

I am very excited and honored to be moderating the talk by Tony Banham, the author of The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival on Saturday, March 1. Join me at the HK Litfest. See link for tickets: www.eventbrite.hk/e/talk-the-s...

Australian jailed in China for four years claims embassy ignored his desperate calls for medical assistance during horror Beijing prison ordeal - a harrowing report from Cheng Lei, herself a former detainee

Reflecting on 25+ yrs and 4 eds of my China Law Deskbook, first published by the ABA '99. I started the 1st ed in '91 as a bundle of JV laws tossed in my suitcase for travel around the country. While purely my perspective, it reflects 3 decades of China's development. We'll see if I finish 5th Ed.

I had an engaging discussion on #ThePekingExpress story today with members of The Village Common of Rhode Island Book Club. A wonderful community with an important mission. providencevillageri.org/content.aspx...

“If sanctions don’t apply to competitors . . . they will fill the gap at a loss to American companies and workers . . ." www.scmp.com/economy/chin...

And with the nomination of his protégé Greer, “expect the same playbook – all tactics, no strategy,” according to long-time Beijing-based lawyer James Zimmerman, who is also a former chairman of AmCham China. www.scmp.com/economy/glob...

"The US is a status quo power that wants to maintain peace. Beijing is a dynamic, non-status quo power that wants to remake the region under a new Chinese hegemony." Insightful interview of former deputy NSA Matt Pottinger by @jamescrabtree.bsky.social mekongreview.com/the-hardliner/

For those in California: I am delighted to be moderating a discussion with Pulitzer and Polk Award Winning journalist and investigative reporter Dean Calbreath, the author of The Sergeant: The Incredible Life of Nicholas Said. July, 23, 2024, 730pm Warwick's 7812 Girard Avenue La Jolla, CA 92037

The MSS is “driven more by politics than reality or good common sense ... But this is China with Xi Jinping characteristics.” Excellent piece by Nectar Gan at CNN. edition.cnn.com/2024/04/21/c...

An important report issued by FCC China. The harassment of foreign journalists and their local staff continues to rise. If China wants a good story to be told, they need to let journalists do their jobs. Harassment only creates a new story line — oftentimes negative. fccchina.org/2024/04/08/m...

James Zimmerman’s Acclaimed Nonfiction Book ‘The Peking Express’ Set for Movie Adaptation (Exclusive) www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...

I am thrilled and honored to be part of the 13th edition of The Script Road — Macau Literary Festival, and look forward to meeting new and old friends in Macau at the two events on March 10-11. Join me!!!

Journalism is not a crime. When PRC police and security forces harass and detain foreign reporters (and local staff) all they do is create a whole new storyline — and most oftentimes its negative. If China has a good story to tell, let the journalists do their jobs. fccchina.org/2024/03/01/f...

A perfect Saturday morning to walk the Beijing Ming Dynasty Wall Park (北京明城墙遗址公园). It's sunny and getting warmer, and air quality was good. And always interesting to compare the scenes of today with photos from old Peking's past.

I am very much looking forward to meeting old and new friends in Singapore this coming Monday, Feb 19, 700-830pm, at 1888 Singapore, and moderated by the fabulous Liza Lin of the Wall Street Journal. The book is available in Singapore at Kinokuniya Books. www.1880.com.sg/event/the-pe...

Many services providers have already walled-off Mainland China, but to do so with HK is a "no confidence" vote for how Beijing has eroded the One Country, Two Systems equation. Excellent piece in the Financial Times from Chan Ho-him, Kaye Wiggins, and Suzi Ring. ft.com/content/9c0d... via @ft

"... another example that 'the administration of justice is an elusive, if not imaginary, exercise' in China.  'Getting caught up in China’s criminal justice system is a dismal, tragic experience...'” China says UK businessman imprisoned for ‘providing intelligence’ www.ft.com/content/6b3a...

For those in WDC: I am very much looking forward to seeing old and new friends at Georgetown on February 8 for a book talk on The Peking Express. Join me! uschinadialogue.georgetown.edu/events/the-p...

I am honored that Better World Campaign has listed The Peking Express as a favorite book "for insight and inspiration to navigate a complex world". And in remarkable company too! I am blessed and grateful. betterworldcampaign.org/blog/2023-li...

Interesting piece about expat departures which I view as “a combination of a weak economy, compliance risks, and geopolitical tensions” and that "...No tax break or preferential treatment will bring them back if the bigger picture issues are not addressed.” www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

I am very much looking forward to this fireside chat to talk about The Peking Express at the University of California Irvine's UCI Long U.S.-China Institute on Monday, February 5, 2024. Join me! www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/e...

Here is my review of "Among the Braves: Hope, Struggle, and Exile in the Battle for Hong Kong and the Future of Global Democracy", by Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin, Hachette Books, 2023 "Among the Braves is a riveting story ..." chajournal.blog/2024/01/07/b...

As with the "Xi Jinping Thought" pulp fiction being rammed down people's throats, the so-called Patriotic Education Law is more churn from the propaganda machine. And Beijing wonders why few foreign students study in China and why foreign business is ready to decamp. www.cnn.com/2024/01/06/c...

Very cool that China Books of the Year listed The Peking Express book cover as one of the best of the year and specifically as a "cinema-style poster for a history thriller."

In the final week of 2023, I look back on a year of reading a number of outstanding non-fiction titles, and mostly focused on late 19th and early 20th century China and Asia. See link to: People Stories of “Old” China: My Favorite Books of 2023 thepekingexpress.com/news-%26-new...

The "official" Peking Express Christmas cookie.....as creatively baked and decorated by my talented daughter! Merry Christmas to all!

"Everyday life is being politicized in China...shows the lengths China will go to in restricting free speech." Excellent piece by Li Yuan on the absurdity of China's limits on speech. An Egg Fried Rice Recipe Shows the Absurdity of China’s Speech Limits www.nytimes.com/2023/12/20/b...

"An ever more isolated, indoctrinated, and politicized Chinese populace could become that much more hostile to the West and more supportive of nationalist causes..." Excellent piece by Michael Schuman in The Atlantic on Xi Jinping's misguided cultural war. www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

Very honored The Peking Express is on Paul French's list of favorite China books 2023. And in great company with Nick Hordern, Tania Branigan, Fuchsia Dunlop, Ian Johnson, Kassia St Clair, Susan Blumberg-Kasson, Edward Weech, Vaudine England, and Scott Seligman. www.chinarhyming.com/2023/12/21/t...

"You can't have an exhibition about Genghis Khan without mentioning Genghis Khan." Sloppy, silly historical revisionism coming from Beijing's Propaganda Machine. Excellent piece by Victor Mallet asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Ar...

“We don’t have any faith in the process within Hong Kong....Jimmy Lai is being prosecuted under a law which should not exist, in a system which has become profoundly unfair.” Outstanding in-depth coverage by the Washington Post's Shibani Mahtani. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/1...?

A riveting must-read piece from The New York Times about human trafficking, slavery, and out-of-control criminal gangs preying on the helpless in China and Southeast Asia. Amazing coverage by Isabelle Qian. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

I am very excited to be part of the 2024 Young Readers Festival School Program as part of the Hong Kong International Literary Festival, March 4-10, 2024. It will be a fabulous opportunity to chat with talented students who will some day become great storytellers.

I am humbled and honored that The Peking Express is listed in Best China Books for 2023, and in terrific company! I am grateful. chinabooksreview.com/2023/12/14/b...

Getting hard copies of The Peking Express into China is a challenge. The book is not banned, but the powers that be constrain the number of copies imported. If you are in Mainland China and would like a hard copy, please let me know by DM or WeChat. www.ThePekingExpress.com

Just in time for the EU-China Summit: The G7 released a statement reconfirming they stand together on a number of key issues concerning China. Indeed, very strong messages to Beijing on a range of topics from SCS to Taiwan to economic coercion. www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-roo...

The Nature Conservancy celebrates its 25th anniversary in China with a memoir of Laohegou. Very impressive history and legacy. A Memoir of the Laohegou Land Trust Reserve www.nature.org/en-us/about-... via @nature_org

Kissinger was a statesman, powerbroker, and architect of U.S. foreign relations during the Cold War era, especially with respect to Washington's relationship with China. But a complicated legacy indeed. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the new U.S. Embassy in Beijing August 8, 2008.

“It is a carrots and sticks operating environment, and we appear to be in the carrots mode...China is an operating environment where every license, permit and approval is a process that can become highly politicized, and more so when U.S.-China relations go south.” www.wsj.com/world/china/...