Christine Loh
Christine Loh is CEO of the Civic Exchange, an independent non-profit public policy think tank in Hong Kong
The Girl in the Golden House by John Biggs
CHRISTINE LOH | 25 August 2004Growing up as teenagers was a fairly bruising experience. It was tough enough dealing with parents and coping with school but what was really painful was coming to terms with sexuality. When self-consciousness began vis-a-vis the other sex and with hormones running amok, curiosity led to experimentation. At first it might have been the quick touching of the hands accompanied by looks of longing for something inexplicable.... [ more ]
The Retreat of The Elephants: An Environmental History of China by Mark Elvin
CHRISTINE LOH | 16 May 2004As I listened to a talk by Alan Watson Featherstone, the Scottish conservationist,on the urgent need for nature restoration, I thought about THE RETREAT OF THE ELEPHANTS: AN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF CHINA. Just as there were elephants in North Africa in the days of the Roman Empire, there were elephants in north China around the Beijing area. It is almost impossible to... [ more ]
The Best Democracy Money can Buy by Greg Palast
CHRISTINE LOH | 25 April 2003GREG PALAST, an American living in London, who has done investigatory reports for the Guardian and the Observer (two of the very few major English language newspapers that are independently owned) has been called a "liar" and worse not only by people he has blasted but also by fellow hacks. There are many in his professions who don't like the all-out Palast style. But then again, few dare to go for the jugular of the rich and the... [ more ]
Marketing Asian Places by Philip Kotler, Michael Alan Hamlin, Irving Rein and Donald H Haider
CHRISTINE LOH | 01 March 2002Ever thought of Macau as 'a giant theme park for Asia's prosperous citizens'? In discussing the popularity of theme and amusement parks, the authors thought that Macau provides the best overall model where entertainment -- casinos, racing, and Grand Prix --is the city's main industry. But how successful is Macau? The authors say that the 'widely shared images' are that it is 'dangerous' and full of 'criminal... [ more ]
The Skeptical Environmentalist by Bjorn Lomborg
CHRISTINE LOH | 16 February 2002 THE SKEPTICAL ENVIRONMENTALIST is definitely a book I will keep in my library. It is in fact the sort of book that should become a text for students and anyone broadly interested in environmental issues. In fact, the organization of the book is like a textbook covering human welfare, population, food, forests, energy, natural resources,... [ more ]
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
CHRISTINE LOH | 01 October 2001I remember the time as a teenager when I first read great literature. I became totally absorbed. I couldn't believe you could write like that to stir the imagination. I was transported to another world, the world of the author but at the same time, everyman's every world. It was through the writings of Austen, Dickens, Zola, Dostoevesky and Balzac that I understood something about the human condition. Reading became an... [ more ]
Next by Michael Lewis
CHRISTINE LOH | 01 September 2001"Progress depends on ... small acts of treason ... intelligence always moves to the edge"
This is a story about revolution. The revolution is just as far-reaching as the Industrial Revolution, or the French Revolution of 1789. Its after effects will reside in all of us. The Internet Revolution is going to make the new technology no different from the discovery of electricity. It will be ubiquitous... [ more ]
Shanghai Baby by Wei Hui
CHRISTINE LOH | 05 July 2001SHANGHAI BABY by WEI HUI is of the angst and ennui genre of writing. It describes the self-obsession of the young. Its fame derives from its explicit sexual tone and the fact that it was banned on Mainland China. Indeed, the authorities publicly burnt 40,000 copies of the book. However, for readers outside Mainland China, her work is far from debauched.
The main reason to read SHANGHAI BABY is to have a... [ more ]
