On July 6; 1906; Baron Gustaf Mannerheim boarded the midnight train from St. Petersburg; charged by Tsar Nicholas II to secretly collect intelligence on the Qing Dynasty’s sweeping reforms that were radically transforming China. One of the last Tsarist secret agents; Mannerheim chronicled almost every facet of China’s modernization; from education reform and foreign investment to Tibet’s struggle for independence.On July 6; 2006; writer Eric Enno Tamm boards that same train; intent on following in Mannerheim’s footsteps. Initially banned from China; Tamm devises a cover and retraces Mannerheim’s route across the Silk Road; discovering both eerie similarities and seismic differences between the Middle Kingdoms of a century ago and today.Along the way; Tamm offers piercing insights into China’s past that raise troubling questions about its future. Can the Communist Party truly open China to the outside world yet keep Western ideas such as democracy and freedom at bay; just as Qing officials mistakenly believed? What can reform during the late Qing Dynasty teach us about the spectacular transformation of China today? As Confucius once wrote; “Study the past if you would divine the future;†and that is precisely what Tamm does in The Horse That Leaps Through Clouds.
#557424 in Books JEWISH LIGHTS/GEMSTONE PR 2014-11-24 2014-11-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.20 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 158023805X352 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An Exceptionally Inspirational BookBy victor neyI found the book inspirational and helpful; exciting and sad - and because these survivors all share this bond in different ways; they tell their tales here in a great way. None of these people live ordinary lives; each one carries "luggage." Some contributors are stars in their professions - but in each instance; there are great "take-aways;" examples by which any reader can "step-up" in their own lives; either when a momentary shadow falls on their lives or tragedy strikes; either short or long term. Personally; the most interesting aspect of the book is that many of the contributors share closely-held thoughts and feelings with each other; oftentimes; not realizing they share these close bonds.There are many; many worthwhile quotes and thoughts from the book and I'll share one by Judge Karen Friedman; "To me; my (grand)parents and their generation were unbelievable heroes. The strength of spirit that it took to emerge from utter desolation; to arrive in a strange new land; and to rebuild is unimaginable. (Kindle Locations 1023-1024)."1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A window into the most resilient people in historyBy Marty NemkoThis offers insight into what may be the most resilient people in history: the Holocaust survivors and their children. They didn't live in the past. They moved forward; with intelligence; drive; and ethics; to an extent unimaginable by other groups. And the Holocaust was merely the latest in millennia of anti-Semitism; from the destruction of the Temple to the INquisition; to the Pogroms. Alas; today; it appears that anti-Semitism in Europe is rising again---unimaginable that the lessons of the Holocaust; only 70 years ago; are already being forgotten.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Holocaust -- Not just those who lived through it but also their descendantsBy Anita 8737Very interesting. Important read. Don't miss it.
