"Between roughly the same latitudes as the United States...live close on a billion people-by far the largest nation and arguably the most coherent civilation our planet has ever known."
"Their numbers are increasing annually by about 12 million...already more numerous than the peoples of the United States, the Soviet Union, and all of Europe put together-but their gross national product is less than that of France...masters of agriculture, they have to import grain. Possesed of the most refined musical tradition, they write the worst modern music in the world. Their ancient political theorists rivaled the Greeks...yet their modern political theory is crude and derivitive-little more than a set of rationales for what they find it expedient to do. With a per capita national income less than that of many countries generally accounted poor, they have launched earth satellites and developed nuclear weapons and ICBM's...Child-loving to a fault, they have made it virtually a crime for a couple to have more than 2 children. Derisive of religion, they turned a man into a god for 10 years and then discarded his memory without regret. Always mindful of personal comfort and good food, they can endure hardships beyond the breaking point of most other people..."
"They are quite unlike anybody else."
David Bonavia
in The Chinese
This is from the back cover
"Their numbers are increasing annually by about 12 million...already more numerous than the peoples of the United States, the Soviet Union, and all of Europe put together-but their gross national product is less than that of France...masters of agriculture, they have to import grain. Possesed of the most refined musical tradition, they write the worst modern music in the world. Their ancient political theorists rivaled the Greeks...yet their modern political theory is crude and derivitive-little more than a set of rationales for what they find it expedient to do. With a per capita national income less than that of many countries generally accounted poor, they have launched earth satellites and developed nuclear weapons and ICBM's...Child-loving to a fault, they have made it virtually a crime for a couple to have more than 2 children. Derisive of religion, they turned a man into a god for 10 years and then discarded his memory without regret. Always mindful of personal comfort and good food, they can endure hardships beyond the breaking point of most other people..."
"They are quite unlike anybody else."
David Bonavia
in The Chinese
This is from the back cover
