2021 Reading, 1964 The Greatest Year in the History of Japan: How the Tokyo Olympics Symbolized Japan's Miraculous Rise From the Ashes

 

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics were the first Summer Olympic Games that I can remember (although they were held in October). Names like Billy Mills and Bob Hayes first entered my awareness. This interesting book with a rather overblown title by journalist and author Roy Tomizawa, places those Olympic Games within the context of Japan's rise from World War II defeat 19 years before. Tomizawa sets the scene very adroitly and fills his chapters with vignettes about various participants and their stories. One of the most interesting pertains to Yoshinori Sakai, who is pictured at right carrying the Olympic flame into the stadium. He was born in Hiroshima on the day the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945 and was dubbed "Atomic Bomb Boy" by the press. His presence caused some discomfort to the Americans and was viewed as a surprisingly bold move by the Japanese organizers. 

There are other brief discussions pertaining to aspects of Japanese culture that had arisen following the war such as the Godzilla movies and songs like the misnamed Sukiyaki, which was a hit in the US, and Konichiwa Akachan. 

And then there were the athletic events, some of which brought disappointment to the Japanese, such as the defeat of Akio Kaminaga in the open weight judo final by Dutchman Anton Geesink. 

There was also the triumph of the Japanese women's volleyball team, pictured below with their controversial hard-driving coach Hirobumi Daimatsu, a veteran of World War II who was criticized for his harsh methods in molding the so-called "Oriental Witches" (not a name that would be considered appropriate today) to championship form.

The book isn't exclusively about the Japanese, who were very eager to please as they hosted the games, and drew praise for their hospitality. There is also the story of Australian swimming legend Dawn Fraser (pictured below), who overcame personal tragedy to add to her collection of medals earned at Melbourne in 1956 and Rome in 1960.  

And there was Ethiopian Abebe Bikila, who had won the 1960 Olympic marathon (a male-only event at that time) running barefoot through the streets of Rome, and repeated as marathon champion in Tokyo while shod (pictured below).

The battle in the marathon was for silver, where Japan's Kokichi Tsuburaya (#77 below) was overtaken by Britain's Basil Heatley (#8, on the right) in the final stretch, which proved to be another disappointment for the host country.

There was also American swimmer Dick Roth (pictured below) who battled an attack of appendicitis (he chose to delay surgery so he could compete) to win the men's 400-meter medley event in record time.

Native American runner Billy Mills (pictured below) pulled off a stunning upset to win gold in the men's 10,000 meter race. Mills had a difficult road to Olympic glory and his story is one of perseverance and triumph over prejudice.

It was no upset when American sprinter Bob Hayes (pictured below) won gold in the men's 100-meter race in world record time. The interesting part of the story is that he was wearing borrowed shoes. He was back in his own shoes when he won a second gold medal as anchor of the men's 4X100-meter relay team. "The World's Fastest Human" went on to become a star wide receiver with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

There are other stories of victory, defeat, and human drama recounted concisely and interestingly throughout this book. There is also a good discussion of the Paralympics and how those held in 1964 had a positive effect on attitudes toward disabled people in Japan. It is very worthwhile reading for sports fans, like me, who enjoy the Olympics. But there is plenty of material that readers less interested in sports can enjoy. 

2021 Reading, Mao: The Unknown Story

 

Mao Tse-tung was a brutal tyrant, pure and simple (the authors didn't use pinyin spellings, which we have become used to since the 1970s, in the book, so I utilize the traditional spelling of Mao's name that they use for this post). This very detailed biography by Jung Chang and her Irish husband, Jon Halliday, paints a picture of a man who sought power at all costs and utilized deception and terror in doing so. Rising from a humble background, Mao worked his way to a position of power in the Chinese Communist Party. Assisted by the writings of sympathetic American journalist Edgar Snow, he came to be portrayed as a heroic leader, burnishing his image among Western liberals. There are historians who question some of the author's sources and conclusions, and Jung Chang's attitude toward Mao and his regime is very clear. She was a Red Guard at 14 during the reign of terror known as the Cultural Revolution. Her disgust with the violence led her to become disillusioned with Mao and the Communist government. Much of the critical portrayal fits with other sources I have read relating to Mao.

Mao's path to power left a trail of rivals shoved aside and family members, particularly wives and children, who were treated badly. Significant events in the Chinese Communist revolution were subject to exaggeration and falsification, in particular the famed "Long March". 

Mao lacked an understanding of economics and it showed in policies that his government pursued. The truth appears to be that he cared little for the sufferings of the Chinese people and, in particular, the rural peasants (who still remain on the periphery of Chinese society). Pursuing a goal to become the world's primary Communist leader (especially once the Soviet Union's Stalin was dead), he had no difficulty with subjecting his own people to privation. The so-called "Great Leap Forward" program in the 1950s led to widespread starvation and unsettled some of the Communist leadership cadre. The Cultural Revolution came about as Mao sought to purge any detractors in the party's higher ranks. It also served as a means to try and extinguish vestiges of traditional Chinese culture. Mao's fourth wife Jiang Qing played a key role in the reign of terror that ensued and later paid the price after Mao's death (Mao and Jiang Qing are pictured below).

His long-time associate and Prime Minister, Chou En-lai, was forced to humiliate himself for Mao's benefit and he was ultimately prevented from receiving necessary cancer treatment in his final years. Other associates such as Liu Shao-ch'i and Lin Biao fell out with Mao and paid the price as a result. Lin Biao, Mao & Chou En-lai are pictured below, from left to right, at a time when all was seemingly well between them.

Mao was very excited by the outreach to the United States which culminated in the visit of President Richard Nixon in 1972 (Mao is pictured with Nixon below).

Long and rather densely written (in contrast to other works by Jung Chang that I've read) , this is an interesting critical biography of a key 20th century figure and sheds light on the Chinese Communist Party as well.

2021 Reading: Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister

A couple of months ago I finished reading my first book of 2021, Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China by Jung Chang

Any of  you who read about my book reading in 2020 saw that I read three books pertaining to the Soong family in China that produced three sisters, in the order in which they are seated above in 1942, from left to right May-ling (Little Sister, the youngest), Ai-ling (Big Sister, the eldest) and Ching-ling (Red Sister, the middle sister who sided with the Communists). Other books, in particular The Soong Dynasty by Sterling Seagrave, which May-ling tried to stop from being published, have painted a rather lurid picture of the family and especially Ai-ling and May-ling. Jung Chang does her best to humanize the three. She definitely did her research and this is a very readable account of the lives of these women, from the time they were girls growing up in Shanghai thru when, starting with Ai-ling, their father (who raised them to be devout Christians) sent them to the United States to be educated and they each returned to China in turn. Ai-ling married H.H. Kung, a descendant of Confucius who became extremely wealthy and a significant figure in the Chinese government prior to the Communist takeover, Ching-ling married Sun Yat-sen, who came to be called the "Father of China", and May-ling married Chiang Kai-shek, a military commander who became the leader of the Republic of China. (Ching-ling is shown with Sun Yat-sen below)

Chiang Kai-shek (shown above with May-ling at the time of their wedding) appreciated his link to the Soong family and Ai-ling's guidance. He referred to her as "Big Sister" despite his being a bit older, recognizing her esteemed position in the family. Ai-ling also viewed it as her duty to take care of the other family members, most significantly her sisters. Ching-ling  (pictured below) went into exile at the point when her political activities put her in opposition to the government. 

She did return and made the most of her prestige as Madame Sun Yat-sen. Once war broke out with Japan, she worked for a common front between the Communist forces and those of her despised brother-in-law. The sisters maintained their affection for one another despite the political differences. May-ling became an invaluable asset to her husband through her intelligence, outreach to war victims (especially orphans) and ability to communicate fluently in English (which he did not). Her trip to the United States in 1943 made her a popular figure there, with her excellent public speaking skills and to lobby on China's behalf (May-ling is shown below at around that time). 

As a guest of the Roosevelts at the White House, she managed to antagonize the staff and Secret Service with her high-handed ways.  Unable to have children, May-ling grew close to Ai-ling's eldest son and daughter, who accompanied her to the US. Prone to outbreaks of hives and other physical maladies, May-ling went on to regularly seek medical treatment in the US. After the end of World War II Chiang Kai-shek's government lasted only until 1949, when the Communists took control and the Nationalists fled to Taiwan (still under Chiang Kai-shek's control).     

May-ling split time between Taiwan and New York, where she retired to after her husband's death. Keeping a low profile, she lived to the age of 105 when she died in 2003. 

Ai-ling (pictured below) died at 85 in 1973.

Ching-ling, who became an official in the Communist government died in 1981 at age 88. No members of the family were with her at her passing, nor did they attend her funeral, despite the invitation of the government to do so. May-ling bridled at the thought of potentially handing the Communists a propaganda coup, which trumped being able to say good-bye to Ching-ling.

The sisters were fascinating people, living during a tumultuous period in their nation's history. Each could have been a leader in their own right, but being women in that time and place, they had to be more behind-the-scenes actors in partnership with their husbands. That hardly kept them from exerting significant influence, although their spouses and younger brothers got to hold the positions of authority. 

My reading about the Soong sisters has been interesting and enlightening. Also, reading works by Jung Chang has introduced me to a fine author who is a very able biographer. There will be more to come in future posts involving her works, including the one I finished reading last week.