George Yeo: Musings: Series One

by George Yeo, Tai Ho Woon

Over sessions which lasted two to three hours each time, every week for half a year, George Yeo met and mused over a wide range of topics with writer Woon Tai Ho and research assistant Keith Yap. Speaking from notes, he began with himself and his hope for Singapore, and then spanned over a wide range of subjects — from the importance of human diversity and Singapore's reflection within itself of the world, to history, politics, economics, philosophy, taijigong and religion. He gives his views on India, China, ASEAN, Europe, the US and other parts of the world, and how Singapore's history and destiny are connected to all of them. The style is conversational and anecdotal.

George Musings is exactly that — musings. Some themes recur throughout the book which reflect his view of life. But there is no grand theory. He does not expect all of his reflections to be of interest to everyone, but he hopes that everyone will find something of interest.

This is the first of a three-part series.


ForewordAcknowledgements Introduction Identity Early FormationBig SingaporeReflecting the World's Diversity The Eurasian Prawn Paste Passages to India India and Singapore On the Nalanda TrailRevival of Nalanda after 800 Years The Homogeneity of China The People's Republic Singapore's Chineseness Chinese EducationManaging Singapore's Political Relations with China Singapore's Economic and Cultural Relations with China Love China, Love Hong Kong Wukong and the Monk Index
Readers from Singapore, China, India and Southeast Asia who are interested in George Yeo's perspective on history, politics, economics, philosophy, and other related topics.

Genres: History, Politics

620 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2022

Reviews

[Bagus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Series One of George Yeo’s Musings is such an enjoyable read. What I liked most is how the book is built around conversations and questions between George Yeo and Woon Tai Ho, a veteran Singaporean journalist, so it feels less like a lecture and more like sitting across the table with him. George Yeo has this way of answering that is both thoughtful and witty, dropping insights about politics, history and culture in a way that never feels heavy.

It is not really a policy book, and that is what makes it fun. George Yeo reflects on his years in public life, the latest of which as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore, but also drifts into bigger questions about how the world works and how we live in it. The Q&A format really brings out his personality, making his musings both amusing and unexpectedly wise. A light but rewarding read.

[Liew · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Yeo is incredibly wise and well read about the intricacies across regions / counties - i enjoyed his views, particularly the ones on India, China / Hong Kong / Taiwan and our relationship as Singapore to these countries.

Looking forward to series two.

[Chin Joo · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Yeo has an undeserving reputation in some social media platforms as a China apologist. Many who have criticised him probably have never thought deeper about the intricacies of geopolitics and most certainly would not read this book. Which is a shame.

George Yeo is certainly well-read, coupled with his travels and interactions with people, has a profound understanding of people, cultures, and history. This, he demonstrated clearly in this first volume of his three-volume work.

The book started with him tracking his family history to Teochew in Guangdong, China. I am also a Teochew but unlike me who has only visited Teochew once and has no relatives to trace to, George Yeo has maintained close links with his relatives on both the paternal and maternal sides. His knowledge and familiarity with the place are amazing. But at least one can say that that was where he could trace his roots to, which makes it all the more surprising when we come to the next part of the book when he talks about his work in India. Before reading the book, I had no idea he was so involved in so many projects in India, especially the revival of the Nalanda University.

The final part of the book focuses on China. The issue of Taiwan did not get an extensive treatment which is a little disappointing. Then again, there are more than enough areas to cover when talking about China. Hong Kong, for example, was given a fairly thorough examination which is unsurprising because he was working for the Kerry Group when the political disturbances took place in 2014 and 2019.

Now come the complaints. The book can really do with better editing. Some of the mistakes are small, for example on page 249, when referring to Joseph Needham’s description of Dujiangyan, the book said: “The Dujiangyan hydraulic system in Sichuan kept the Chengdu plains both continuously supplied with water and largely flood-free for over 2,000.” Over 2,000 what?
Some are more serious. On page 290, when making a reference to Mr Ding Guangen’s passing, the caption on the bottom picture reproducing an article in the Lianhe Zaobao said that Mr Ding made a visit to Singapore in 1966. The one just above already correctly stated it was 1996, how could they miss it?

The gravest one is on page 271. “On 19 September 1931, Japan manufactured the Manchurian Incident…” The Manchurian Incident is not referred to in China as the 九一八事变 if it did not take place on the 18th of September. For someone who is so well-versed in history, I cannot believe that it was George Yeo’s mistake. The editorial team has inadvertently overlayed an unjustified image of amateurism on George Yeo.

George Yeo’s breadth and depth of appreciation of history is breadth-taking. That is probably why his appreciation of current affairs is not as superficial as many. What also come through in this book is the respect he has for different religions and cultures. He himself is a Roman Catholic, yet, when interacting with people from another religion or culture, he has no problem practising what is required of them. Burning incense is such a taboo to some people, not him. To him, it is a practice and it does not reduce the conviction of his own belief in his own religion.

This book is not just a collection of one person’s muses. It is also a lesson in history and geopolitics. As the book was only published in 2023, it is very current with the events that have significant impacts on the world. Not only have I learned much, it also inspired me to learn and explore even more.

[Xueqiang · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Yeo strikes one as a well-studied person of history and the historical circumstances that maketh a country. Yet, he also comes across as deeply fixated on traditions, and set on ways of the past. Still, I enjoyed the many references to notable historical events, which piqued my interest to read more about them (e.g Nalanda, treaty of Shimonoseki, treaty of Nanking etc.). A pity that proofreading was sloppy, with numerous typos. Reading experience was also marred by design, where multiple pages of photographs were inserted in the middle of sentences so your reading gets halted and disrupted.

[Shawn P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good insights by one of Singapore’s most eminent statesman. He explored the unique Chineseness of Singapore society, China-US relations and how Singapore can strike a diplomatic and fruitful balance between these two superpowers, etc. Skimmed through some sections as they were not of interest to me, eg his ancestral backgrounds, his India engagements.

I prefer Kishore’s more polished narrative, although it is stated upfront that these are “musing” and not meant to form any theme or coherence.

[Wee Keng Goh · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the book title states, this is the first of a three book series reflecting Minister George Yeo’s thoughts and mindset as he reviews his journey from his early life to his career in the military to being a minister of parliament in Singapore before his move to the private sector. Insightful and full of anecdotes which we can learn more about the Asian world around us from a different perspective.

[Lorenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I would disagree with some of the views raised in the book, I would have to say that it provides good insights on various topics including on geopolitics. The book is written in such a manner that it is easy to read as well. Nonetheless, I would have preferred that the book focused more on the politics, economics, and international relations and minimize the part pertaining to Mr. Yeo's stories on his personal life.

[Fern · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deep insights into Asean, China, India (in particular Nalanda) from a philosophical, historical perspective, and its connection to current world situation. One common thread through the book was the good connections and relationships that the author had built throughout his life, as can be seen from the generous sprinkling of photos of events, places and people.

[ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Met Yeo irl. Very poised orator and piercing insights on modern China and SG, cross-strait relations, track 1/1.5/2 diplomacy etc. Nearly life-changing.

Nice and flowing read. Highly recommend all three books of the series

[Paul Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and extremely engaging read. I discovered that I learnt so many things in almost every page. George Yeo with his insights has enabled me to view China with a completely different lens, and I am better for it.

[Wan Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Col'ourful : long disunity leads to unity, and long unity leads to disunity

[Carmen C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the little historical tidbits within this book and the many photographs add to the reader experience. Surprisingly not at all boring!!

[Hongbo Shi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book covers his view of east and west from religion and history perspective. Which explain the origina of conflicts.