James Lande
Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?
The sources for the idea of the novel Yang Shen are my readings in Chinese history and to a lesser extent my own experience as a foreigner in China. Having a thought about writing novels when very young, and then living in China and learning the language, novels about Westerners in China seemed interesting. From the many examples of such people I selected Frederick Townsend Ward who, I believe, made a lasting contribution to the Chinese people of that day, and that he was able to do so by learning to work together with the Chinese in mutual respect. His experience was significant because of his initiative in establishing an army to protect Shanghai from the Taiping rebels, his genius in sweeping aside the local prejudice that held Chinese to be inferior soldiers, and his contribution to the military thinking of key Chinese officials of the era.
The sources for the idea of the novel Yang Shen are my readings in Chinese history and to a lesser extent my own experience as a foreigner in China. Having a thought about writing novels when very young, and then living in China and learning the language, novels about Westerners in China seemed interesting. From the many examples of such people I selected Frederick Townsend Ward who, I believe, made a lasting contribution to the Chinese people of that day, and that he was able to do so by learning to work together with the Chinese in mutual respect. His experience was significant because of his initiative in establishing an army to protect Shanghai from the Taiping rebels, his genius in sweeping aside the local prejudice that held Chinese to be inferior soldiers, and his contribution to the military thinking of key Chinese officials of the era.
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