Author Archive
On worrying about China: 2018
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. August, 2018 I met Xiao Zhang many years ago when she was a PhD student at a Medical University. It was my job to teach her class how to write up their research in a way that would increase their chances of having it published in a Western journal. […]
Generation gap
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. June, 2018 There’s an old factory in Chengdu which has been converted into a museum and arts centre. From the outside it looks like a tired remnant of the Cultural Revolution days with its dull concrete walls, old machinery, and black and white weathered murals exhorting workers to: Continue the […]
Vietnamese Restaurant
Brian Hennessy. Vietnamese restaurant Once a tired old shop-front on an ordinary thoroughfare in an inner-city ethnic enclave, now it’s a popular little restaurant in a trendy part of town. Inside, large faux-asian paintings look down on a clutter of cane furniture supporting satisfied patrons indulging the evening away. Squeezed together in shoulder-rubbing, elbow bumping […]
On PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress
Brian (Chick) Hennessy. Vietnam vet. Ex 6RAR first tour. This is the last chapter in Brian’s book on Vietnam titled, The Sharp End: my war in Vietnam. See eBooks in the toolbar above for information. On PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress. My opinion only. These days we know a lot more about how a […]
Slow train to Chongqing
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. April 2015 In China, it always pays to book transport the day before. That’s how I missed out on a comfortable two-hour fast rail journey from Chengdu to Chongqing (350kms), and was forced to wait four hours for a slow train which would take another four and a half […]
Culture shock – in brief
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. January, 2016. Psychologist. All change is stressful, and although we may not think so at the time, culture shock is a normal reaction to change. With a little self-knowledge it can be managed successfully. This article looks at the nature, stages, and causes of culture shock; and provides guidelines for managing […]
Ciqikou. Ancient village
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. September, 2016 If you want to get an idea of what Chongqing used to look like, visit Ciqikou in Shapingba District. It is both a symbol and a microcosm of old Chongqing. This fascinating old village is perched above the Jialing River which flows downstream to its confluence with the Yangtze […]
Demolishing history
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. August, 2016. Modern Chongqing is a booming metropolis containing 6.5 million residents (within a municipality of 30 million people). It straddles the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers upstream from the Three Gorges Dam, is 1600 kilometres west of Shanghai, and is the Beijing government’s hub for growth in the hinterland […]
On worrying about China: 2016
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. September, 2016 Western analysts are reporting that the Chinese economy is a worry: too much debt, misallocated capital, a pegged currency, and a political system which refuses to reform itself. The fear is: if China sinks, the rest of the world may go down with her. Is a collapse […]
China’s three wise men
Brian Hennessy. An Australian in China. February, 2016 Three ancient sages who lived 2500 years ago continue to influence modern Chinese society. The are Laozi, Buddha, and Confucius. These three wise men laid the foundation for a practical Chinese philosophy – a blend of the three – which has quasi-religious overtones. If you want to […]