Before entering the world of the Cultural Revolution, readers first need a map. This book is that map.The Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) was one of the most turbulent periods in modern Chinese history. It changed the lives of millions of people. It also led to armed conflict in many parts of China. Yet for many readers outside China, the people, organizations, slogans, events, and battles of that time remain unfamiliar.Written as a companion to the Growing Up in Mao’s Chin...

This is a collection of ten personal essays about education, language, books, memory, and the unexpected turns of an ordinary life. From a name that carries four generations to an old photograph, from a first encounter with plagiarism to a book that travelled farther than its author knew, these stories connect the small details of one life with larger questions about learning and living. Along the way, the author reflects on English, teaching, writing, publishing, and the people and experi...

DescriptionWhat happens when AI becomes more than a tool?For me, it started with a simple question.Then another.And another.Over time, my conversations with AI became something much bigger. I began using it to edit articles, translate some texts, fix my Chinglish, organize manuscripts, and explore ideas. Sometimes I asked it to think with me. Sometimes I argued with it. Sometimes I caught it making mistakes.And sometimes, to my surprise, it helped ...

Life Took Me Somewhere Else is a collection of personal essays about teaching, learning, language, work, friendship, change, and the unexpected turns of an ordinary life.The author never planned to write this book. In fact, he never planned many of the things that eventually shaped his life. From studying English and becoming a teacher, to running a language school in China and later settling in Australia, one experience led to another. Looking back, he discovered that life often ha...

What happens when a man who has lived through more than seventy years of change begins talking with AI almost every day?is not a technical book about artificial intelligence. It is a personal story about learning, writing, publishing, memory, and thinking in the age of AI.James Daniel Lee is a retired English teacher and writer who began using ChatGPT in 2023. What started as a simple experiment gradually became a daily conversation. Along the way, AI helped him edit his writ...

Long DescriptionOne morning, a school loudspeaker changed a fourteen-year-old boy's life forever.In November 1966, schools across China closed as the Cultural Revolution spread through the country. Like millions of other students, the author believed the break would last only a few weeks. Instead, it marked the end of his normal school life and the beginning of a journey he could never have imagined.Told through the eyes of a fourteen-year-old boy, this memoir follo...

In a city where perception is managed, and reality is a product, Mara Kade sees what others aren’t allowed to.When a deadly raid reveals two conflicting versions of the truth—one real, one “attested”—Mara, a military-grade analyst, is forced off-script. The trusted feed says no one was there. Her drone says otherwise. Her credibility vanishes. So does the body.Now hunted by the system she once served, Mara uncovers a covert protocol—ECHO—a policy engine smoothing truth at t...

Long DescriptionThe Cultural Revolution was entering a new stage.Political divisions grew deeper, and revolution became part of everyday life. Friends, classmates, and even families found themselves on different sides. Like millions of other Chinese, the author had no choice. He was swept into the Cultural Revolution.Told through the eyes of a fourteen-year-old middle-school student, this true memoir records a time when hope slowly gave way to uncertainty. Political de...

Volume One: A Reader's Guide to China's Cultural RevolutionLong DescriptionBefore entering the world of the Cultural Revolution, readers first need a map. This book is that map.The Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) was one of the most turbulent periods in modern Chinese history. It changed the lives of millions of people. It also led to armed conflict in many parts of China. Yet for many readers outside China, the people, organizations, slogans, events, and battles of...

Long DescriptionMore than sixty years have passed, but the memories remain.This final volume moves beyond personal memories to reflect on the Cultural Revolution and its lasting impact on a generation. Looking back after more than six decades, the author revisits the events he witnessed as a schoolboy, not to assign blame, but to seek understanding. Time has brought greater perspective, yet it has never erased the memories of those turbulent years.Through reflections o...

Long DescriptionFollowing Chairman Mao's call, millions of Red Guards travelled across China in what became known as the nationwide journey exchanges.Among them were fifteen middle-school students from Zhongjiang County. Full of excitement and curiosity, they left home for the first time to explore a world far beyond their small county.As they travelled through Chengdu and other parts of Sichuan, everything seemed new and unforgettable. They visited famous places, expe...

Long DescriptionThe war did not end. It became a way of life.As the Cultural Revolution entered one of its darkest periods, the fighting spread far beyond the schools. Workers, peasants, government employees, militia members, military veterans, and entire communities were drawn into the conflict. Schools officially remained open, but classrooms stood empty as many school buildings became headquarters, barracks, and defensive positions.Told through the eyes of a fifteen...