24 Friday, May 18, 2018 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION UNDERSTANDING KISSINGER The first part of Niall Ferguson’s biography of former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who turns 95 later this month, has just been published in China. Fang Aiqing reports.

ore than 40 years is one of the greatest Ameri­ an Orthodox Jewish family, he has passed since cans in the history of the was sent back to Germany as Henry Kissinger Republic, someone who has an American soldier in World was US secretary been repulsively traduced over War II, where he met Fritz of state. Yet his voice still mat­M several decades and who Kraemer, the man who led The biography written by ters. And Kissinger’s counsel deserved to have a defense of him into history and philoso­ British historian Niall and contributions to the bilat­ this comprehensiveness pub­ phy. Ferguson (R) also looks at eral relationship are still lished years ago.” After the war, Kissinger Kissinger’s intellectual respected by Chinese leaders. Ferguson thinks it is impor­ went to Harvard University in capital. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO As Kissinger — a key figure tant for the Chinese to under­ 1947 to study political science. CHINA DAILY in Sino­US relations since the stand Kissinger’s early life. His doctoral dissertation, 1970s — turns 95 on May 27, a “I’m constantly reminded of published in 1957 with the title Chinese version of Kissinger: how many crucial decisions A World Restored: Metternich, That is why he was aston­ 1923­1968 The Idealist, the were taken in the period when Castlereagh and the Problems ished when Nixon, Rockefell­ first part of the two­volume Kissinger was in office, but of Peace, 1812­1822, looked at er’s political opponent, offered biography of the man by Brit­ nowhere I think has his role European diplomacy more him the post of national secu­ ish historian Niall Ferguson, had more profound conse­ than a century earlier. rity advisor in 1968. culminated in the agreement very knowledgeable about has been published in China, quences than in China. Henry Kissinger at an event in In Ferguson’s opinion, histo­ But it was Vietnam that that the then US president Nix­ Sino­US relations. three years after its release in “And he was the only one 2009 in New York. ry is the key to Kissinger’s abil­ became the defining point of on should make a visit to Bei­ He coined the term “Chi­ the US. individual who was involved MICHAEL LOCCISANO / GETTY IMAGES ity to understand the Kissinger’s career, as he real­ jing the following year, were merica” with German econo­ Ferguson describes Kissing­ at every juncture of US­China contemporary world more ized that the Vietnam War among the most important mist Moritz Schularick to er as “the rarest of intellectuals relations, from the very begin­ than any other American could not be won by the US, meetings in modern history. describe the interdependence who made it in the realm of ning right down to the present Some of the documents dated statesman of the last two or and therefore a diplomatic It later turned out that the between the two largest econ­ power” and his biography, day.” back to the 1940s. three generations. solution rather than a military publication of the Shanghai omies in the world. while looking at Kissinger’s Ferguson, 54, a senior fellow The two reached a legal Kissinger wrote in his doc­ victory had to be the objective Communique, signed during Yet, since the financial crisis early years before his appoint­ at the Hoover Institution at agreement in 2004 to guaran­ toral dissertation that no sig­ of American policy. Nixon’s visit in 1972, resulted in 2008, and with trade fric­ ment as US president Richard Stanford University and the tee Ferguson’s independence nificant conclusions were That was also when, for the in accelerating the end of the tions arising now and then, Nixon’s national security Center for European Studies while writing. possible in the study of foreign first time in his life, he began Vietnam War, the US acknowl­ Chimerica has turned out to adviser, also looks at his intel­ at Harvard University, is an In fact, according to Fergus­ affairs without an awareness thinking about China. edging Taiwan as part of Chi­ be more like Chimera, the lectual capital that Ferguson internationally renowned on, on reading his manuscript, of the historical context. A memorandum recorded a na, and the economic monster in Greek mythology. thinks has been insufficiently author of several highly suc­ Kissinger didn’t speak to him For him, history is both a conversation between Kiss­ transformation of China. Ferguson however, is still studied. cessful books, including The for weeks because the former source of illuminating analo­ inger and Czech diplomat Ferguson also points out positive about Chimerica, add­ In 2016, the biography won House of Rothschild and The statesman felt that he had gies and the defining factor in Antonin Snejdarek in January that Kissinger showed a ing that a new Cold War would the Arthur Ross Book Award Ascent of Money: A Financial revealed too much. national self­understanding. 1967 when the latter asked remarkable ability to under­ be an enormous loss to the from the US Council on For­ History of the World. And it was not until the book Another Kissinger’s book whether the US was planing stand Chinese leaders’ think­ global economy. eign Relations, which rewards Despite the many biogra­ was published and some of from 1957, Nuclear Weapons to “form an alliance ” with the ing considering that in 1971 he Rather, he thinks that Sino­ non­fiction books that make phies of Kissinger, Ferguson Kissinger’s associates read it and Foreign Policy, explains Chinese against the Soviet had no background in Chinese US relations are more like the an outstanding contribution took up the challenge of writ­ and told him what they his idea of a limited nuclear Union. history. relations between Britain and to the understanding of for­ ing about Kissinger’s life and thought of it that Kissinger war. At first, it seemed unbelieva­ “Therefore, he appears to Germany in the early 20th eign policy or international thoughts after repeated invita­ resumed speaking to Ferguson. This work propelled him ble for Kissinger. Yet according have had an incredible ability century, which featured both relations. tions by Kissinger himself. In Ferguson’s words, some­ from academic obscurity to to Ferguson, the seed of open­ to understand a foreign cul­ close economic ties and geopo­ A New York Times review in Ferguson was first times the life of a single person what Americans call a public ing communication with ture very quickly and intui­ litical risks. And this, he points 2015 says of the book, “if Kiss­ approached by Kissinger for like Kissinger helps us realize intellectual. socialist China was planted tively. And I think that’s only out, is what Kissinger has inger’s official biographer can­ his biography nearly 15 years exactly why history changes And then, from 1958 to 1968, then, and it later came to pass possible when you’ve had the always wanted us to pay atten­ not be accused of falling for his ago. And he then plunged into direction and the world is Kissinger advised Nelson when Kissinger paid a secret kind of extraordinary early life tion to. subject’s justifiably famed the plentiful personal diaries, transformed. Rockefeller on foreign policy trip to Beijing in 1971. that he did,” says Ferguson, charm, he certainly gives the letters and unfinished manu­ Kissinger’s life is much like a in three unsuccessful attempts Ferguson says that Kissing­ referring to Kissinger as a Contact the writer at reader enough evidence to scripts that Kissinger gave him typical American story. to become the Republican er’s meetings with the late pre­ “mind­reader”. fangaiqing@ conclude that Henry Kissinger unprecedented access to. As a German refugee from candidate for the presidency. mier Zhou Enlai, which Ferguson himself also is chinadaily.com.cn High­tech marks Buddhist grotto copies

By LIN SHUJUAN in Shanghai [email protected]

Three grottoes in Dunhu­ ang, Northwest China’s Gansu province, have been replicated at Shanghai Tower, the world’s If you go second­tallest building, as 8:30 am­8 pm, through Feb 28, part of a 10­month­long exhi­ 2019; entrance fee: 180 yuan bition. ($28.6) per adult, half price for Jointly organized by the children. Shanghai Tower exhibi­ Gansu Provincial Administra­ tion hall, Pudong New Area, tion of Cultural Heritage, Dun­ Shanghai. huang Research Academy, Gansu Provincial Museum, Shanghai Tower and other institutions, the event opened on April 28, with the aim of providing visitors with an immersive experience by lev­ eraging virtual reality and oth­ er advanced technologies. The full­size replicas — two from the Mogao Caves and one from the nearby Yulin Caves — The ongoing exhibition at Shanghai Tower features full­size replicas of grottoes in Dunhuang and precious cul­ were installed based on digital tural relics from seven museums in western China. PHOTOS BY GAO ERQIANG AND LIN SHUJUAN / CHINA DAILY archives of their originals. Frescoes in the original caves have been copied using 1227), and the continuation of western China, are also on dis­ than a swallow. It became the of other religious and secular In 1987, the grottoes, also deputy director of Dunhuang high­definition scanning and religious ideas at the time. play. Many exhibits are being national official tourism logo documents discovered in the known as the Caves of the Research Academy. printing technologies, says Mi Mogao’s No 220 cave shown in Shanghai for the first in 1983. Mogao Caves in the early 20th Thousand Buddhas, became a “Dunhuang is a shared trea­ Qiu, curator of the exhibition. presents frescoes from the ear­ time, including a bronze stat­ The exhibition is also show­ century. UNESCO World Heritage Site. sure of humanity and it is our Dating from the 5th to early ly Tang Dynasty (618­907), ue named Galloping Horse ing three­dimensional holo­ The exhibition, which runs Facing threats of natural decay responsibility to share Dunhu­ 11th centuries, they represent showcasing many ancient Treading on a Flying Swallow graphic images that enable through February next year, and human­induced damage, ang culture with the world,” three distinct styles of differ­ musical instruments and from the Eastern Han Dynasty visitors to view immovable will also present more than 50 Dunhuang Research Academy Zhao says. ent periods of the Dunhuang dances. No 285 cave, which (25­220). sculptures from different loca­ seminars and events about the has been working on a digital “We used to face a dilemma grottoes, China’s largest Bud­ dates back to the Western Wei The statue, unearthed in tions, including an image of culture, fashion, music and archiving project since the when it came to preservation dhist art treasure. Dynasty (535­556) and fea­ 1969 from the tomb of a mili­ Buddha’s nirvana, which fea­ dance, literature and folk arts 1990s. After more than two and sharing. Digitization has Among them, the No 29 tures a reverse funnel­shaped tary officer in Zhangye, also in tures an 18­meter­long reclin­ relating to Dunhuang. decades in 2016, the academy solved that — it allows exhibi­ cave at Yulin was replicated roof, is said to have the richest Gansu, is one of the top ing Buddha from No 158 cave The Dunhuang grottoes are launched e­dunhuang.com, a tions of Dunhuang culture to using high­definition technol­ contents of all the grottoes in national treasures in China. at Mogao. a living record of the ancient website offering virtual views take place at any time, and in ogy for the first time in a pub­ Dunhuang. It depicts Bud­ As part of the Gansu Provin­ Other key exhibits include a Silk Road. More than 700 of 28 of the Mogao Caves. any location.” lic presentation. The murals in dhist and Taoist characters. cial Museum’s collection, it Buddhist thangka artwork sandstone caves contain fres­ So far, the academy has the caves present the aesthet­ Apart from the three replica reflects the legend that a gal­ featuring Milarepa, a Tibetan cos, paintings, sculptures and completed the digitization of Contact the writer at ics and ethnic flavor of the grottoes, 118 precious cultural loping horse can be so fast scholar, 10 original Dunhuang other relics from the pre­11th more than 100 caves, accord­ linshujuan@ Western Xia Dynasty (1038­ relics from seven museums in that it can actually fly higher manuscripts, and a collection century eras. ing to Zhao Shengliang, the chinadaily.com.cn