Christian Petersen-Clausen

Consider failed suicides. Your drowning victim has a higher chance of not going all the way through with it, being rescued or otherwise falling short of death than someone taking a shotgun to their wisdom teeth. I'd suspect that human nature is fairly similar between US and EU folks.

Gun-related suicides account for about 4-6% of all suicides in Germany. UK gun-related suicides: ~2-3%, France 5-8%, Denmark 4-6%, etc.

Stricter gun laws = fewer gun suicides.

Dou refrains from drawing out the implications of her own discoveries or offering the kind of analysis this story demands.

The result is a merely competent book that could have been so much more.

That alone makes Huawei (and Ren) worthy of a definitive biography, one that offers not just research, but true synthesis. Sadly, “House of Huawei” falls short.

The constant theme in the life of Ren is that he has constantly been presumed guilty and yet consistently found a way for Huawei to overcome obstacles few others would have faced, building a company that by 2010 was larger by revenue than Google, McDonald’s, or Coca-Cola.

Instead, “House of Huawei” is bookended by the hostage diplomacy saga surrounding Meng Wanzhou, a dramatic but ultimately narrow episode to frame such a wide-reaching story. Only those who haven't read the book will think it's worthy of its position.

Her adherence to journalistic formalism robs the reader of the historical context and critical thinking from an expert who has put in the time to explore one of the most fascinating companies in China today.

At one point Ren tries to pull a Deng Xiaoping, setting up a rotating group of successor CEOs, enabling him to keep directing things from the shadows. Dou chronicles that and just moves on. Jack Welch or Bob Iger would have sent flowers.

We learn fascinating details of how it was IBM who got Huawei interested in integrated surveillance camera systems, of Huawei’s role in the Arab Spring and that Huawei let the British GCHQ look “under the hood of Huawei’s [5G] gear to see for themselves if it was safe.”

Not on whether Ren’s time in the secretive military Project 011, described as the “Factory in the Cave,” is a legitimate basis for the suspicion he’s drawn, nor on the many other astonishing moments that she has unearthed.

The research is there but she does nothing with it.

In her outstanding book “Careless People” author Sarah Wynn-Williams scathingly describes Mark Zuckerberg as a vein, attention-seeking founder, the showhorse to Ren’s workhorse mentality.

But unlike Wynn-Williams, Dou offers no commentary.

This is all the more lamentable as Ren turns out a fascinating founder, whose obsessive work attitude is at times charismatic (“Tofu stands can be shut down art any time, but we cannot.”) and at other times, e.g. in her description of Huawei’s “Wolf Culture,” deeply worrisome.

Time and again did I find myself longing for sharper insights, more examination of the many contradictions in the subject’s character, or political context. Without this, “House of Huawei” often feels more like a timeline than a revealing portrait.

The introduction sets this tone: “This is a work of journalism” is less than the accolade the author thinks it is. Providing a thorough and well-researched chronicle of events is fine for a short news story but the lack of deeper analysis often left me wishing for more.

This was among the new China books I had been looking forward to the most this year and so the frustration I felt may be somewhat elevated.

Still: the most generous compliment I can offer is that Eva Dou is a diligent researcher and that this is a competent book on Huawei.

“Huawei is really good at copying.” This sentence, half-way through “House of Huawei,” may sum up where many may be at when picking up Eva Dou’s book. Those hoping to find the definitive book on the company and its founder Ren Zhengfei will however be disappointed.

A Thread.

I meanwhile get to ride on the plastic princess. With a "window" seat.

Another day, another flight.

Haneda in the morning hours is filled with boisterous American teenage men who seem to all collectively be trying to grow mustaches, few successfully.

A JAL A350-1000 lingers gracefully in front of the terminal. Sadly not my ride.

The Artizon Museum is located within walking distance from Tokyo Station. Recommended if you have a bit of time.

Tadaaki Kuwayama.
I have a weakness for geometric abstract artworks, though sadly not the bank account for it.

Kusama Yayoi.
I had heard about her before but never seen her work.

Kazuo Shiraga.
"Konto."

Hisao Domoto.

New to me.

but who has a Rothko and then hides it in storage?

It's a minor, pink one.
But still.

Artizon Museum.

Usually great exhibitions and I want to say they never disappoint...

I was mostly thinking of comparisons between 2017 or so and today.

Yup...

Maruzen Marunouchi (丸善 丸の内店). Solid selection on the top floor, almost like a good US-bookstore. I stare too much at screens and enjoy physical books, though they are difficult to obtain in China.

There are some other titles that I had asked about that were too niche to be in stock. I will return mid august and may want to order them. Tokyo-friends, may I utilize one of your addresses in return for lunch?

I did not expect the german-language edition of "Heidegger - Ein Deutsches Leben" by Lorenz Jäger to be stocked in Tokyo but this is an opportunity too good not to take advantage of.