Poverty jostles alongside wealth in Shanghai. On one street corner I can buy a delicious takeaway omelette, a jidanbin (jidan: egg, bin: cake) with a choice of spices for about three RMB. I can add a sausage and it become four and a half RMB. Literally twenty steps away I can walk into a typical, […]
Rod MacKenzie
CRACKING CHINA was previously the title of this blog. That title was used as the name for Rod MacKenzie's second book, Cracking China: a memoir of our first three years in China. From a review in the Johannesburg Star: " Mackenzie's writing is shot through with humour and there are many laugh-out-loud scenes". Cracking China is available as an eBook on Amazon Kindle or get a hard copy from www.knowledgethirstmedia.co.za.
His previous book is a collection of poetry,Gathering Light.
A born and bred South African, Rod now lives in Auckland, New Zealand, after a number of years working in southern mainland China and a stint in England.
Under the editorship of David Bullard and Michael Trapido he had a column called "The Mocking Truth" on NewsTime until the newszine folded.
He has a Master's Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Auckland. if you are a big, BIG publisher you should ask to see one of his many manuscript novels. Follow Rod on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/Rod_in_China
Posted inNews/Politics
South Africans overseas should be allowed to vote
I sat with the phone pressed to my ear, waiting to query one of those wonderful tannies at the SA Embassy I have spoken to before and also met: “How do we go about voting in the South African elections in April?” I was looking forward to hearing that strong Afrikaans accent. The accent was […]
Posted inGeneral
Why does China or any country bother with censorship any more?
We were living in China when Tom Cruise arrived to do some scenes for Mission Impossible 3. One of the scenes showed the endless trails of laundry hanging out on the rails of apartment buildings. The Chinese censors delayed releasing the film and deleted scenes of tatty underwear and bras hanging on rails outside apartment […]
Posted inGeneral
What are we thinking (if we are thinking) when we vote?
“You miss too much these days if you stop to think” — Bono of U2 I scowled as I watched Eric, a bright 16-year-old Chinese student. He liked to sit in the back of the class. He was blissfully ignorant of the fact that I could see him playing with his PlayStation behind his desk. […]
Posted inLifestyle
Celebrating my wife (while shaking my head)
I’d been meaning to write this blog about my wife for quite a while, but a current piece by Sarah Britten on poisonous snakes prompted me to get on with the job. Ouch. That sounds terrible. I hasten to add that this is not because I think my wife, Marion, better known as chookie or […]
Posted inGeneral
On a first-name basis
It was the usual wrangle among a variety of blokes in the American pub Malone’s in Shanghai. (Long Bar has sadly closed down for now.) Alistair was calling me Slim (I’m not) and I was comparing him to a rake (he is). The motley crowd, assembled and cackling at the ripostes flickering through the air […]
Posted inLifestyle
Reflections on the Chinese man I spat at
The sight must have been amusing and alarming: a tall, young Chinese man doing a flying kung fu kick and bouncing off my back. He then dashed off and I was rather relieved. The Chinese government takes a dim view of public scuffles; we could well have both ended up in a police station. What […]
Posted inLifestyle
Why do we avoid South Africans?
I have just done a survey among fellow ex-pats of other countries, via email or on the phone, including those who are not in China. The question was: Do you feel, as an ex-pat of sorts from your country, that your countrymen feel you have “deserted” or “betrayed” your country? On the whole, to boil […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Woes facing SA pensioners, the State and our responsibility
“Please, Rod, make sure you and Marion stick away enough money for when you are older. Promise your old mother. Believe you me, no matter how much you save, it just isn’t enough for when you are older.” In Shanghai I listen to my mother’s youthful, imploring voice on the phone half a world away […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle, News/Politics
You pessimistic quietistic anarchist, you!
“Crackdown on pirate DVDs” or words to that effect, are routinely touted in the local English newspapers in China. I can assure you on the same day and any other day I can take you to my favourite DVD vendors who will sell me the latest pirated DVDs for a mere seven or eight RMB, […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Black Zimbabweans cracking Shanghai
“Hey Rod … how you doing, man?” comes the affectionate voice at People’s Square metro. I turn in surprise to see Cleto standing there, that familiar, huge grin on his face with all the perfectly white teeth, a pretty black woman next to him. It is amazing how in Shanghai, a city of ostensibly 20-million […]
Posted inLifestyle
Those dreaded words, ‘however’, ‘unfortunately’, ‘I’m afraid’, ‘alas’ …
“Dear Rod Thanks for your proposal on the above title [Cracking China]. The sample you sent is very interesting and entertaining and I enjoyed reading it. However, it is not suited to our area of publishing. As a university press, we do focus more on academic texts rather than popular ones … ” (What’s wrong […]