China and India at War ­in 1962 – Part 3/4

October 11, 2010

The Chinese moved their Eleventh and Fifty-fifth divisions to the front.

The Indian army had four brigades set up defensive positions along the only mountain road leading south through the harsh terrain.

At the same time, India was planning to attack the Chinese army.

In a risky flanking maneuver, the Chinese sent 1,500 troops along a dangerous mountain trail to attack India’s Army in the rear and cut them in half.

The Chinese troops succeeded, and the Chinese army launched an attack from the north along the road.

India’s Sixty-second Brigade collapsed the first day. Soon after, India’s Sixty-fifth Brigade abandoned their positions without a fight.

News of the Indian army’s defeat reached New Delhi.  The Indian people panicked. Large numbers of refugees started to flow south.

Chinese army troops had advanced into India past the disputed territory. China declared a unilateral cease fire.

There were abandoned Indian weapons everywhere and the Chinese troops gathered the weapons, which were returned to India. Then the Indian troops that were prisoners of war were released.

China’s army withdraw to the 1959 border keeping the disputed territory. The war ended without a treaty to resolve the border dispute.

India’s Casualties

Killed = 4,885
POW = 3,968
Wounded = 1,697

China’s casualties
Killed 722
Wounded 1,696

Go to China and India at War – Part 4 or return to Part 2 of China and India at War in 1962

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. 

If you want to subscribe to iLook China, there is a “Subscribe” button at the top of the screen in the menu bar.

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China and India at War in 1962 – Part 2/4

October 10, 2010

In the embedded video are actual battle scenes from the China-Indian conflict of 1962. Since the Chinese shot this footage, it is obvious that the dialogue has been propagandized.

India’s Nehru government repeatedly rejected China’s requests to negotiate the border dispute over the McMahon Line, which British Explorer McMahon drew on a map during the 19th century.

Instead, the Indian army built bases and outposts in the disputed area.

Chinese troops then strengthened their defenses in the disputed area.

India sent patrols into territory occupied by Chinese troops and the Indian troops were captured.

On June 4, 1962, Indian troops set up outposts deep in the disputed territory.

On September 8, 1962, Chinese troops surrounded the Indian troops to stop further advances.

In the middle of September, Chinese intelligence reported that the Indian army would soon attack.

India’s Seventh Brigade was deployed to the area to launch Operation Leghorn.

On October 9, 1962, he Indian troops crossed the river that divided the two armies and attacked Chinese positions.

The resulting battle caused the Indian Seventh Brigade to collapse and a large number of Indian troops surrendered.

Chinese troops crossed the river and pushed south, but the Indian troops retreated faster.

Heavy Chinese artillery bombed Indian troop positions. Within days, there were many dead and wounded Indian troops.

Go to China and India at War – Part 3 or return to Part 1 of China and India at War in 1962

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. 

If you want to subscribe to iLook China, there is a “Subscribe” button at the top of the screen in the menu bar.

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

China and India at War ­in 1962 – Part 1/4

October 10, 2010

In this series, I’ve stitched together three different videos in four parts to show the 1962 border war between India and China.

America is not the first country to attempt nation building (Iraq).  The British Empire did it first and left behind a mess in India, the Middle East and Africa.

In the 19th century, with the reckless stoke of a pen or pencil, British Explorer McMahon drew borders on maps creating India.

Due to his arrogance, India has had border disputes and with China, Nepal and Pakistan. Source: Boundaries

In fact, before the British Empire established the Raj, India wasn’t a country and no Chinese government ever agreed to the changes McMahon made along the borders between Tibet and India. Source: Victorian Web

In 1947, soon after the end of World War II, India gained its independence from Britain, and the Indian government refused to negotiate over land that was once was part of Tibet.

After 1949, Mao’s government told India the land behind the McMahon line was part of China and wanted it back.

For the next thirteen years, China and India had many diplomatic conversations about this boundary issue.  Zhou Enlai, the first prime minister of the PRC, attempted to convince Jawaharlal Nehru to resolve the boundary issue peacefully.

With the failure of peaceful negotiations, Chinese troops were sent to the McMahon Line.

Go to China and India at War – Part 2 or discover The Sino-Vietnam War of 1979

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. 

If you want to subscribe to iLook China, there is a “Subscribe” button at the top of the screen in the menu bar.

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Regulating Religions in China

October 8, 2010

In the U.S., Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner once said, “Those who would renegotiate the boundaries between church and state must therefore answer difficult questions: why would we trade a system that has served us so well for one that has served others so poorly?” Source: Theocracy Watch

The answer to Justice O’Conner’s question is the reason why China’s government keeps such a close watch on religions and decides which ones may practice there.

In the past, Roman Catholic Popes told the kings of Europe what to do, which led to the persecution and eradication of the Cathars.

There are more examples of religious corruption such as the Inquisition, the Crusades to the Middle East, China’s Taiping Rebellion, and the wars between Catholics and Protestants in Europe.

What I have listed in the previous paragraph is a brief example. The list is long. For thousands of years, religions have waged wars on each other and on those who do not join.

Then consider how many major religions there are. Why does it have to be so complicated? After all, there is only one God.

As it is, “China is a country with a great diversity of religious beliefs. The main religions are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism… According to incomplete statistics, there are over 100 million followers of various religious faiths, more than 85,000 sites for religious activities, some 300,000 clergy and over 3,000 religious organizations throughout China. In addition, there are 74 religious schools and colleges run by religious organizations for training clerical personnel.” Source: Chinese Culture

If you visit the previous link, you will discover that China does allow people to worship God and join religions.

However, China reserves the right to decide which religions and cults may be destructive and keeps these groups out of China such as the Falun Gong cult.

Learn about The Kaifeng Jews

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. 

If you want to subscribe to iLook China, there is a “Subscribe” button at the top of the screen in the menu bar.

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

Ice Cream from China – Myth or Fact

October 4, 2010

While researching topics about China, I kept running into claims that ice cream was invented in China, and Marco Polo brought the recipe back to Italy.

To discover the facts, I did some virtual sleuthing and discovered that immigrants arriving in Ellis Island were treated to a bowl of ice cream upon arrival.

I wonder if the Chinese arriving at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay got ice cream. Considering the way the Chinese were treated then—probably not.

Ice Cream History and Folklore says, “Most books are full of myths about the history of ice cream. According to popular accounts, Marco Polo (1254-1324) saw ice creams being made during his trip to China, and on his return, introduced them to Italy.”

In fact, “During China’s Tang Dynasty  (618-907 A.D.) something vaguely on the order of ice cream was made from cow, goat and buffalo milk, flavored with camphor and thickened with flour.” Source: The History of Ice Cream

More details came from Wonderquest. “The first concoction resembling ice cream was made in China during the Tang period…. Ice-cream makers … heated buffalo, cow, and goat milk together then fermented the brew to form yogurt. They thickened the yogurt with flour and flavored it with camphor (an insect repellant, of all things). Refrigerating first, they served the confection to the king.”

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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. 

If you want to subscribe to iLook China, there is a “Subscribe” button at the top of the screen in the menu bar.

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Posted by Lloyd Lofthouse

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