Limp Pigs and the Five Ring Circus [Paperback]

"A unique insight into how China's propaganda machine works." --BBC Chinese Service

"An inspiring work...Beijing's control over reporting of the (Chinese) Jasmine Revolution serves as a footnote to this book."
--Shirong Chen, BBC China Editor

"An inspiring work...Beijing's control over reporting of the (Chinese) Jasmine Revolution serves as a footnote to this book." --Shirong Chen, BBC China Editor

"A brutally honest and enjoyable book, written with a great sense of humor, albeit a sad commentary on the totalitarian communist regime as it still is today." --ChinaUncensored.com

If the Beijing Olympics convinced you China is changing...think on this If it was, would China's media police have tried to airbrush from existence every less-than complimentary reference to the Olympic facilities? If it was, would the government have introduced transparency legislation then ban the press from writing about it? If it was, would China have asked the author to help turn its propaganda machine into respected news agency then ignore all transformation advice? Seven years of broken promises and mental torture at the hands of the masters of the machine left Mark Newham seeking psychiatric help. Eventually he fled, convinced the system is in need of similar treatment. To those taken in by the great Changing China deception, he says this. Don't believe everything you read about China. Change in the People's Republic is the equivalent of turning your underpants inside out. It might look like they've been changed but they're still the same pair of underpants.

MARK NEWHAM is a freelance foreign correspondent, broadcaster and author whose journalism career began at London's Financial Times in 1980. Abandoning a staff post in favour of a freelance career in 1985, he has continued to write on developing world politics and economics for the FT, the Economist, the Observer and a broad range of international publications. The BBC and Channel 4 number amongst his broadcasting outlets and he has conducted journalism training courses for the United Nations and the World Bank.
In 2003 he accepted an invitation to work as a language editor with China's Xinhua News Agency and went on to write for the Beijing Olympics News Service in 2008. Newham's connection with China stems back to the dying days of the 19th century when his grandfather established a trading post in Shanghai. Only on his death was it discovered that a Chinese dragon tattoo covered the entire length of his grandfather's back. Travelling widely in the course of his work, Newham gives his mailing address as the departure lounge of terminal three, Heathrow airport, and numbers amongst his leisure time pursuits, searching for BBC World Service shortwave radio transmissions in the most remote corners of the planet.

MARK NEWHAM is a freelance foreign correspondent, broadcaster and author whose journalism career began at London's Financial Times in 1980.

Specialising in developing world politics and economics, his writings have appeared in the FT, the Economist, the Observer, the Sunday Times and a broad range of international publications.

The BBC and Channel 4 number amongst his broadcasting outlets and he has conducted journalism training courses for the United Nations and the World Bank.

In 2003 he accepted an invitation to work as a language editor with China's Xinhua News Agency and went on to write for the Beijing Olympics News Service in 2008.

Newham's connection with China stems back to the dying days of the 19th century when his grandfather established a trading post in Shanghai. Only on his death was it discovered that a Chinese dragon tattoo covered the entire length of his grandfather's back.

Travelling widely in the course of his work, Newham has inadvertently become a world expert on airline food and airports to avoid. His prime leisure time pursuits are searching for alternatives to airline travel and food and for BBC World Service shortwave radio reception in the least hospitable corners of the planet.

He can (sometimes) be contacted through marknewham.com.

MARK NEWHAM is a freelance foreign correspondent, broadcaster and author whose journalism career began at London's Financial Times in 1980. Abandoning a staff post in favour of a freelance career in 1985, he has continued to write on developing world politics and economics for the FT, the Economist, the Observer and a broad range of international publications. The BBC and Channel 4 number amongst his broadcasting outlets and he has conducted journalism training courses for the United Nations and the World Bank.