Misha Glenny - Hero 2002 - Croching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000 - Drug War 2012 -
The Political Criminal Nexus (PCN), a profoundly corrupt relationship between the local tycoons and party leaders. Misha Glenny, McMafia
The snakeheads, or people traffickers ... pump people relentlessly in boats, planes and trains to replenish what has now become the biggest retail trading and migrant labour network in the world. ibid.
The snakeheads are smugglers, not traffickers. They do not, on the whole, fix up jobs in the country of destination – they get you there and then it is up to you. Victims of labour-trafficking are kidnapped or duped by traffickers in league with employers, who intend to enslave or coerce the migrant labourers. ibid.
Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s was an international treaty city ... Thanks to the organisational genius of Du Yueh Sheng, known by all as Big-Eared Du, the Shanghai triads were consolidated under his group, the Green Gang. ibid.
Some have argued that the destruction of Shanghai’s triads was one of Mao’s monumental achievements. Others have countered that to do this he turned the Chinese state into one of the most powerful criminal instruments ever devised, a killing machine with the blood of forty million people on its hands. ibid.
Heroin has made a forceful comeback. It returned with the millions of migrant workers that Shanghai needed to construct its hyper-modernist skyline. ibid.
No-one fakes it like the Chinese. And no-one is more determined to enforce intellectual property law, or copyright, than America. ibid.
The European Union Commission estimates that fake goods around the world are worth between $250 and $500 billion a year. Of these about 60 per cent originate in the People's Republic of China. ibid.
The region in southern Fujian is called Da Shan (Big Mountain) and it is home to some of the biggest and more lucrative counterfeit factories in the world. These facilities, built deep into the mountain, produce millions of cigarettes a day. ibid.
Before China was one great country it was divided into seven warring states. In the Kingdom of Qin was a ruthless ruler. He had a vision – To unite the land, to put an end, once and for all, to war. Hero 2002 starring Jet Li & Tony Leung & Maggie Cheung & Chen Daoming & Donnie Yen & Zhang Ziyi et al, director Zhang Yimou, opening caption
Martial arts and music share the same principles. Both wrestle with complex chords and rare melodies. ibid. hero in sword fight
How swift your sword is. ibid. Snow
When it comes to emotions even great heroes can be idiots. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2000 starring Chow Yun-Fat & Michelle Yeoh & Zhang Ziyi & Chang Chen & Chen Pei-Pei & Sihung Lung et al, director Ang Lee, Sir Te
I thought that by giving away the sword I could escape the Giang Hu world but the cycle of bloodshed continues. ibid. him to her
You have to be part of a gang just to stand a chance. Slowly, your gang becomes your family. ibid. Lo to Jen
Promise me one thing. Whatever path you take in this life, be true to yourself. ibid. her to Jen
It brings one wealth. But it damages the brain. Drug War 2012 starring Louis Koo & Sun Honglei & Huang Yi & Wallace Chung & Gao Yunxiang & Li Guangiie & Guo Tao & Li Jing & Lo Hoi-pang & Eddie Chueng & Gordon Lam & Michelle Ye et al, director Johnnie To, Haha