With ideological lens, one can never understand how modern China rises and the struggle Chinese people come through. When China was most advanced in science and technology in the 15th century, why didn’t it give birth to systematic industrial capitalism?Because traditional Chinese society rejects alienation.

When destruction of global environment and global warming are indeed a result of alienation of nature, Karl Marx’s observation on alienation in the producing lines is - from the author’s perspective - insightful and short-sighted at the same time. In fact, everything in the West comes through a process of alienation without most people’s realization.

Humanity, reason, language, education, technology, religion, culture, politics and economics are all alienated in the West. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

The whole tree of the West is sick. The author brings in a wide range of original philosophical writings over the topic “alienation in the West”.

In comparison, the author also shows how things without being alienated are supposed to be, based on historical facts in ancient China. In addition, 7 independent philosophical prose are included in the book, ranging from the topic of Chinese political philosophy, Western Nihilism, Confucianism, Western extremism to the topic of Chinese monarchy, technical world and totalitarianism in the West and in China.

The author had an academic background in philosophy and spent most of time doing independent research on China and on Europe. The author spent 8 years living in the Netherlands.

Being quite critical on modern China when the author was young, he eventually found out all of those problems are rooted in Europe. All the writings are independent and original.

But it also voices latest intellectuals’ views from Chinese society to certain extent. In the age of the downfall of Western hegemony and rise of modern China, such voices can be very informative and inspiring to the readers from the global south.

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