Jonathan Fenby

China's Tall Poppy Syndrome

Jonathan Fenby on the long history behind the rapid demise of one of the brightest lights in China’s political firmament.

Published May 21 2012

Jonathan Fenby's 2011 History Highlights

Jonathan Fenby shares his favourite books and films of the past year.

Published December 14 2011

China 1911: The Birth of China's Tragedy

Jonathan Fenby argues that the failings of China's 1911 revolution heralded decades of civil conflict, occupation and suffering for the Chinese people.

Published September 21 2011

De Gaulle: The Man Who Said 'NON'

Exiled in London in June 1940, with France on the brink of defeat, Charles de Gaulle broadcast a speech that was to create an enduring bond between him and his country, writes Jonathan Fenby.

Published June 9 2010

This year sees a remarkable coincidence of anniversaries that tell the history of modern China. Some will be celebrated by the authorities on a grand scale, others will be wilfully ignored, but all reveal important aspects of the country’s past, as Jonathan Fenby explains.

Published May 14 2009

My Fascination With China

Author and journalist Jonathan Fenby explains what started him on an endless journey of exploration into China’s past.

Published October 12 2007

For Those in Peril

Jonathan Fenby asks why the greatest maritime tragedy ever to affect Britain was hushed up at the time and has remained a virtually untold story for sixty-five years.

Published May 18 2005

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Lords of the Northern Forest

The Hudson's Bay Company was one of the central forces moulding the development of the vast tracts of land that today are Canada - but as Barry Gough explains here, the circumstances of its launch in 1670 also reveal much about the commercial forces, personalities and rivalries of Restoration England.