Podcast appearances and mentions of Sidney Rittenberg

This show originally aired on January 25, 2020. Our latest Sound Effect theme is “Friend or Foe.” First, we hear how artists took over a business group and changed Camano Island. Then, we meet an ex-Army Ranger whose flip-flop business is an olive branch for peace . We dive into the epic life of Sidney Rittenberg , a "towering historical figure" who settled near Tacoma. We learn about the ups and downs of having someone else’s DNA . And one woman shares how a bad fortune telling session led to a new outlook on life — and some payback. CHAMBER COUP The Rev. Chumleigh wasn’t exactly a regular at meetings of the Camano Island Chamber of Commerce. He was an odd fit for the business group. So Chumleigh dropped in on a friend, artist Jack Gunter, with an idea. “He said, ‘I bet if we got a bunch of artists, we could take over the chamber and have it run by the artist community,’” Gunter said. This was the 1990s, and there were only a handful of artists on Camano. But a small group of them

This show originally aired on January 25, 2020. Our latest Sound Effect theme is “Friend or Foe.” First, we hear how artists took over a business group and changed Camano Island. Then, we meet an ex-Army Ranger whose flip-flop business is an olive branch for peace . We dive into the epic life of Sidney Rittenberg , a "towering historical figure" who settled near Tacoma. We learn about the ups and downs of having someone else’s DNA . And one woman shares how a bad fortune telling session led to a new outlook on life — and some payback. CHAMBER COUP The Rev. Chumleigh wasn’t exactly a regular at meetings of the Camano Island Chamber of Commerce. He was an odd fit for the business group. So Chumleigh dropped in on a friend, artist Jack Gunter, with an idea. “He said, ‘I bet if we got a bunch of artists, we could take over the chamber and have it run by the artist community,’” Gunter said. This was the 1990s, and there were only a handful of artists on Camano. But a small group of them

This story originally aired on January 25, 2020. Sidney Rittenberg was a singular figure — an American who was a close associate of Mao Zedong, who held high-ranking positions in the Chinese Communist Party, who was on the inside during some of the most important events of the 20th century. And Gregory Youtz was meeting him for lunch. “Well I was quit e nervous,” said Youtz, a professor of music and a China scholar at Pacific Lutheran University. “Here’s this historical figure. I had read his book before I’d met him. So I was aware of what a huge, towering figure he was both in China and the United States.” Rittenberg suggested they dine at a nearby Italian restaurant. “I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but he ordered spaghetti and meatballs. That was his favorite thing!” said Youtz. “And that kind of brought him right down to earth.” Sidney Rittenberg was into his 80s by th en and, by all accounts, warm, approachable and often hilarious. “He just loved puns and jokes and sarcasm

Our latest Sound Effect theme is “Friend or Foe.” First, we hear how artists took over a business group and changed Camano Island. Then, we meet an ex-Army Ranger whose flip-flop business is an olive branch for peace . We dive into the epic life of Sidney Rittenberg , a "towering historical figure" who settled near Tacoma. We learn about the ups and downs of having someone else’s DNA . And one woman shares how a bad fortune telling session led to a new outlook on life — and some payback.

Sidney Rittenberg led an exceptional life. He tumbled into the swirling waters of history as the communist revolution swept Mao into power. He was a friend of Mao. He was also a prisoner of Mao. Twice. He spent sixteen years in solitary confinement, six years thanks to Josef Stalin, and ten years courtesy of the Cultural Revolution. Somehow he rebounded and started a consulting business that brought companies such as Intel, Levis and Microsoft into China. Throughout these events and efforts he was always observing and thinking. We go back to a 2014 interview with Sidney and talk about the amazing situations he navigated. We also hear his thoughts on power and the people who wield it. Sidney Rittenberg passed away at the age of 98 and in this episode of Business Class we salute and remember his life.

Sidney Rittenberg was a confidant of Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai and much of the Chinese communist leadership even before they took power in the late 1940s, was imprisoned for years (spending a total of 16 years in solitary confinement), and later in life his advice was sought by Americans like Bill Gates and Henry Kissinger.  Sidney Rittenberg passed away last week at the age of 98. In this interview with The Think Tank from 2017, he talks about some of his fascinating life story.

他是一名美國猶太裔共產黨員，二戰後來到中國昆明。當地一個書商給他起來一個中國名字。一個被美國大兵開車軋死的女孩李木仙開啓了他35年的中國之旅。他有機會接近中國共產黨最上層的領導人，曾和他們一起投身中國革命，也被共產黨關押了16年。他叫李敦白。本星期去世，享年98歲。《今日話題》今天講他的故事。 Sidney Rittenberg, an idealistic Jewish American communist, who spent 35 years in the throes of Chinese revolution, 16 of which in communist jail, and was at one point privy to information shared only by the top echelon of the party, died this week at the age of 98. Listen to our podcast about his adventures in China.

Sidney Rittenberg is a labor activist from Charleston, South Carolina, who went to China as a translator for the U.S. Army in 1945 and stayed until 1980. In this episode, Sidney talks about the conditions he endured during his two periods of solitary confinement, Sino-American relations, the behavior of Russian advisers sent to China by the Soviet Union, and much more. Part one of our interview is here. You can read a Q&A with Sidney on SupChina here. You can buy Sidney’s books: an autobiography, The Man Who Stayed Behind, and Manage Your Mind: Set Yourself Free, on lessons he learned while in solitary confinement. The Revolutionary is a documentary film about his life (also available on Amazon).

Sidney Rittenberg was a labor activist in the American South before going to China as a translator for the U.S. Army in 1945. He stayed there until 1980, joining the Communist Party and going to the revolutionary base at Yan’an, where he got to know Mao Zedong and other senior members of the Party who went on to govern China. He also spent 16 years in solitary confinement. In this first episode of a two-part interview, Kaiser and Jeremy talk to Sidney about his fascinating life story. You can read a Q&A with Sidney on SupChina here. You can buy Sidney’s books: an autobiography, The Man Who Stayed Behind, and Manage Your Mind: Set Yourself Free, on lessons he learned while in solitary confinement. The Revolutionary is a documentary film about his life.  

Business Class Podcast - Sidney Rittenberg: Deal making from Maurice Greenberg to Craig Barret to Deng Xiaoping. First hand insight on the business etiquette of international deal making and the meetings that unlocked bringing Intel in to China.

Part 1 – Sidney Rittenberg discusses China and the nature of power. A man with an amazing life that has ranged from being a private translator for Mao to helping unlock the deal that brought Intel to China.

Andy Rothman has interpreted the Chinese economy for people who have serious and practical decisions to make since his early career heading up macroeconomic research at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. He is now an investment strategist for Matthews Asia, where he continues to focus on the Chinese economy and writes the Sinology column. His analysis often diverges from what’s in the headlines, and the contrast between Andy’s interpretation and the dominant, deeply gloomy media narrative of the last year or more is especially pronounced. In this podcast, Sinica hosts Jeremy and Kaiser ask Andy to explain why he’s still bullish after all this time. Don't miss our backgrounder for this episode, "The truth about the Chinese economy, from debt to ghost cities," and a Q&A with Andy, in which he talks about how he got started in China. Recommendations: Jeremy: The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War, by Michael Shaara, and Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, by James M. McPherson. Andy: The Man Who Stayed Behind, by Sidney Rittenberg, and After the Bitter Comes the Sweet: How One Woman Weathered the Storms of China's Recent History, by Yulin Rittenberg. Kaiser: The Honeycrisp apple cultivar.

The Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong died on 9 September 1976. Among those jockeying for power after his death, was his widow Jiang Qing. American, Sidney Rittenberg, remembers her rise and fall. (Photo: Jiang Qing (right) alongside Mao Zedong in 1967. Credit AFP/Getty Images)

Mao declares the formation of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949. We hear from an American who helped to plan the revolution in the caves of Yan'an. Sidney Rittenberg remembers what the early days of communist rule were like in China.

In this episode, we introduce American Sidney Rittenberg, 李敦白，known by the title of his 1993 book as “The Man Who Stayed Behind.” He arrived in China in his 20's at the end of WWII and witnessed the Chinese Revolution from a front-row seat. When the US pulled out of China after the war, Sidney Rittenberg stayed behind with his dreams of contributing to the building of a new China. He remained in his adoptive country for 35 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we introduce American Sidney Rittenberg, 李敦白，known by the title of his 1993 book  as “The Man Who Stayed Behind.”  He arrived in China in his 20’s at the end of WWII and witnessed the Chinese Revolution from a front-row seat. When the US pulled out of China after the war, Sidney Rittenberg stayed behind with his dreams of contributing to the building of a new China.  He remained in his adoptive country for 35 years.

Sidney Rittenberg arrived in China as a GI interpreter at the end of World War II. Discharged there, he joined the Chinese Communist Party, and was an active participant in the Chinese communist revolution and its aftermath. An intimate of the Party's leadership, including Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, he gained prominence at the Broadcast Administration, one of the most important agencies of government. But in the convulsions of a giant country constantly reinventing itself, he twice ran afoul of the leadership, and served a total of 16 years in solitary confinement. He returned to the United States in 1980. Rittenberg’s story would be just a footnote to history, except for his exceptional intellect, uncompromising honesty, and engaging personality. Over a five-year period, award-winning former-CBS journalist and China specialist, Irv Drasnin, interviewed Rittenberg to produce a compelling, complex and unique understanding of the 20th century's biggest revolution. From Sid first meeting Mao in the caves of Yan’an, to his becoming famous and powerful during the Cultural Revolution, to his battling insanity in solitary, his journey and his profound insight illuminate a much greater history—a history few Chinese are aware of, let alone many Americans, told by an American who was there.

Sidney Rittenberg arrived in China as a GI interpreter at the end of World War II. Discharged there, he joined the Chinese Communist Party, and was an active participant in the Chinese communist revolution and its aftermath. An intimate of the Party's leadership, including Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, he gained prominence at the Broadcast Administration, one of the most important agencies of government. But in the convulsions of a giant country constantly reinventing itself, he twice ran afoul of the leadership, and served a total of 16 years in solitary confinement. He returned to the United States in 1980. Rittenberg’s story would be just a footnote to history, except for his exceptional intellect, uncompromising honesty, and engaging personality. Over a five-year period, award-winning former-CBS journalist and China specialist, Irv Drasnin, interviewed Rittenberg to produce a compelling, complex and unique understanding of the 20th century's biggest revolution. From Sid first meeting Mao in the caves of Yan’an, to his becoming famous and powerful during the Cultural Revolution, to his battling insanity in solitary, his journey and his profound insight illuminate a much greater history—a history few Chinese are aware of, let alone many Americans, told by an American who was there.