China – Historical Lense

With the Olympics taking place shortly, a lot of my friends have been pulling out their DVDs, or getting on Netflix, to watch one of our favorite movies (even though it’s about the summer Olympics) Chariots of Fire. Filmed in 1981, it’s based on the real story of two of the 1924 British Olympians, Eric Liddell, played by Ian Charleson, and Harold Abrahams, played by Ben Cross. It’s just too good for me to tell you anything about it. You have to watch it!🤓🤓

Eric Liddell, Summer Olympics, Paris, 1924

However, what I will do is tell you something about the real men of Chariots of Fire. Eric Liddell was born in Tianjin, China, on January 16, 1902, to Scottish missionary parents. When he was six, his parents returned to the UK on furlough with him and his eight-year-old brother. At the end of the family’s holiday in Edinburgh, Scotland, both boys went to boarding school at Eltham College that was attended by many children of missionaries. He did well academically, and his rugby and sprinting made his a star athlete.

Liddell attended the University of Edinburgh where he studied Pure Science. He also played rugby for the University Club, and continued to work on his 100m and 220m sprints. (He was often called the “Flying Scotsman.”) Liddell was part of the British Olympic team that went to Paris in 1924. Everyone expected him to win the 100m. But the times for all of the races were announced early in the spring, and the 100m was going to be held on a Sunday. As a devout Christian, he would not run on the Sabbath, regardless of all the pleas from the most senior members of the British Olympic committee. Instead he trained for the 400m. The finals were on July 11, and the Americans were likely to win. Liddell ended up running the last 200m like a sprint. He won the gold, breaking both the world and Olympic records at 47.6 seconds.

Liddell graduated from the University in 1925, and returned to China as a teaching missionary. He was there throughout the Chinese Civil War, only returning to Scotland on a furlough in 1932 when he became an ordained minister of the Congressional Union of Scotland. He returned home again just before World War II, but was back in China when the war started and was interned in a civilian camp in 1943. He was the bedrock of the camp, but died in February 1945.

Harold Abrahams is the other main protagonist in the film. Born on December 15, 1899, he had served as a Lieutenant in the British Army in the Great War, and then attended Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He had been a runner since he was a child, and while at Cambridge was a member of the Athletic Club as well as a member of the Cambridge and Oxford the Achille’s Club for track and field. He competed in the 1920 Olympics, but lost in the quarter finals.

Abrahams graduated from Cambridge in 1923, but wanted to compete in the Olympics the following year. He hired Sam Mussabini as his personal coach who got him ready for the 100m and 200m sprints. He did win the 100m run, beating the American Charley Paddock who had been expected to win. Abrahams expected to continue running, but broke his leg in 1925 which ended his career. Instead, he returned to his legal career, but also worked as a sports commentator for more than 40 years, including attending the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. In addition, Abrahams was the President of the Jewish Athletic Association, and Chairman of the Amateur Athletic Association. He died on January 12, 1978.

I can’t let you go without mentioning one other person at the 1924 British Olympic team–David Cecil, Lord Burghley–who was know as the “King of the Hurdlers.” Cecil won the 440 hurtles that year. He’s not one of the main characters in Chariot of Fire, but it’s fascinating to watch him fly over the hurdles.

As I said–watch the film!! It’s wonderful!! And if you’re interested in more about either man, take a look at http://Duncan Hamilton, For the Glory and http://Mark Ryan, Running with Fire

Sometimes I put history on hold and discuss something more current. Today rather than talking about the Black Death (1346-1352), Smallpox (1870-1874), or the Spanish Influenza (1918), I want to discuss—possibly rant a bit—on current supply chain difficulties and what must be done from here on in.

First, what is a supply chain? According to Investopedia, supply chains are “networks between a company and suppliers to produce and distribute a specific product to the final buyers.” Basically, rather than having a company build a complete product in-house, a firm hires several companies to build different components, puts them together at one of those factories and sends the finished product to the buyer. They are generally done overseas. There are a lot of different ways of doing this, but that’s the general idea. Supply chains are done because they are generally faster and cheaper.

American companies have used supply chains for years, but they really ramped up after World War II. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, with the development of multi-national corporations, we began to see more parts built overseas, increasingly in China, because of lower wages. By the early ‘90’s supply chains from China had grown significantly. There certainly were some hiccups. Raw material shortages, recalls, and tougher regulations all caused issues, but sooner or later they were worked out.

However, some parts of a supply chain are extremely serious. Ninety-two percent (92%) of pharmaceuticals and biologics, many of which are Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), and forty percent (40%) of over-the-counter drugs and supplements—even something as simple as Vitamin C—are only made in China. In addition, sixty-six percent (66%) of the rare earth elements (REE), many of which are required in high tech parts, and by the Defense Department—things like guidance systems, lasers, satellite communication equipment and jet engines—come from China

Now for my rant. China is a communist country. Xi Jinping may wear an elegant suit and tie but he’s simply an updated version of Mao Tsedung. As the President of the People’s Republic of China he made himself president for life, as well as Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Censorship blankets China. Mass surveillance is standard operating procedure, including complete internet censorship. One million Uighurs have been put into concentration camps, and Tibet is being destroyed. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Mao’s Cultural Revolution—Xi’s decision to hide the coronavirus for months. To me, that’s a distinction without a difference. Why on earth should we place our most important products in the hands of China???

In the past 3-5 years, some companies in the US have been in discussions to move their supply chains from China to Taiwan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, even the United States. Some have actually pulled the trigger and moved. That is a good, but a small first step. Global supply chains are perfectly fine if we’re interested in furniture or eye glass frames. But in my opinion, it’s extremely dangerous to allow a nation which is so obviously opposed to the United States to control our vital resources. We have the authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to require US companies to move the most important pharma, biologic, REEs and what every else is vital to our nation.

Historical Lense

Tag: China

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