Kishore Mahbubani: Living the Asian Century | 联合早报

zaobao

2025-05-31

Growing up in poverty in the 1950s, Kishore Mahbubani expected to become a common textile salesman after finishing high school. Instead, a government scholarship sent him to the University of Singapore, and four years later he found himself in the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, almost none of Mahbubani’s cousins, scattered around the world after India’s brutal partition, from Guyana to Hong Kong, would complete university.

During this same period, Singapore itself was undergoing a metamorphosis. Granted internal self-governance in 1959 and achieving full independence six years later, the country came of age alongside Mahbubani. And as his star rose, so did the nation’s.

In Living the Asian Century, Mahbubani vividly chronicles his own life going from a poor childhood in a multiethnic neighborhood to an illustrious diplomatic career that led him far from Singapore, from Cambodia to Australia, Malaysia to the United States and the UN-including the pinnacle of influence, the Security Council.

Along the way Mahbubani has become one of Asia’s most widely known commentators and spokespeople, with a unique perspective that straddles India, China, and the West.

About the author:Kishore Mahbubani is a Singaporean diplomat and geopolitical consultant. He served as Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the UN (1984–1989, 1998–2004) and was President of the UN Security Council (2001–2002). From 2004 to 2017, he was Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. After stepping down, he took a sabbatical at institutions including Harvard and now serves as a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute. In 2019, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

【City Reading@SG 2025】Book Sharing: Living the Asian CenturyAuthor: Kishore MahbubaniModerator: Chow Yian Ping (Editor, ThinkChina)　　

Date: 2 July 2025 (Wednesday)Time: 4.30pm – 6:00pmVenue: The Arts House, ChamberRegistration Fee: $5 (inclusive of $5 Popular book voucher)Registration Site: https://go.cityreading.sg/cr2025_km

Note: Only registered participants will receive a book voucher upon check-in.

----------------------------------------------------------马凯硕成长于1950年代物资匮乏的年代，原以为高中毕业后会成为一名普通的纺织品推销员，直到一项政府奖学金改变了他的命运。他得以前往新加坡大学深造，四年后加入新加坡外交部。而他的堂表兄弟姐妹，在印度分治后散落全球，从圭亚那到香港，鲜有人完成大学学业。

彼时的新加坡也在经历剧变：1959年实现自治，六年后独立。国家与马凯硕一同成长，他的事业腾飞之际，新加坡的国际地位也日益提升。

在回忆录 Living the Asian Century: An Undiplomatic Memoir 中，马凯硕生动讲述了自己如何从一个生活在多元族群社区的贫困孩童，成长为一名卓越外交官。他的足迹遍及柬埔寨、澳大利亚、马来西亚、美国，直至联合国安理会。

一路走来，他不仅是外交官，更成为亚洲最具影响力的评论者与代言人之一，凭借独特的印度、中国与西方视角，发出了亚洲的声音。

【城市阅读节2025】新书分享会：Living the Asian Century主讲：基肖尔-马布巴尼对讲：周雁冰（思想中国主编）

日期：2025年7月2日（星期三）时间：下午4时30分至6时地点：The Arts House, Chamber报名费：5元（赠送一张5元大众书局书券）报名链接：https://go.cityreading.sg/cr2025_km