This week I read Eileen Chang's autobiographical novel, The Fall of the Pagoda (Hong Kong University Press, 2010), which was originally published in 1968 in Chinese. If you've read this blog over the months, you'll know I just love Eileen Chang.Chang's many novels, … [Read more...]
Book of the week–The Snakehead
Imagine this journey: Fuzhou-Hong Kong-Bangkok-Moscow-Havana-Managua-Tuscon. Or this: Fuzhou-Hong Kong-Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur-Singapore-Dubai-Frankfurt-Washingon.These aren't round-the-world leisure trips, but the dangerous routes orchestrated by snakeheads to bring illegal … [Read more...]
The curious cult of Chairman Mao
Can you imagine a souvenir industry centered around Hitler? Unfathomable. Or Stalin? No way. So how has Mao turned into such a cult, both in China and in the West? After all, his programs led to the deaths of 70 to 100 million of his own people (30 million alone during the Great … [Read more...]
Are luck and fortune the new tiger?
Several weeks ago I blogged about tiger-titled books. Since many of these books relate to Chinese culture, that got me thinking. Are there other common China-themed titles?The concept of luck and fortune is very important to Chinese culture, and certainly hasn't been lost in … [Read more...]
Book of the week–The Foremost Good Fortune
Last week I blogged about attending a book signing with Susan Conley, author of The Foremost Good Fortune (Knopf, 2011).It was so enjoyable to meet Conley and get my book signed. Time escaped me somehow, so I didn't finish her book until after her reading.But it was well … [Read more...]
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