“Civilizations of the Silk Road” (translated excerpt): Princess Xijun’s Exile to the Western Regions

Mysteries of the Western Regions Pioneering Zhang Qian & Han Dynasty Explorers (Excerpted from H.K. Chang’s Civilizations of the Silk Road) Translated from 丝路文明 15 讲 byBruce Humes in collaboration with the author In 119 BCE, Zhang Qian (张骞) was entrusted with a second mission to the Western Regions (西域), mainly to the Kingdom of Wusun (烏孫) in the … Continue reading “Civilizations of the Silk Road” (translated excerpt): Princess Xijun’s Exile to the Western Regions →

Grassland logic, Agrilogistics and Hanspace Cosmologies — Robin Visser’s Disruptive “Questioning Borders”

Newly published Questioning Borders: Eco-Literatures of China and Taiwan by Robin Visser makes for fascinating reading, and it: . . . features works by Mongol, Tibetan, Taiwanese, Tao, Bunun, Yi, Bai, Kazakh, Uyghur, and Han writers set in rapidly transforming ecologies in Xinjiang, the Tibetan Plateau, Inner Mongolia, Southwest China, and Taiwan. Authors whose works are cited in detail … Continue reading Grassland logic, Agrilogistics and Hanspace Cosmologies — Robin Visser’s Disruptive “Questioning Borders” →

Uyghur Film-maker Who Studied in Turkey Prosecuted in China

In Uyghur film-maker claims he was tortured by authorities in China, the Guardian reports that Ikram Nurmehmet, a director known for his Uyghur protagonists in films such as The Elephant in the Car, recently had his day in court in Ürümqi: “I was held in a dark room for 20 days and physically tortured,” Nurmehmet reportedly said during the … Continue reading Uyghur Film-maker Who Studied in Turkey Prosecuted in China →

France Offers Fresh Look at Genghis Khan and the Mongols

The desire of the Chinese authorities to control the narrative regarding its borderland peoples has been dealt a blow with the opening of the exhibition, Genghis Khan: Comment les Mongols ont changé le monde at the Chateau des ducs de Bretagne in Nantes, France. In Blockbuster show on Genghis Khan opens in France after row with China, the Guardian reports: … Continue reading France Offers Fresh Look at Genghis Khan and the Mongols →

Published: My Translation of “Civilizations on the Silk Road”

My translation of Professor H.K. Chang’s <丝路文明: 15 讲> (Civilizations on the Silk Road) has been published by the UK's Routledge. Table of Contents: 1. "Civilization": Origins, Diversity & Continuity 2. Alexander’s Eastern Campaigns, Hellenism & Gandharan Art 3. Mysteries of the Western Regions: Pioneering Zhang Qian & Han Dynasty Explorers 4. Buddhism’s Genesis: To the West … Continue reading Published: My Translation of “Civilizations on the Silk Road” →

Learning to be Chinese: Boarding Schools in Tibet

In a recently published research article, Learning to be Chinese: colonial-style boarding schools on the Tibetan plateau, James Leibold and Tenzin Dorjee examine this vast network where "Tibetan children are placed in around-the-clock state care with little access to their home communities." A few factoids they cite help to give an idea of what this really … Continue reading Learning to be Chinese: Boarding Schools in Tibet →

Uyghur Cineast Mukaddis Mijit on her new film, “Nikah”

. . . il existait par exemple de très nombreux lieux sacrés qui, d’un village à l’autre et même au fin fond des montagnes, constituaient une sorte de réseau spirituel. Des lieux importants pour les femmes qui, dans cette société patriarcale, pouvaient s’y retrouver – pour demander un enfant, résoudre un conflit, etc. J’ai voulu … Continue reading Uyghur Cineast Mukaddis Mijit on her new film, “Nikah” →

La littérature tibétaine comme le cinéma est en deuil

Bilingual author and cineast Pema Tseden passed away on May 8, 2023. Writes his French translator Brigitte Duzan: C’était une rumeur sourde, venant de l’autre bout de la terre, portée par le vent, dans le petit matin gris, Pema est mort, Pema est mort… Incrédules, nous n’arrivions pas à y croire et nous avions tort. … Continue reading La littérature tibétaine comme le cinéma est en deuil →

China’s Culture Wars: Opening Salvo in Crackdown on Uyghur Intellectuals

Incarceration of Xinjiang's Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples expanded massively beginning in 2017, but the campaign targeting intellectuals specifically dates back to mid-2014. At the end of Xi Jinping's April 2014 visit to Xinjiang, an explosion at the Urumqi train station killed three people and injured nearly 80 others, according to the BBC. Just two … Continue reading China’s Culture Wars: Opening Salvo in Crackdown on Uyghur Intellectuals →

The Metaphor Detox Center: Excerpt from Sheng Keyi’s 锦灰

Tupelo Quarterly has just published an excerpt from Sheng Keyi's dystopian novel, The Metaphor Detox Center (锦灰, 盛可以著), entitled The Love Experiment: She became acquainted with a few fellow patients at the centre. Like them, she’d heard of shelters, treatment centres for drug addiction, mental health clinics and so on, but only once she … Continue reading The Metaphor Detox Center: Excerpt from Sheng Keyi’s 锦灰 →