Author: xumushi

Chinese-to-English literary translator. Interested in topics such as fiction by the non-Han peoples of China, storytelling by Altaic peoples, and Silk Road cultures.

The Yi (彝族) of Southwest China: Transmission of their Written and Performed Literature, Old and New

Professor Mark Bender has brought to my attention the recent launch of the 422-page A World of Chinese Literature, which contains his short but fascinating article entitled Yi Literature: Traditional and Contemporary. It is an introduction to the "history, content and transmission of traditional and contemporary Yi traditions of written and performed literature." The Yi … Continue reading The Yi (彝族) of Southwest China: Transmission of their Written and Performed Literature, Old and New →

Ethnic ChinaLit Quote of the Week: Diversity as Vulnerability

“In the world of rational thought, Genghis Khan is not a symbol of separatism,” said Christopher Atwood, professor of Mongolian and Chinese frontier and ethnic history at the University of Pennsylvania. “In the world of irrational paranoia, he might be.” (Cited in Xi’s Quest for Ethnic Unity Turns Genghis Khan Into New Danger)

“Tamgagui Tur”: Mongolian Theatrical Production Abruptly Cancelled in China  

After completing a record-breaking 151 sell-out performances at the Mongolian State Academic Theatre in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, a planned run of performances in Inner Mongolia's Hohhot were abruptly cancelled by the Chinese authorities in September 2023. Not to be deterred, the stage production, entitled The Mongol Khan for British audiences, began a two–week run at the … Continue reading “Tamgagui Tur”: Mongolian Theatrical Production Abruptly Cancelled in China   →

A New Work on Matriarchy in China

Pedro Ceinos, a long-time resident of Kunming, Yunnan, informs me that his work on matriarchy in China has just been published in Italian, Il Matriarcato in Cina: Madri, Regine, Dee e Sciamane. Topics include matriarchy in ancient China, matriarchy among the Tibeto-Burman peoples, and matriarchy among the Turkic and Mongolic peoples. Ceinos is also a … Continue reading A New Work on Matriarchy in China →

Mosque “Consolidation” Campaign: Moving beyond Xinjiang into Gansu and Ningxia

In the recently released China: Mosques Shuttered, Razed, Altered in Muslim Areas report from Human Rights Watch, we learn that: The Chinese government is significantly reducing the number of mosques in Ningxia and Gansu provinces under its “mosque consolidation” policy, in violation of the right to freedom of religion, Human Rights Watch said today. Chinese … Continue reading Mosque “Consolidation” Campaign: Moving beyond Xinjiang into Gansu and Ningxia →

Xizang, not Tibet: Name Rectification Underway

名不正，则言不顺 In China is Slowly Erasing Tibet's Name, we learn that: The Chinese government is gradually dropping the name "Tibet" in official English-language references in favor of the region's Mandarin Chinese name —"Xizang"— with experts saying the move is in line with Beijing policies aimed at erasing Tibetan culture . . .   For more … Continue reading Xizang, not Tibet: Name Rectification Underway →

“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 →