驴叫是红色的。全村的驴齐鸣时村子覆盖在声音的红色拱顶里。 驴叫把鸡鸣压在草垛下，把狗吠压在树荫下， 把人声和牛哞压在屋檐下。 Donkeys bray crimson. When donkeys cry in concert, a crimson vault of sound envelopes the village. It keeps the rooster’s crow under the haystacks, the dog’s bark under the trees, and the human voice under the eaves. 狗吠是黑色的，狗在夜里对月长吠， 声音飘忽悠远，仿佛月亮在叫。 羊咩是绿色的，在羊绵长的叫声里， 草木忍不住生发出翠绿嫩芽。 鸡鸣是白色的，鸡把天叫亮后， 便静悄悄了。 Dogs bark black. When a dog howls … Continue reading Donkeys Bray Crimson
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Abudan’s Roza: The Stamp of Approval
Roza was the most honest, down-to-earth villager in Abudan, and he served as the village representative for most of his life. Whenever someone from the county or township came down to the village to conduct a survey, the village head would arrange for them to visit Roza’s home. Poorly spoken, he had just one response … Continue reading Abudan’s Roza: The Stamp of Approval
And this is a donkey we’re talking about
That was when the village distributed farm fields to each family by drawing lots. One day, Yüsup’s donkey was walking past Qurban when it farted right in his face. Qurban swung his ketmen and gouged the donkey’s back, leaving a deep gash. Yüsup was indignant. “A donkey’s just an animal,” said Yüsup. “It doesn’t know … Continue reading And this is a donkey we’re talking about
Naming Abudan’s Villagers with a Turkic Touch
The Audible Annals of Abudan (凿空) is set in an imaginary village in southern Xinjiang, which has historically been largely peopled by Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim people. Although the word “Uyghur” never appears, it’s clear from several aspects of the tale, such as occasional transliterated vocabulary, that they speak a Turkic tongue. It’s important to note … Continue reading Naming Abudan’s Villagers with a Turkic Touch
Pic of the Week: Replacing religion with “faith in the state”?
This picture of a China propaganda poster uses the phrase for "have faith" -- 有信仰 -- in a way that I have always associated with religion, i.e., be a believer (in this or that religion). Perhaps I am wrong, but this feels like a new usage of the phrase. Odd for a Party that enforces … Continue reading Pic of the Week: Replacing religion with “faith in the state”?
Quote of the Week: Xi Jinping’s Eternal “State of exception”
Political theorists in the early 20th century coined the term “state of exception” for an authoritarian state’s use of crises to normalize extraordinary extralegal measures — and keep them in effect indefinitely. In China, Mr. Xi first put Xinjiang in a state of exception, and more recently has used Covid-19 as justification to do the … Continue reading Quote of the Week: Xi Jinping’s Eternal “State of exception”
Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Nobel Speech: “A kind of beauty”
. . . writing cannot be just about battling and polemics, however invigorating and comforting that can be. Writing is not about one thing, not about this issue or that, or this concern or another, and since its concern is human life in one way or another, sooner or later cruelty and love and weakness … Continue reading Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Nobel Speech: “A kind of beauty”
One of the People
遭遇深圳 By Bruce Humes “You’ll have to excuse us, Bruce. We’ve always looked after you as a guest,” said longtime friend Liu Jie, pausing delicately. “But yesterday we treated you like one of our own.” Indeed. My reception the previous night at the emergency room of this People’s Hospital in Shenzhen, just north of Hong … Continue reading One of the People
Fang Fang’s Wuhan Diary: Dissed for ‘Washing Dirty Linen’ before Foreign Eyes
家丑不传外 It was bad enough that author Fang Fang (方方) has regularly posted her popular Wuhan Diary (武汉日记) on China’s social media, offering her personal — and not occasionally, critical — comments on the effects of the deadly epidemic during the lockdown, penned at Ground Zero. Reports The Diplomat (Conscience of Wuhan): . . . … Continue reading Fang Fang’s Wuhan Diary: Dissed for ‘Washing Dirty Linen’ before Foreign Eyes
Baidu Baike: Bizarre Wikipediaesque Site with Beijing’s Big Brother Seal of Approval
In Fake Food, Fake News: On China’s For-Profit Version of Wikipedia, Chenxin Jiang introduces us to the wacky world of Baidu Baike (百度百科), Baidu search engine's politically correct, Chinese-language version of Wikipedia for the masses: But in many cases the misinformation on Baidu Baike cannot be attributed to commercial interests; much of it is bizarre or … Continue reading Baidu Baike: Bizarre Wikipediaesque Site with Beijing’s Big Brother Seal of Approval
