In the run-up to Obama's White House meeting with the Dalai Lama, Isaac Stone Fish (Newsweek's Beijing correspondent) penned an interesting piece that argues that China's rule has indeed brought indisputable benefits to the Tibetans. It's all part of a grand "bargain": It's true that, so far, all the money has failed to buy Tibetan … Continue reading Newsweek via Cankao Xiaoxi: The Tibetans Have Never Had it So Good
Stephanie Meyer Red-hot in China: Could it be the Footnotes?
As of early 2010, Meyer's entire Twilight series---all four translated volumes---now rank among the "Top Ten Fiction Best Sellers" in mainland China. In Taiwan, they took the top four slots on the island's list of best-selling fiction. What's driving the sales: A newly acquired national passion for vampire romance? The image of the photogenic female … Continue reading Stephanie Meyer Red-hot in China: Could it be the Footnotes?
“King Gesar” Book Review: Epic Ballad Turned Novel Lacks Poetry
Writes David Yao (姚达兑) in a review of the new best-seller, King Gesar (格萨尔王), by Alai (阿来): . . . the tale of King Gesar is recited by [the roaming bard] Jin Mei, while the entire novel is recited by Alai; King Gesar recounts his world-weariness and confusion to Jin Mei, while the novelist makes use … Continue reading “King Gesar” Book Review: Epic Ballad Turned Novel Lacks Poetry
Hotter than Kimchee: The Korean Wave as Chinese Management Literature
Esoteric Asian herbal recipes. Petty infighting in an ancient court. The travails of a frustrated-imperial-chef-turned-physician serving a Korean empress. This hardly sounds like a prescription for a gripping TV series, let alone for a hard-copy guide to career management success in the 21st century. Yet Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum in romanized Korean) … Continue reading Hotter than Kimchee: The Korean Wave as Chinese Management Literature
China Censorship Primer: Just Say “No” to Female Orgasms
Don’t let media in the West fool you—talking about sex in China is not taboo. But apparently references to female genitalia and orgasms are still big no-nos. To see how such touchy subjects are handled in Chinese media, let’s take a look at what happened to the Guardian’s “China to Open First Sex Theme Park” … Continue reading China Censorship Primer: Just Say “No” to Female Orgasms
Book Review: A New Turkish-Chinese Dictionary
Three things strike you as you hold this weighty tome in your hands: It’s 2,075 pages, there are no Turkic-sounding names listed among the compilers, and it's new. I recall my 2001 bus trip across Turkey from Istanbul at the doorstep of Europe to Diyarbakir in the southeast in search of Kurdistan, a place that … Continue reading Book Review: A New Turkish-Chinese Dictionary
Kim Jong Il, a Chinese Orphan and North Korea’s Nuke Test
What’s the link between Kim Jong Il, a Nanjing orphan, and Korea’s recent nuclear test? The answer to that conundrum lies buried deep within Kim Jong Il’s Godson Yang Bin: From Orphan to Sinuiju SAR Chief, a Chinese book just published in English by Fortune Gate (HK) Ltd. If you’ve never heard of the “Yang … Continue reading Kim Jong Il, a Chinese Orphan and North Korea’s Nuke Test
Interview with China Novelist Fan Wen: A Century of Cultural Collisions in Shangri-la
Shuiru Dadi tells the tale of a multi-ethnic settlement in Lancangjiang Canyon—Gateway to Tibet—beset by battles between arrogant French Catholic missionaries, incompetent Han officials and their marauding troops, Naxi Dongba Shamanists, and the dominant Tibetans, not all of whom lead pacific, vegetarian lives in the local lamasery. The saga spans most of the 20th century, hopping … Continue reading Interview with China Novelist Fan Wen: A Century of Cultural Collisions in Shangri-la
Book Review: “English” by Wang Gang, or Growing up Han in Fictional Xinjiang
“Among the Emperor Qianlong’s trophies from his conquest of Xinjiang was a girl called Iparhan. She was a beautiful Kashgari whose body was said to give off an intoxicating scent without any help from ointments…the abduction of Iparhan became for the Chinese a symbol of the annexation of the western lands which they had … Continue reading Book Review: “English” by Wang Gang, or Growing up Han in Fictional Xinjiang
“Brothers”: Here’s Newsweek’s Book Review Repackaged for Chinese Eyes
Isaac Stone Fish's review of Yu Hua's Brothers (兄弟) has only been online for a few days at Newsweek, but it has already been translated for readers in China by Cankao Xiaoxi (参考消息). Cankao Xiaoxi, a Chinese-language digest of world news, is on virtually every newsstand in China by 7:30 am. To show you how … Continue reading “Brothers”: Here’s Newsweek’s Book Review Repackaged for Chinese Eyes
Altaic Storytelling 