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Ashley Portero

My birthday wish this year was simple: to escape the suffocating crowds of Shanghai and bask in the fresh air, blue skies and wide-open spaces of the Chinese countryside. Fortunately for me, my birthday wish came true. “Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with …

Read More about Find Peace in Moganshan, China: 3-Day Guide

Translated from the Mandarin by Ken Liu “In science fiction, humanity is often described as a collective. In this book, a man named ‘humanity’ confronts a disaster, and everything he demonstrates in the face of existence and annihilation undoubtedly has sources in the reality that I experienced.”  – Cixin Liu, author’s note, The Three Body Problem The …

Read More about The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu BOOK REVIEW

Nanjing is home to more than 7 million people, a modest population by Chinese standards. But with its proximity to the mountains and the Yangtze river, the city can feel like a cozy town compared to the all-pervasive presence of people and concrete in Shanghai. Which is ridiculous, because “cozy town” has never been an …

Read More about Visiting the Nanjing Massacre & Zheng He Memorials (China)