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 …
China
In so many ways, the women of East Asian literature are the prominent voices of their cultures today. The best East Asian writers are women. In Japan and Korea especially, those writers who have the greatest clarity of mind and creative spirits are insightful, fascinating, and imaginative women. Women who speak for the sidelined and …
For so many of us, there’s nothing more soothing and warming than relaxing in a cosy cafe, nursing a coffee, and losing hours to a thrilling novel. There’s something about a cafe atmosphere that enhances the experience of reading, making a memory of the experience. And that goes double for book cafes. A book cafe …
When it was first announced that the epic book series Legends of the Condor Heroes known as the ‘Chinese Lord of the Rings’ was to be translated for the first time into English, I waited with bated breath for the first book to be released, translated by the impeccably talented Anna Holmwood. The book was …
The subject of history is one that concerns politics, economics, and philosophy. Lessons from the past teach us how to proceed into the future. And yet, for so long, books on history have been simply that. Recently, however, a trend has emerged amongst historians: experts in world events of the past have taken to writing …
It’s been an amazing year for fiction. Here are some of our favourite books this year written by Asian and Asian-American authors. The Court Dancer by Kyung Sook-Shin ‘Set during the dramatic final years of the Korean Empire, the new novel from Man Asian Literary Prize winner Kyung-Sook Shin features a mysterious dancer caught up in the …
Pixar’s first female-directed short film, Bao, hit cinemas recently, tugging at the heartstrings of viewers worldwide before Incredibles II started to play. The latest in Pixar’s now famous shorts has quickly become a favourite for many, especially among those whom it spoke to the loudest: Asian immigrants to the West. But it should speak to …
Shanghai is a metropolis where old Chinese traditions meet futurism and modern technology. It has some of the best restaurants on Earth and a host of incredible museums, galleries, and hidden cultural secrets to discover. If you’ve got 48 hours in Shanghai, you can see so much of the city and discover the full beauty …
Travelling to Xi’an is an amazing experience for so many reasons and, when it comes to eating, Xi’an boasts a unique and diverse cuisine that will provide you with plenty of mouthwatering options. Xi’an people are passionate about their food and it shines through in the multitude of delicious dishes you can try. Most of …
One thing that is globally known about China, and is undeniably true, is its strict censorship laws and the control which the government has over its media, stretching as far as its social networks. Censorship in China I remember being in Shanghai in 2015 when a tragic accident occurred in Tianjin as an explosion took …