The Summer is very much upon us and it is hotter than I ever imagined it could be in Korea at the moment. As the summer turns to Autumn, here’s our next list of the best upcoming fiction by Asian and Asian-American authors. If you know of any novels I’ve missed, feel free to contact me on Twitter @booksandbao or via email. The Court Dancer | Kyung Sook...
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 us all, right? The...
So You Want to Teach English in Asia? The most popular countries in which to teach in East Asia are easily China, Korea, and Japan. Each one has its pros and cons with regards to the jobs available, working standards, cultural rules, and a hundred other areas you should be aware of. Having taught English in all three and having known many people who have done the...
Shanghai City Guide Shanghai is an amazing city. And although it’s a beast of one, it has an excellent (and wonderfully cheap) public transport system (including a super fun high speed maglev train, currently the fastest train in the world) meaning you can get to tourist destinations cheaply and, most importantly for a layover, at high speed! Spending a short...
Explore a Unique Cuisine 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 these...
China in Ten Words was written by Yu Hua and translated by Allan H. Barr. Censorship in China 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. I remember being in Shanghai in 2015 when a tragic accident occurred in...
In many ways, the women of East Asian literature are the prominent voices of their cultures today. 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 the unrepresented, women who show us our lives and our cultures from an...
Written by Cixin Liu and translated 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 Three...
In an interview with fivebooks.com, Yiyun Li discussed the concept of the ‘anti-memoir’. This term came around because, as Li put it in the interview, “[…] there has to be a ‘before’ and an ‘after’ – an epiphany. But to me, all these things are artificial. Life is lived in a much messier way.” This rather perfectly encapsulates the issue that Li, and many...
Before I lived in Tokyo and Seoul, I lived in Shanghai. Expats and locals alike in Tokyo and Seoul have joked with me more than once about the harshness of Chinese culture and the unpleasantness of life there; jokes such as: ‘On the Seoul subway, keep your voice down. You don’t want to be a Chinese tourist!’ and ‘I know I could save more money living in China, but...
