My Review of Holy Fool Holy Fool, now playing at London’s intimate Park Theatre, takes on a fascinating subject: how does an artist preserve his integrity — and simply survive — under an authoritarian regime? The play centres on the great Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich, whose relationship with Stalin’s regime veered dramatically between acclaim and… Continue reading Play Holy Fool

AI is sure to be on the agenda as the leaders of the world’s two most powerful nations meet in Washington, DC. But I believe China is investing too much in AI while workers’ wages remain too low. Raising wages and boosting consumption should be the priority. I explain why in my new piece for… Continue reading Is China spending too much on Ai?

I’ll be doing an event at 6.30pm on Sunday, 11 October, at Set Social—a very cool space combining a community bar with a library. I’ll be in conversation with translator Jack Hargreaves, talking about my writing, Chinese literature and the fascinating business of literary translation. It should be a lively and enjoyable evening. And there’s… Continue reading My event on October 11

More Than One Child: A Life Behind the One-Child Policy I read Shen Yang’s More Than One Child for my Chinese book club. It is an important book, not least because it bears witness to a chapter of recent Chinese history whose human consequences are easily obscured by statistics. Shen was an unauthorised second daughter,… Continue reading My review of ‘More than One Child

Under Alcina’s Spell Opera! It is not every day that one gets to see one, let alone a fabulous production such as Handel’s Alcina at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. I hadn’t realised until afterwards that the opera was written for this very place, where it premiered in 1735. The theatre has burned… Continue reading Opera alcina

Helen Wing, an accomplished poet, is a great friend of mine. I often envy the way flowers seem to blossom effortlessly under her pen. Here’s her latest poem, Ars Politica, published in Index, a magazine dedicated to promoting freedom of expression. Please take a look. It’s beautiful but also quietly forceful, weaving together nature, politics… Continue reading Helen wing

The New Tech Arms Race Trump downplays warnings about the risks of AI, citing the rivalry with China. The competition between the world’s two superpowers is real, but surely that is not a reason to dismiss concerns about slowing down AI development. I am no tech expert, but I do wonder whether China is pouring… Continue reading AI Race

Strawberry Hill House Flower Festival When my great friend Sara, a successful artist, invited me to the Strawberry Hill House Flower Festival with her family, I happily accepted. Flower festival? We have book festivals, food festivals and even beer festivals, so why not a festival devoted to flowers? There was, of course, the added pleasure… Continue reading Flower Festival

The True Believer I found the images of Trump and his supporters at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas frightening: large crowds waving American flags, chanting and cheering their president. Do they not see the soaring oil prices, the chaos and suffering his policies have helped cause in other parts of the world, or the… Continue reading Mass movement

RIP He Yong, a Chinese Rock Star I was saddened to hear of the death of He Yong (何勇, 1969–2026), one of the defining figures of China’s 1990s rock scene and an early pioneer of Chinese punk. He was one of the celebrated “Moyan Three” (魔岩三杰), alongside Dou Wei (窦唯) and Zhang Chu (张楚). Back… Continue reading RIP He Yong