My Review of The Summer Book I thoroughly enjoyed The Summer Book, based on Tove Jansson’s much-loved 1972 novel. I should say from the outset that it certainly isn’t a film for anyone looking for plot-driven drama. Very little happens, and that is precisely its charm. Set over the course of a summer on a… Continue reading The summer book

Here’s my piece about Uzbekistan, a Central Asian country that has fascinated me since my first visit in 1992, a year after it gained independence from the Soviet Union. [Uzbekistan and the New Great Game](https://democracyasia.com/articles/uzbekistan-and-the-new-great-game)

China’s birth rate has plunged to a record low. In the world’s second-most-populous country, why are so many young women reluctant to have children? I set out to discover what lies behind this dramatic demographic shift. My article has just been published in The Persistent, a women-led publication covering politics, economics and culture through a… Continue reading China’s low birth rate

A Buddhist Temple in Peckham Looking at the first photo, you may wonder: what is it? A church? But the writing on the front says “Qing Liang Buddhist Association.” I had heard there was a Buddhist temple in Peckham, so when a friend invited me to attend a guided meditation and sutra chanting session, followed… Continue reading A Buddhist temple in London

Last night, I went out with my mentee Daisy, who is as lovely as the flower she is named after. An English girl, she studied Chinese and is immensely interested in Chinese culture. We had dinner in Elephant and Castle, followed by a talk on social change in rural China. I’ve been mentoring for decades,… Continue reading Mentoring he

Of the many pieces I have read about the tragic Jason Arday affair, this New York Times article strikes me as the best-researched, most comprehensive and most clear-eyed. This is an extraordinarily painful and contentious case. But the facts need to be established carefully, not weaponised, then lessons can be learnt. The article ends with… Continue reading NYT piece on Arday

吃饭了吗？Literally, “Have you eaten rice?”—or, more naturally, “Have you eaten?” For generations, this has been a common Chinese greeting. The fact that fan (饭) can mean both cooked rice and a meal reveals just how deeply rice is woven into Chinese culture. Here is my essay on why: Why rice has a place in Chinese… Continue reading Rice, glorious rice!

Intermezzo and My Book Group I listened to the audiobook of Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo when it first appeared in 2024 and remember enjoying it. Ahead of our book-group discussion last night, I bought a physical copy. Having previously read Normal People and Conversations with Friends, I think this may be Rooney’s most mature and accomplished… Continue reading Intermezzo

**RIP Zhu Rongji** Zhu Rongji (朱镕基), China’s former premier, has died aged 97. Chinese media gave his age as 98, following the traditional Chinese method of counting age. He was one of the most important and genuine economic reformers of the post-Mao era—a tough, outspoken technocrat who tackled inflation and corruption, restructured state-owned enterprises and… Continue reading *RIP Zhu Rongji**

As we all know, China’s birth rate has fallen alarmingly low. What can be done? The government’s answer is cash handouts. But will they work? I’m not convinced. If the authorities genuinely want more people to have children, they must do far more to promote gender equality. I explain why in my latest article for… Continue reading China’s low birth rate