Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? Jeff and Lijia, of course—but perhaps that mirror needs checking! Join the distinguished sinologist Jeffrey Wasserstrom and me on **23 October, 1–2.30pm**, at **King’s College London**, for *Distorting Mirrors*, part of China Week. We’ll explore how China and America see—and misread—each other. I’ve shared… Continue reading China week event
An evening at London’s magnificent Royal Opera House, watching Mozart’s Don Giovanni. First performed in 1787, it tells the story of a charming but thoroughly unscrupulous seducer whose pursuit of pleasure catches up with him. There’s comedy, tragedy, dark humour and music so beautiful that you almost forget what a dreadful man he is. Almost.… Continue reading Opera
The death penalty belongs in the past Christa Pike’s survival of a failed execution attempt in Tennessee has brought the death penalty back into the spotlight. My thoughts are with the family of Colleen Slemmer, whose murder was a terrible crime. Nothing about opposing an execution diminishes their loss. But I cannot accept that the… Continue reading Death penalty
Amsterdam and water are inseparable. Even its name tells the story: Amsterdam means “dam on the River Amstel.” Canals, bridges, boats, reflections — water seems to shape both the city and its character. I’ve been here several times over the years, including on a promotional tour when my memoir Socialism Is Great! was published in… Continue reading Amsterdam
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
