ul-searching needed to avoid repeat of Cultural Revolution crimes Lijia Zhang says recent public apologies from Red Guards show it’s time for more open discussion PUBLISHED : Monday, 28 October, 2013, 10:28pm UPDATED : Monday, 28 October, 2013, 10:28pm Most Popular VIEWED SHARED COMMENTED Xi Jinping appears poised to unveil sweeping economic changes China’s middle… Continue reading my commentary in today’s South China Morning Post on the Cultural Revolution

Unhinged in China Ian Johnson Kino Lorber, Inc.Jiang Wu as an angry miner in Jia Zhangke’s A Touch of Sin In one of the central scenes in Jia Zhangke’s new film, a young man working in the southern Chinese manufacturing city of Dongguan, goes to an ATM and finds that he’s broke. He’s just spent… Continue reading Ian Johnson on Jia Zhangke’s film “A Touch of Sins” on NYT

Author: In China, ‘everyone is guilty of corruption’ By Lijia Zhang, Special for CNN October 24, 2013 — Updated 0301 GMT (1101 HKT) Police stand guard outside the court where disgraced politician Bo Xilai was sentenced to life in prison in September. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Everyone in China is guilty of corruption, says writer Lijia Zhang… Continue reading My oped on corruption for CNN

Today the sun smiled at Beijing and myself. CNN’s high profiled On China program in which I took part, talking about corruption, went on air today. see below the link and will be repeated many times in the coming week. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/15/world/asia/on-china-episode-13-transcript/index.html this morning I was also interviewed by BBC TV about women’s rights in China,… Continue reading on CNN and BBC

October 15, 2013, 12:52 am Comment New People’s Daily Building in Beijing Draws Risqué Comparisons By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW Jason Lee/Reuters Is it a chamber pot? Is it a penguin? Is it a … phallus? The latter, say many Chinese, speaking of the new, golden headquarters of the People’s Daily newspaper in Beijing. (Here’s a… Continue reading Beijing Cream

A friend recommended this book to me and I started to read with keen interest – given that the lead character in my own novel is also a northern girl trys her luck in Shenzhen. But I found Northern Girls a great disappointment: it’s a book with little literary merits, save the subject. There are… Continue reading Norther Girls

I’ve long heard about the ancient village of Xidi, a UNESCO site in Southeastern China’s Anhui province. I’ve actually made several attempts to go but failed for various reasons. During this October break, while visiting my family in Nanjing, I made a side trip (four hours by car) there with my girls and two friends.… Continue reading Pigs in Heaven – my trip to ancient village of Xidi