I stumbled across this old piece, which started my memoir. Frog in a Factory Well · Email · Print · Comments Updated Dec. 15, 2000 12:01 a.m. ET BEIJING — When I was young I dreamed of becoming a journalist. I saw myself grasping a pen to write beautiful, compelling things. Instead, at the age… Continue reading Frog in a Factory Well

From the process of dying to the meaning of life, I’ve been reading quite a bit about death in the past months ever since my father has taken critically ill. So on a quite Sunday night, I watched Departures, a film dealing with the grave subject of death, which made me laugh and cry and… Continue reading my review of Japanese film Departures

I am never a fan of Kung Fu movies. But a good writer friend who has fine taste in film and documentaries, persuaded me and invited me. While she appreciated the movie greatly, I found it a big disappointment. Grandmaster (一代宗师), directed by successful HK film director Wang Kaiwei (Wang Kar-wai), it is supposedly about… Continue reading My Review of Movie Grandmaster

China’s savvy young women begin to tear down the walls of gender discrimination Lijia Zhang says a landmark court ruling is just part of a wider movement PUBLISHED : Monday, 12 January, 2015, 4:44pm UPDATED : Monday, 12 January, 2015, 7:29pm Lijia Zhang SCMP Most Popular Huang Rong (not her real name) made history by… Continue reading my commentary in today’s scmp on young women’s fight against gender discrimination

My father Zhang Songshou passed away at 4 am on 9th of January after a long illness. He went peacefully at a hospice in Nanjing where he spent his final 102 days. He was 87. In the past three years since he had taken ill with a heart problem, he had experienced quite a few… Continue reading Eulogy to My Father

Scholar Who Helped Chen Guangcheng Escape Arrested After being detained on suspicion of “picking quarrels” in October, scholar Guo Yushan, who played an instrumental role in allowing Chen Guangcheng’s 2012 escape from house arrest, has now been arrested on the charge of “illegal business activity.” Guo founded the Transition Institute, an independent think-tank devoted to… Continue reading Scholar who helped Chen Guangcheng to escape has been arrested

Literature of India, Enshrined in a Series Murty Classical Library Catalogs Indian Literature By JENNIFER SCHUESSLERJAN. 2, 2015 Photo The first five volumes of the Murty Classical Library.CreditSonny Figueroa/The New York TimesContinue reading the main story Continue reading the main storyShare This Page Email Share Tweet Pin Save More Continue reading the main story When… Continue reading Literature of India, Enshried in a Series

When I was up in Rishikesh, I bought this fabulous travel book, upon the recommendation of a long term resident there. Eric Newby, a British, was one of the finest travel writers in the world (interesting so many of great travel writers are British). I’ve read his A Merry Dance around the World, a collection… Continue reading Slowly down the Ganges by Eric Newby

My Beautiful Shadow isn’t a thick book but perfectly formed and beautifully crafted. The novel is set in Japan, populated by all Japanese characters. I am deeply impressed by author Radhika Jha, an Indian and modern nomad who lived in Japan for quite few years. She created a believable world that so far removed from… Continue reading my review of My Beautiful Shadow by Radhika Jha

On the New Year’s eve, I travelled from Rishikesh back to Delhi. My day started at 4 am. I booked a taxi for 4.30 to take me to Hardwar, the nearest town, to catch my 6 am train back to Delhi. It was pitch dark, freezing and the wind was wailing like mad. The travel… Continue reading the chalenges of travelling in Inda