This morning I was being interviewed by Al Jazeera TV about the Galla. I find it a fascinating topic. The galla is very significant indeed as it has become part of the New Year celebration ritual. Indeed, it has become a cultural institution in China. Every year on the New Year eve, some 700 million… Continue reading Being interviewed by Al Jazeera TV about the significance of CCTV New Year Galla

I personally found the novel not so satisfying or engaging. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/books/review/mo-yans-frog.html?emc=edit_bk_20150206&nl=books&nlid=17823945&_r=0 ​ SUNDAY BOOK REVIEW Mo Yan’s ‘Frog’ By JULIA LOVELL Julia Lovell teaches modern Chinese history at Birkbeck, University of London. Her most recent book is “The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of Modern China.” FEB. 6, 2015A version of this review… Continue reading Julia Lovell’s review of Mo Yan’s Novel ‘Frog’

How to Be a Chinese Democrat: An Interview with Liu Yu Ian Johnson Carl De Keyzer/Magnum Photos The Great Hall of the People, Tiananmen Square, Beijing, 2007 Liu Yu is one of China’s best-known America-watchers. A professor of political science at Tsinghua University, she lived in the US from 2000 to 2007 and now researches… Continue reading how to be a Chinese democrat

In Praise of Hu Feng Writer Hu Feng put an emphasis on individual identity in creative expression, which constituted a major schism in ideas formulated by the Yan’an Talks By Sheila Melvin SHARE: RELATED POSTS Hu Feng (1902-85) is a name that most students of PRC history have undoubtedly encountered at one time or another.… Continue reading a powerful piece by my friend Sheila Melvin about Hu Feng, a man long dead but deserves our attention