…And then there were the Maoist years. Following the Chinese Communist Party’s victory in 1949, literature was tightly controlled until 1976. That means, well, it’s a pretty rough period to discuss. But we still found some gems! Join us to find out more!
19 different translations of a single short Tang Dynasty poem adds up to a guided tour of the rich and peculiar ways other cultures interact with Chinese poetry. Join us as we discuss a wonderful book!
There’s one decade, and one decade only, where we both agree, and this is it. Debate’s more fun, but really? It’s awfully hard to argue about Zhang Ailing.
This slim little volume has a whole lot packed into it. Not only does it give the reader a concise history of a crucial moment in Chinese history, but it also beautifully explains to a non-Chinese audience just why Du Fu was so brilliant.
Who owned the 1930’s: the author who gave us talking Martian cats, or the one who gave us a sentient decapitated head? Yes, it was a weird decade, was the 1930’s. Join us to learn more!
The greatest modern scholar on China? That’s Lee’s line in the sand. But even Rob would agree you can’t go wrong reading Jonathan Spence. Join the discussion and tell us what you think!
Lu Xun again? Really? Yes, really…but we still disagree. For Rob, Lu Xun’s definitive decade was the 1920’s, and this was also when he came to define modern Chinese literature. For Lee, the 1920’s belonged to the first in a long line of powerful, innovative female writers: Ding Ling. Join us for the discussion!
Round two for China’s 20th century. Who defined the 1910-1919 period: China’s first Marxist (Li Dazhao) or its first serious literary realist (Lu Xun)? And more importantly: who had the better moustache?
Have you ever wanted to learn more about China, but were either unsure where to start, or didn’t have the money or access? Our new supplement is designed to help. Join us as we discuss our personal picks for essential works on China. Challenging, but not opaque. Interesting, but not amusing. It’s everything you need. […]
It’s here at last! We’re discussing the definitive writers for each decade in China’s 20th century, looking at how they exemplified that era’s struggles and triumphs. Join us this first week to discuss how Wang Guowei (王国维) and Wu Jianren (吴趼人) were the representative writers of China’s last imperial decade.