In A Disappearance in Xinjiang, Financial Times' Edward White profiles Uyghur female ethnographer Rahile Dawut, who disappeared into China's Xinjiang Gulag in 2017: Rahile’s life was devoted to the preservation of cultural diversity across the vast Xinjiang region, nearly three times the size of France and covering about one-sixth of modern China. For centuries, ancient Silk … Continue reading Disappeared in Xinjiang: Uyghur Ethnographer Rahile Dawut
Quote of the Week: Yiyun Li
Once you’re Chinese, you’re always Chinese. They put a mark on you . . . And I don’t want to be owned. (Writer Yiyun Li, speaking in Mother Tongues at China Books Review)
Newly Published: Memoir of Fan Jinshi, Pioneering Buddhist Grotto Archaeologist
The story of Fan Jinshi (樊锦诗), female graduate of New China's first four-year program in archaeology, who went on to spend 50-plus years in the desert overseeing the study, restoration and preservation of Buddhist cave-temples in Gansu Province, is now available in English --- via my translation --- as Daughter of Dunhuang: Memoir of a Mogao … Continue reading Newly Published: Memoir of Fan Jinshi, Pioneering Buddhist Grotto Archaeologist
Shanghai Baby’s Translator, Author Wei Hui & Abu Ghraib
At the turn of 21st century, three young female Chinese novelists were busy boldly writing about their sexuality, orgasms and all, and being lambasted for it by the critics and Chinese society at large. The trio were Jiu Dan, who chronicled the exploits of China's“Little Dragon Girls” in Singapore in Crows (乌鸦); Mian Mian, author … Continue reading Shanghai Baby’s Translator, Author Wei Hui & Abu Ghraib
Excerpt from “Mapping Civilizations Across Eurasia”
By H K Chang Translated by Bruce Humes in collaboration with the author Now available for purchase online Miniature Painting Guide: My Name Is Red In the summer of 2003, I accidentally came into possession of an English translation of Benim Adım Kırmızı (My Name is Red), a novel by the Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk. … Continue reading Excerpt from “Mapping Civilizations Across Eurasia”
Ethnic ChinaLit: What We’re Reading Now — “La Légende du Chaman”
Le chamanisme a été interdit en Mongolie durant la période socialiste au même titre que l’écriture et les costumes traditionnels. Il était alors perçu comme une pratique arriérée, néfaste et manipulatrice. Quand j'ai lu La Légende du Chaman pour la première fois au tournant des années 2010, il connaissait un regain d'intérêt important dans un … Continue reading Ethnic ChinaLit: What We’re Reading Now — “La Légende du Chaman”
Translating Taiwan: Gender is a Popular Theme
Translating Taiwan: Meetings with Literary Translators features interviews with several translators --- including into English, French, Japanese and German --- and identifies one unique focus: In terms of subject matter, gender is a popular theme among Taiwanese writers of all ages. This shared commitment reflects Taiwan's persistent struggles for gender equality over the decades, as … Continue reading Translating Taiwan: Gender is a Popular Theme
Ethnic ChinaLit: What We’re Reading now — Journey to the End of the Empire
Over the next fifteen years [since 2004] I returned a dozen times to Tibet and southwest China. I witnessed transformations so shocking that I felt I was taking blows to my own bones. Massive dam systems killed rivers and displaced communities, mountains were raked apart to provide gravel for construction projects, and the region was … Continue reading Ethnic ChinaLit: What We’re Reading now — Journey to the End of the Empire
Q & A: The Status of Contemporary “AfroLit4China”
Several years ago, I noticed that China was importing huge amounts of mineral resources from Africa, and busy signing contracts to collaborate in the long-term exploitation of even more. I wondered: But what was the People's Republic importing from Africa, in terms of 文化产品, i.e., "cultural products," an awkward, Marxist-sounding term that one often hears in Mandarin? To satisfy … Continue reading Q & A: The Status of Contemporary “AfroLit4China”
新疆回头看 — Xinjiang’s Ominous “Looking Back Project”
Uyghur poet's memoir recalls the Xinjiang administration's retrospective hunt for unPC content in textbooks once commissioned, edited and published by the state: Following the Urumchi incident in 2009, the regional government had initiated the Looking Back Project (新疆回头看). The Propaganda Department organized special groups to go over Uyghur-language books, newspapers, journals, films, television shows, and … Continue reading 新疆回头看 — Xinjiang’s Ominous “Looking Back Project”
Ethnic ChinaLit 