literature

In February 1972, Dr Vitaly A. Rubin, a Senior Research Fellow in Chinese Studies at Moscow’s Institute of Oriental Studies, applied for an exit visa to emigrate to Israel. Rubin was Jewish, educated in the orthodox tradition of his people. Following his visa application, he was pressured into resigning his position at the Institute, his [...]

Bill Marx interviews poet David Hinton on translating classic Chinese literature:

"The wonderfully rich volume features nearly 500 poems from the first three millennia of verse in China. Hinton also provides a useful historical context for his selections: he has written an introduction to each poet. Given Hinton's interest in Chinese philosophy, it should come as no surprise that his approach as a translator and editor reflects his admiration for the poetry's exacting blend of the intellectual and the sensual..."

John Guise is a Canadian who came to Shanghai on a whim — and for a girl — after been laid off from his newspaper job in August of 2003. Four years later and he’s no longer with the girl (she moved to Japan and he found love with someone much better) but he’s has become pretty good at Mandarin, seen a large portion of the country — including a lot of factories — and spent nearly three years working at an advertising/trade media company as a copywriter for the workshops of the world. He currently does marketing for a consulting firm in Shanghai.
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A review of a recent book by Paul Theroux that relives a classic journey:
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Adventures in the Asian Imagination

A blog tracking various popular media in China (music, movies, TV, video games, literature, etc.) and the social issues that surround them.