Author Archives: mauracunningham

What’s in Your Water?

Posted on May 15, 2013

Last Sunday night, while riding a bus across Shanghai, I pulled a bottle of water from the side pocket of my backpack and unscrewed the cap. As I raised it to my mouth to take a drink, an elderly man … Continue reading →

Posted in China | 1 Comment

More from Moganshan

Posted on May 9, 2013

After visiting the mountaintop retreat of Moganshan on a somewhat rainy weekend last November, I was itching to get back there once the weather had improved. I had just started to think about finding a weekend to do so when … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Travel | Tagged | 1 Comment

Moscow in Manchuria

Posted on April 29, 2013

If someone were to give me a blank check, my passport and laptop, and three months off from all work and responsibilities, I’d head to Russia. I’ve been wanting to go there since I was a teenager—entering the country by … Continue reading →

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Sanmao Learns from Lei Feng

Posted on March 5, 2013

Happy Learn from Lei Feng Day! Learn from Lei Feng Day (学雷锋日) is one of the more curious remnants of the Mao era, and not one that many people in China seem to take seriously today, though in recent years … Continue reading →

Posted in China | Tagged , | 1 Comment

February Recap

Posted on March 1, 2013

Not a whole lot to recap for this short month, which was interrupted by the Chinese New Year break. Though we officially had a vacation of seven days, a lot of people were away from Shanghai for the full fifteen-day … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Knitting, Monthly Recap, Movies, Shanghai, Television, Travel | Leave a comment

A Housing Protest on Nanjing Road

Posted on February 27, 2013

“Could you put this on the Internet?” The elderly man had leapt up from his stool on the sidewalk next to Nanjing Road as soon as he saw me pull out my camera. I had thought he was going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Shanghai | 1 Comment

Is It Ethical to Travel to North Korea?

Posted on February 23, 2013

The emails come in every week or two, and I usually delete them without bothering to read the message. I don’t even really pay much attention to the subject line, in fact; as I buzz through my inbox, once I … Continue reading →

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China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know—The Second Edition

Posted on February 18, 2013

Back in the fall of 2011, Jeff Wasserstrom (with whom I’ve co-written several articles, and who’s also my dissertation advisor) asked me if I’d like to be a contributing author on the second edition of a book he’d published in … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, China | 1 Comment

My Eighth China-versary

Posted on February 15, 2013

For some reason—I can’t recall ever making special note of the date before—I suddenly remembered this week that it was on February 15, 2005 that I boarded my first flight to China, leaving JFK for a long trip across the … Continue reading →

Posted in China | 2 Comments

Rebuilding Haikou’s History on Zhongshan Street

Posted on February 12, 2013

I began my Hainan trip in the capital city of Haikou, on Sunday, with plans to head down to the beach town of Sanya, Hainan’s main attraction, on Monday. I thought that since my plane landed in Haikou, I might … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Travel | 1 Comment