Chapter 5 of my dissertation is now just over 6,300 words (of an estimated 10,000—I’m getting closer!). Some of those words are (I think) pretty good ones; others I already know I will want to sweep into the dustbin before this whole thing is over. The vast majority of them I have written while half-aware … Continue reading I Do What the Tomato Tells Me
Official Member of the Sanmao Paradise Club
Many thanks to Sue Anne Tay of Shanghai Street Stories, who knows of my interest in Zhang Leping’s Sanmao comics and picked up this pin for me when she spotted it one day in Shanghai. The pin is a replica of one that I’ve seen on display at Song Qingling’s house in Shanghai. Such pins … Continue reading Official Member of the Sanmao Paradise Club
LA Review of Books: The Wonderful World of Books
My latest column for the LA Review of Books China Blog is now up at their site, detailing my two visits to the Shanghai Book Fair when it was in town last month. I had expected the book expo to attract a good number of teachers, writers, academics, etc., but as I approached the Shanghai … Continue reading LA Review of Books: The Wonderful World of Books
Chinese Fluency: The Green Light in the Distance
A couple of weeks ago, I took myself to dinner at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. After a few rotations of the belt, I realized that some of my favorite types of sushi weren’t being offered, so I called the waitress over and asked for a caidan (menu) so I could order them directly. She … Continue reading Chinese Fluency: The Green Light in the Distance
