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Weekly Wanderings: June 8, 2025
Last week I wrote about Marco Rubio’s announcement that the United States would curtail the number of Chinese student studying at American universities. Since then, there has been no further information from Rubio about what he meant, but Donald Trump appears to be walking back his Secretary of State’s message. In speaking with General Secretary…
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The Party’s Interests Come First: Five Takeaways
Today is publication day for The Party’s Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping, by Joseph Torigian. Those of us who occupy nerdy China circles have long been anticipating this book, which is a comprehensive examination of Xi Zhongxun’s life and his work in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). A…
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Weekly Wanderings: June 1, 2025
On Wednesday, May 28, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the government would “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students” and “revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications” from mainland China or Hong Kong. While what that means, exactly, is pretty vague, the overall message is clear: the Trump Administration…
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Weekly Wanderings: May 25, 2025
In the Michigan running community, Memorial Day weekend means one thing: Bayshore. It’s a shorthand, an in-the-know reference to the start-of-summer event officially called “Traverse City Track Club Bayshore™️ Presented by Munson Healthcare.” There’s a full marathon, a half marathon, and a 10K, and all three usually sell out. This year, that meant a total…
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Weekly Wanderings: May 18, 2025
Thanks for joining me this week. Recommendations China Stories Juliana Yat Shun Kei, “Do you know this place used to be a camp?” Fred Pearce, “China’s Mega Dam Project Poses Big Risks for Asia’s Grand Canyon” Stella Robertson, “Has the Milk Tea Alliance Spoiled?” “Whipling”, “China’s army launches media hiring spree” Xinrui Zhuang, “Africa and…
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Bookshelf: Hurricane Katrina
Today’s post is the second of two on books I’ve read about New Orleans over the past few months. To read part one, on the city’s history, please click here. Thin, sketchy lines and muted colors fill the pages of Drowned City, a graphic history of Hurricane Katrina by writer and artist Don Brown. Written…
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Bookshelf: New Orleans and Its History
I went to New Orleans for the first time earlier this year. I’ve been to plenty of places that I visit once and then leave behind—glad I went, but not determined to return. New Orleans was different. I’m certainly not the first person to say this: the city is famous for drawing people in and…
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Weekly Wanderings: May 12, 2025
Thanks for joining me this week. Recommendations China Stories Eliot Chen, “All the President’s Generals” Chen Yiru, “Dot Dot Dot: What the Last Ever Telegrams From Hangzhou Say” Rachel Cheung, “‘A Vicious Cycle’ — Squeezed by commercial and political pressures, China’s book publishers face an existential crisis.” Jack Neubauer, “The Forgotten ‘Jeep Babies’ of China”…
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Weekly Wanderings: May 4, 2025
April 30 marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese forces. I have a special little reading round-up here at the top on reflections and analysis published to commemorate the anniversary. Thanks for joining me this week. Vietnam, 50 Years After the Fall of Saigon Minh-Thu Pham, “50 Years After Saigon:…
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Weekly Wanderings: April 27, 2025
I only have a few stories to share in today’s post, but there’s a hefty collection of links to check out in last Tuesday’s edition if you haven’t seen that yet. This light coverage is partially due to my disinclination to read anything with a headline containing the words “tariffs” or “trade war” last week.…
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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham 