ARTICLES
BANNED BOOKS
In this piece for the Sunday New York Times, I write about a lawsuit filed by Li Nanyang, the daughter of nanogenarian CP leader Li Rui.
TALKING MAO BLUES
In this Q&A for the NYT’s Sinosphere blog, I talk to polymath poet Willis Barnstone on his translation of Mao and Wang Wei, escorting Allen Ginsberg to a Daoist temple, and other adventures from his 87 years.
HESSLERMANIA IN CHINA
How best to write about China? In this piece for the New York Review of Books, I write about my former colleague, Peter Hessler.
XINJIANG BEYOND THE CLICHES
My review in the NYR blog of Carolyn Drake's stunning new photobook, "Wild Pigeon," which goes beyond the usual photo cliches of old men in turbans, or women in veils.
THE MIRAGE OF WINTER SPORTS
Reporting on this story for the New York Times about Beijing's Winter Olympics bid made me realize how environmentally destructive most winter sports are.
INTERFAITH VOICES ON RELIGION IN CHINA
I was a panelist along with Brown University’s Rebecca Nedostup on this show about China’s religious boom–and crackdowns on religion. You can listen here or go to the show’s website here.
SATURDAY PROFILE OF WU LIANGYONG
My Saturday profile in the NYT on the grand old man of Chinese city planning, Wu Liangyong and his new master plan for the smoggy capital.
UNDERGROUND BEIJING
An essay on why up to 1 million Chinese live in underground bunkers. A multimedia piece in Al Jazeera America.
“DE-PROGRAMMING WILL TAKE GENERATIONS”
My NYRB “Talking About China” Q&A with one of China’s top America-watchers, the Tsinghua University academic Liu Yu.
THEY DON’T WANT MODERATE MUSLIMS
My NYRB “Talking About China” Q&A with Chinese intellectuals who knew the imprisoned Uighur academic Ilham Tohti.
INSIDE A CHINESE COAL CITY
My piece in the New York Times on Lüliang, a Shanxi coal town at the center of China’s corruption crackdown. Most interesting person, I think, was Xing Libin, the (allegedly) corrupt coal baron who in a different system would probably have been a celebrated business leader and philanthro
MONKS AS THE LATEST STATUS SYMBOL
In this two-part Q&A with U Rochester anthropologist John Osburg, we discuss in parts 1 the anxiety that many of China’s new rich feel, and in part 2 the turn to spirituality. Both appeared in the NYT Sinosophere blog.