ARTICLES
DEBACLE IN BEIJING: THE BLIND LAWYER SAGA
What’s the best course for the blind lawyer, Chen Guangcheng, and what can western countries do when human rights are violated? I take a skeptical look in this New York Review of Books blogpost.
“WORSE THAN THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION”
If you’re interested in the destruction of Chinese culture, this interview with one of China’ top cultural bureaucrats might be of interest. .
THE MOON YEAR
What do Bo Xilai and hibernating insects have in common. I try to figure this out in this blogpost in the New York Review of Books. .
BO XILAI’S CHONGQING
I took a trip to Chongqing for the New York Times to see what was up with the scandal around Bo Xilai's top cop, Wang Lijun.
LEARNING TO ARGUE: RAN YUNFEI INTERVIEW
A hilarious, wide-ranging interview with writer and blogger Ran Yunfei, here on the New York Review of Books blog. .
IS DEMOCRACY CHINESE? NYRB BLOG
One of China’s best-known journalists, Chang Ping, is in quasi-exile in Germany. In this interview in the NYRB Blog, I talk to him about democracy and growing up as a small child in the Cultural Revolution.
NOTES FROM A CHINESE CAVE: QIGONG’S QUIET RETURN
After the FLG crackdown in the 2000s, qigong was largely banned in China. But along with other traditional practices, it’s slowly reviving as I discovered during a ten-day retreat in Zhejiang province. This piece for the New York Review of Books blog gives a bit of the flavor, especi
TWO SIDES OF A MOUNTAIN: JOURNAL OF DAOIST STUDIES
The current (2012) issue of the Journal of Daoist Studies has a piece by me on the recent history of rebuilding Maoshan, an important Daoist mountain in Jiangsu province. Above is a picture of the nuns discussed in the article. The article is behind a paywall but contact me if you are inte
THE WUKAN EFFECT: DESTABILIZING CHINA?
The recent uprising in Wukan is often seen as a sign of regime instability. But could it be othewise? Here’s a piece on this question in the New York Review.
CHINA GETS RELIGION!
Despite continuing repression, religious life in China continues to expand and even flourish. In this essay in the New York Review of Books, I look at some excellent books describing this phenomenon. Unfortunately you might need a password to read it.
U.S. CULTURAL DIPLOMACY IN CHINA
Here's a modest piece on why the U.S. does or doesn't do more cultural diplomacy in China.
ITALIAN EDITION: MOSQUE IN MONACO
Here’s the dipsy-doodly cover of the just-released Italian edition of A Mosque in Munich. It was my ignorance, but I didn’t know that “Munich” in Italian is (always/sometimes?) Monaco. For a moment, I thought Grace Kelly had been inserted into the book…Actually the book