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My Guilty Pleasure Reading in 2023

December 18, 2023

It has become a custom of mine to end the year with a blog post (who writes blog posts anymore? Who reads them??) about the books I read over the past year. These aren’t books that I read for any purpose other than pure pleasure and personal enlightenment. Thus, “guilty pleasure reading.”

I suppose some of my choices do relate to my academic interests but not necessarily in any direct way. As a champion of liberal education, I believe that even we “mentat academics” ought to read widely, not just carry out targeted reading for specific academic objectives or keep up with the state of our field (which admittedly I am not very good at doing these days). Nevertheless, I do feel a twinge of guilt when I look back at some of these tomes and wonder if my time wouldn’t be better spent writing more books of my own (I did publish one book this year, so I suppose I earned some relief time from writing). Still, one ought to be allowed some grace time to read for pure pleasure, especially if one has gone through some very challenging times, as I did this past year. Thus, without further ado, here are my guilty pleasure reads for 2023.

Sci Fi / Fantasy Fiction

I have admitted in previous posts to being a sci fi and fantasy addict, particularly in my teenage years, when I was reading a great deal of fantasy and sci-fi by authors such as Piers Anthony, Michael Moorcock, and my favorite writer in that genre, Stanislaw Lem. I was also a fan of Isaac Asimov, but I confess that I never got round to reading his Foundation Trilogy, until this year. Like many others, it was the release of the Foundation series on Apple TV that spurred me to go back to the source. Anybody who reads Asimov’s Foundation series must marvel at the sheer immensity of his vision, which has influenced just about every space-faring fantasy series since then, including Star Trek, Star Wars, and so many others. Stanislaw Lem was obviously inspired by Asimov as well. The made-for-TV series, though entertaining (who can resist Lee Pace as the Emperor Day?) hardly does justice to the original vision of Asimov, preferring to indulge in stories of characters with paranormal powers. That said, the Mole, one of the most memorable characters in the original series, had such powers. Yet most of the original story is grounded in scientific possibilities. The premise for the Foundation series is that a mathematician and scientist named Hari Selden can predict the future of the galactic empire at the heart of the story, a future disliked by those in power, and for this he is banished to the outer realms of the galaxy to compile an encyclopedia. Yet he and the community he establishes on an outlying world are helping to minimize the downfall of the galactic civilization and prevent centuries of war. The pace of the story is fast, and it develops over hundreds of years, focusing on key characters (unlike the TV series, Selden dies early in the story) and on episodes known as “Selden Crises” when the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance. This is a monster of a book series, and a must-read for any sci-fi fan. I’m glad I finally got around to reading it this past summer, and I found it to be quite the page turner. As for the TV show, I understand why they felt that they had to recraft it, as the book series would be near impossible to turn into engaging TV—or would it? Maybe someday a TV writer or filmmaker will do justice to the books.

Speaking of page turners, I finally polished off the Fire and Ice series that I started at the outset of the pandemic in 2020. Last year, I read books 2 and 3. This fall, I charged through books 4 and 5, hoping that Book 6 might be out soon. This is a hope shared with all fans of the series. C’mon J.R.R. Martin, you can do it! As usual, these books proved impossible to put down once I’d started them, and I devoured both like the wildfires that struck Canada this year (yes, it was another year of global disasters piling up on each other). As with many readers who began the journey after seeing the TV series known as Game of Thrones, part of me wished that I had read the books first. You can’t help seeing the TV characters in your mind, which I suppose is a testament to the power of the TV series and the choice of actors who performed the roles. Who can ever forget Peter Dinkler as Tyrion, hands down the most interesting lead character in the book and TV series? I must admit that I found Book 5 to be bewildering with its explosion of characters and stories, yet Martin has a knack of making them all hang together somehow. I have no idea how he will be able to resolve all the plot twists and developments of Book 5. And I can’t imagine how he would have the discipline not to add more characters and story lines to this immensely rich world he has conjured up in the five volumes. The book series is so much richer, deeper, and more rewarding than the TV series, which ended in a very disappointing way. The characters are so much more nuanced and interesting too. While Martin is inevitably compared to Tolkien, I see him more as the Stephen King of the fantasy world, churning out books that are so powerfully addictive they just suck you into their worlds until you pop out at the other end.

Obviously, I was in a fantasy groove over summer and fall. Basically, I was recovering from a terrible health crisis, and I needed some fantasy to help pull me through it. The same thing happened to me back in high school when I went through a death-defying period brought on by an accident and spent a few weeks in hospital. The power of reading to help heal body, soul, and mind is underestimated, I think. The next book was a happy accident. I bought Samantha Shannon, The Priory of the Orange Tree for my daughter, who is also a huge fan of fantasy fiction and TV. One of our enjoyments is to indulge in such TV series as Shadow and Bone, The Umbrella Academy, and others of that ilk, and yes, we also saw Foundation together. One day, intrigued by the bright orange cover, I picked up the book to see what it was about. Once I started it, I couldn’t stop reading. Written by a woman with a feminist perspective on fantasy fiction, the book focuses on strong female characters, who drive the entire story. The lead characters are warriors caught up in a global war involving dragons. In this world, the dragons are either evil, hell bent on dominating the world of human beings, or they are benevolent creatures working with humans to fight the evil dragons. There is an East-West alignment to this world, with the Western dragons being the evil ones—perhaps a metaphor for Western imperialism and capitalism and its baleful influence on the modern world. The Eastern dragons are closer to those of Chinese and Japanese mythology, and indeed the people of this part of the world bear strong cultural resemblances to East Asian societies. Meanwhile, the title of the book refers to a secret society of warrior priest-like women bound to a tree whose fruits give them superhuman powers. It all adds up to a delectable story at the heart of which blossoms a Sapphic romance. I will be keeping an eye on this author and would love to tackle the prequel to this book if I get a chance.

 Music

There are usually several books on my list focusing on music and musicians and this year was no exception. While I was in hospital this summer, I was deep diving into the catalog of the band Genesis. I grew up listening to this band by default, since they had become quite popular and their hit songs were always playing on the radio (I was a ‘70s-80s kid). Phil Collins was also a highlight of radio and TV, and was an ubiquitous presence. Then there was Peter Gabriel. I was a huge fan of his music throughout the 1980s. But I didn’t really investigate the earlier work of Genesis when Gabriel was the lead singer. For some reason I decided to do so while convalescing and needed a guide to their early work, so I downloaded Dave Thompson, Turn It On Again, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins & Genesis on Kindle. I was treated to whirlwind tour of the band’s formation and its various phases under Gabriel and later Collins. While Peter Gabriel was experimental and showy—he wrote long song-stories, and dressed up in funny costumes and masks while performing, as you can see if you watch Youtube videos of their early work—Phil Collins took the band in a more compact and soulful direction. At first there was some crossover between the two phases in the 1970s, but eventually Collins helped shape the band—which eventually was pared down to the trio with Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks—into a hit-making machine by the dawn of the 1980s. Gabriel was obviously meant for more of a solo career and had a brilliant one. Phil did both.

I’ve been a Tom Waits fan since the 1990s, when a friend introduced me to Swordfish Trombones. Like a bitter single malt Scotch, it was an acquired taste, but soon I was deep into his unique style of music-making, and I also picked up CDs of his albums Rain Dogs and Frank’s Wild Years, as well as a few others. Alex Harvey, Song Noir: Tom Waits and the City of Los Angeles provides many insights into the formation of Waits’s unique songwriting style and persona. The book delves into his early work when he was struggling in Los Angeles to make it on the music scene with his revival of what he calls “old man’s music.” I’ve been incorporating a few Tom Waits songs into my own repertoire of guitar songs, and it’s always helpful to get a sense of where the artist came from and why he wrote and performed as he did.

My focus this past year has been on Bob Dylan. I decided to make a consistent effort to memorize Dylan songs, and now have around 30 of them under my belt. Mostly these are his older tunes from the 1960s and ‘70s, with a few later ones thrown in for good measure. I’m still trying to digest some of his later stuff, which wasn’t on my radar screen until recently. In addition to listening to Dylan-focused podcasts such as Is It Rolling, Bob and Pod Dylan, I’ve been on a Dylan reading kick as well. Recently I read Tim Riley, Hard Rain: A Dylan Commentary. I knew Tim Riley from his book on the Beatles, Tell Me Why, which I acquired back in high school. I liked his humorous style and admired his ability to write critically and insightfully about songs I’d been listening to since I could remember. He wasn’t afraid of poking fun at a band that the world has put on an Olympic pedestal. With Hard Rain, he does pretty much the same with Dylan’s work up to the 1990s. I’m now reading Richard Thomas, Why Bob Dylan Matters, which is a somewhat more academic analysis of Dylan’s work, connecting his songs to, among other things, ancient Greek and Roman literature. I find it convincing. After all, the man teaches a course on Dylan at Harvard. But if you want to get into Dylan’s mind, one of the best ways other than his songs is to read his own book, Bob Dylan, Chronicles Volume I. As Thomas points out, the book is part truthful autobiography and part showmanship and bluster, but every page is bristling with insights into Dylan’s influences, musical and otherwise, and his unique ability to take the stuff around him and churn it into archetypes for songs.

Fiction

While I tend to read a lot of nonfiction, I always try to have at least one work of fiction in my hands at any given time. This year I found Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Living to Tell the Tale in a local bookstore in Shanghai. It’s an autobiography of sorts, which is a fine counterpoint to his works of fiction such as Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. It starts out with a deep account of an epic journey he took with his mother to the home of his childhood, which turns into a journey of memory and family stories. He moves on to discuss his transformation from a budding journalist into a writer of fiction. Like Dylan’s book, you can see how Marquez takes the material of his own life story and the people surrounding him, mythologizes them and turns them into fiction. As for this book, like Dylan’s Chronicles, I’d say it rests comfortably in the interzone between the spheres of fiction and nonfiction as many fine writers’ memoirs do.

Few fiction writers have reached the status of James Joyce, the godfather of modernism, who did for fiction what Picasso did for painting in the 20th century. I confess that I haven’t read Ulysses—every attempt to do so has ended in failure—but this year I read Kari Maher, The Paris Bookseller, which focuses on the story of Sylvia Beach, the American expatriate in 1920s Paris whose book shop, Shakespeare and Co., became a lodestone for expatriate writers such Ezra Pound, James Joyces, Ernest Hemingway, and their books. She also took on the responsibility of publishing Ulysses at a time when the book was considered scandalous, especially in the USA, for its candid portrayal of everyday life in Dublin. While you don’t learn a great deal about the contents of this towering work of fiction, you do learn how it was published and all the struggles and ordeals that Sylvia Beach went through to help get it out into the world. It’s an intimate story about writers, publishers, and booksellers, couched in an overstory of a Sapphic romance (that makes two of them in one year).

The 1920s holds a special fascination for me, and my own research on Shanghai offers many parallels to what was going on in Paris, New York, and Berlin at the time. In fact, I used to teach a course on these cities focusing on the theme of nightlife. Later I developed a course on documenting cities. While searching for some materials on Berlin, I found this graphic novel, Jason Lutes, Berlin. I don’t read many graphic novels, but I found this one to be compelling, both in terms of the story and characters and their graphic treatment. The illustrations are astonishingly good. I was able to download the novel on Kindle and read it panel by panel. It tells of the high times but also the growing darkness of the period when Fascism and Nazism were on the rise is Germany and in Europe. I learned a great deal about the urban culture and the politics of 1920s Berlin and especially the plight of the working classes. And in the midst of it was yet another Sapphic romance (that makes three!).

I don’t do a good job of keeping up with the latest fiction, but somehow Charles Frazier, The Trackers popped onto my radar screen. I remember enjoying his book Cold Mountain, about a Civil War soldier, and so I decided to give his latest novel a read. It also takes place in the period before World War II, focusing on an artist in Depression Era America who is hired to paint a mural for the post office in a town in Wyoming. Last year, I read about the mural painter Thomas Hart Benton (again, connecting to my course on documenting city life) and this proved to be a good counterpoint to the Henry Adams book Tom and Jack. In this novel, the key relationship that emerges is between the young artist and a wealthy resident who befriends him and provides housing for him on his ranch. He gets tangled in a relationship with the man’s wife after she disappears with a valuable painting, and he is sent out to find her. I think Cold Mountain was a sharper novel, but this one has its merits, as it paints a panoramic landscape of American society in that era.

Sanmao, Stories of the Saharah, was another work of semi-autobiographical literature that I enjoyed this year. I first encountered the adventuresome writer Sanmao in Taiwan when I was studying Chinese there in the late 1980s. It was a pleasure to return to her work and read this excellent translation of her stories about living in the Sahara with her Spanish husband, and their encounters and relationships with the local people. It’s a book that sits on the crossroads between fiction, autobiography, and ethnography. Though she certain was not an expert in the people and cultures of the place they lived, she does portray them in a vivid way. I haven’t read through all the stories but the ones I did read are evocative and hilarious in their own way. How expatriates survive in hostile environments that local people have spent centuries or millennia accommodating to is an interesting subject, and her eye for details makes it even more worthwhile. Is this Chinese literature? It was originally written (and I originally read a story or two) in Chinese language, so I suppose it qualifies. Yet it takes a refreshingly worldly perspective.

Another writer I first encountered while in Taiwan in the 1980s was Thomas Pynchon. While traveling to Hong Kong and in Mainland China for the first time, I read his novel Gravity’s Rainbow. I later reread that book a few times (it takes a few readings to appreciate the book, I think), and later tackled his other works, such as Mason & Dixon, Against the Day, and Vineland. One book that eluded me was V. I attempted to start it a few times but couldn’t seem to get through the first chapter. This fall I determined to get through the book and succeeded in doing so. Like Gravity’s Rainbow, it’s a novel that could take a few reads to plumb its depths. I don’t find it as compelling as GR, which is an epic adventure story set in WWII and postwar Europe, with historical excursions to other parts of the world. V is set in 1950s America, with historical forays to Malta, Venice, South Africa, and a few other places. It’s a bit of a mystery novel, with the main conceit being that a man is pursuing a shadowy figure named V through time. The counterpart to Tyrone Slothrop in this novel is Benny Profane. I confess to not following the story in all its intricacy, but the literary quality of the novel is stunning, especially given that this was his first novel. Now there’s only one novel in the Pynchon oeuvre that I still need to tackle, his last novel Bleeding Edge. Perhaps next year.

This year I also dug into John Le Carre’s classic novels Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Honorable Schoolboy. While far from the literary mysticism of Pynchon, Le Carre does share some qualities with Pynchon, including a penchant for convoluted mystery stories that range widely in time and place, carrying the reader around the world. And conspiracy looms in both the Pynchonian and Carrean worlds. Both writers explore the shadow worlds of governments and spies advancing different and conflicting ideological systems. Both involve picaresque, deeply flawed heroes (anti-heroes really) who deploy special and often hidden powers to crack the mysteries, including their sexual prowess. Honorable Schoolboy takes the reader into Hong Kong among other places. Apparently the author did his due diligence and comes up with a credible and convincing depiction of this part of the world. I had never read Le Carre before and I was surprised by the literary quality of his writing. I will certainly come back to him in the future.

Nonfiction and Philosophy

On the advice of a Russian colleague, I read Roger T. Ames, Human Becomings, a reinterpretation of the ancient Chinese works of philosophical and political thought that I’ve been teaching all these years. Ames retranslates many of the terms that we’ve come to take for granted in an attempt to remove some of the Christian influences on Chinese thought (the earliest translators and interpreters were Christian missionaries) and get at the heart of the original thinking behind these key concepts. I think I need to reread sections of this book, but it definitely gets you to rethink some of the core ideas of classical Chinese civilization.

On another note, I found Edward Slingerland, Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization to be right up my alley. As a historian and scholar of nightlife and music, alcohol plays a big role in my research subject, and I think the author is on to something when he claims that alcohol has been a key aspect of human social development since prehistoric times. As somebody who has over-indulged in booze on many an occasion, and who has championed the role of nightlife in society, I am a longstanding member of the choir to which this book is preaching.

 

 

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    • May 5, 2019 What Is This Thing Called Jazz? A Talk and Performance with Benny Benack Quartet at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai May 5, 2019
  • April 2019
    • Apr 14, 2019 The Long March of the Flaneurs: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of Shanghai Flaneur Apr 14, 2019
    • Apr 8, 2019 宁波 Ningbo, a Chinese City on the Tranquil Waves of Time Apr 8, 2019
  • March 2019
    • Mar 26, 2019 Talking About the Beatles: 5 Albums Backwards and Forwards Mar 26, 2019
    • Mar 23, 2019 A Magical Evening of Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai with Wynton Marsalis and His Big Band (March 14 2019) Mar 23, 2019
  • February 2019
    • Feb 24, 2019 Niseko Green: A Dartmouth Alumni Gathering in Snowy Hokkaido Feb 24, 2019
    • Feb 22, 2019 Working Through the Pain to Victory: Memories of Coach Jeff Johnson and the ABRHS Boys’ Swim Team, 1983-1987 Feb 22, 2019
    • Feb 11, 2019 Mapping Shanghai’s Entertainment World: Christian Henriot and Virtualshanghai.net Feb 11, 2019
    • Feb 7, 2019 Songs About Shanghai from the Early Jazz Age Feb 7, 2019
    • Feb 5, 2019 新年快乐,恭喜发财!Happy Chinese New Year from ShanghaiSojourns! Feb 5, 2019
  • January 2019
    • Jan 19, 2019 The China Challenge: From Quantity to Quality to Inequality Jan 19, 2019
    • Jan 5, 2019 The Best of Shanghai Sojourns: The Ten Most Popular Posts in 2018 Jan 5, 2019
    • Jan 1, 2019 Walking on the Wild Side of Life: Reading Laura Dassow Walls’ Bio of Henry Thoreau Jan 1, 2019
  • December 2018
    • Dec 27, 2018 A Brahmsian World: On Finishing Jan Swafford’s Brahms Bio Dec 27, 2018
    • Dec 10, 2018 Sa-bai-dee! Visiting Luang Prabang in Laos for the Rustic Pathways EdNet Conference Dec 10, 2018
    • Dec 2, 2018 Seven Tips for Travelers Dec 2, 2018
  • November 2018
    • Nov 15, 2018 Discovering Barcelona: A Flaneur's Guide Nov 15, 2018
    • Nov 11, 2018 Bravo CIEE por una fantástica conferencia en Barcelona Nov 11, 2018
    • Nov 4, 2018 Getting Back to the Heart of Asia: Another Visit to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore Nov 4, 2018
  • September 2018
    • Sep 1, 2018 ​Reflections on the Duke Kunshan Cultural Crossroads Festival Held on Campus on August 18, 2018 Sep 1, 2018
  • August 2018
    • Aug 16, 2018 Dr. Nathan's Top 50 Sci-Fi Films of All Time Aug 16, 2018
    • Aug 7, 2018 A Musical Holiday in America: Radiohead, Thomas Dolby, and the Musical Missionaries of Shanghai Aug 7, 2018
  • July 2018
    • Jul 18, 2018 Ode to Thomas Dolby, The Man Who Blinded Us With Science, Not To Mention Technology, Music, and Poetry Jul 18, 2018
    • Jul 4, 2018 A Whirlwind Tour of Tokyo: Ever an A-Maze-ing City! Jul 4, 2018
  • June 2018
    • Jun 23, 2018 Ode to the Beatles: Memories, Dreams, and Reflections on the Fab Four Jun 23, 2018
    • Jun 16, 2018 A Message to Friends and Colleagues and Like-Minded Folks: Please Support My Work. Jun 16, 2018
    • Jun 3, 2018 On the Importance of Play: At Work, at Home, and with Family Jun 3, 2018
  • May 2018
    • May 5, 2018 It Don’t Get Any More Shanghai Noir Than This: An Online Interview with Paul French, author of City of Devils May 5, 2018
    • May 1, 2018 From Thrills to Chills: A Review of the New Shanghai History Museum in People’s Park May 1, 2018
  • April 2018
    • Apr 14, 2018 Why I Remain in China After All These Years: Some Brief Thoughts and Reflections on the 30th Anniversary of My Engagement with the P.R.C. Apr 14, 2018
    • Apr 10, 2018 My Top Six Bands from My Junior High Days (1981-83) Apr 10, 2018
    • Apr 6, 2018 Walking Historical Shanghai: The Hotel and Theater District around Thibet and Nanjing Roads (Part II) Apr 6, 2018
    • Apr 5, 2018 Walking Historical Shanghai: The Hotel and Theater District Around Tibet Road (Part 1) Apr 5, 2018
  • March 2018
    • Mar 31, 2018 三十年代多伦路上的暗杀案 Unraveling a Murder Mystery on Shanghai’s Duolun (Darroch) Road Mar 31, 2018
    • Mar 28, 2018 My first APAIE conference Mar 28, 2018
    • Mar 25, 2018 Climbing Into the Way Back Machine: Another Night of Music in Shanghai, Traveling Backwards From 1950s Rock’n’Roll to 1930s Big Band Jazz Mar 25, 2018
    • Mar 10, 2018 Walking Shanghai: From the Oldest Part of Town to Some Brand New Nightlife Hotspots Mar 10, 2018
  • February 2018
    • Feb 11, 2018 The Beijing Indie Scene is Alive and Kicking (Well, Almost) Feb 11, 2018
    • Feb 4, 2018 Sunday Journal: Surviving the Cold War in Shanghai, filming a BBC doc, exploring Kunshan Nightscapes, and city walks Feb 4, 2018
  • January 2018
    • Jan 12, 2018 “Someday Soon, You Will All Be Speaking Chinese”—True or False? Jan 12, 2018
    • Jan 7, 2018 Catching Up with the Rock and Jazz Scenes in Shanghai: WHAI at Yuyintang and the JZ Big Band Jan 7, 2018
    • Jan 1, 2018 新年快乐, 上海!Welcoming 2018 in Shanghai with a Walk On the Sunny Side of the Street Jan 1, 2018
  • December 2017
    • Dec 30, 2017 The Cafe to End All Cafes: The New Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai Dec 30, 2017
    • Dec 28, 2017 So Long, Old West Gate! The Demise of an Old Shanghai Neighborhood Dec 28, 2017
    • Dec 27, 2017 Six Important Points About China Worth Remembering * Dec 27, 2017
    • Dec 27, 2017 Oh, That Magic Kingdom in the Middle Kingdom! Some Comparisons Between Shanghai Disneyland and LA Disneyland Dec 27, 2017
    • Dec 22, 2017 One Last Night Tour of the Bund (for now) and Saying Farewell to Astor House Dec 22, 2017
    • Dec 14, 2017 The Uncertain Future of the Astor House Hotel: A Historical Landmark Hotel in Shanghai Dec 14, 2017
    • Dec 8, 2017 Jazzing the Bund: Joshua Redman and the Aaron Goldberg Trio at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai Dec 8, 2017
  • November 2017
    • Nov 16, 2017 Morphology, Longevity, Incept Dates: Random Musings, Memories, and Reflections Inspired by Blade Runner and the Sequel, Blade Runner 2049 Nov 16, 2017
    • Nov 2, 2017 Keeping your EARCOS to the Ground: Notes and Reflections on the 49th EARCOS Leadership Conference in Bangkok Nov 2, 2017
  • October 2017
    • Oct 22, 2017 Ten Reasons Why Cities are Grand (Especially Shanghai) Oct 22, 2017
    • Oct 15, 2017 逆流上水 Paddling Against the Current: On Rethinking Asian Language and Culture Studies and on Re-Orienting the Study Abroad Experience Oct 15, 2017
    • Oct 13, 2017 Bustin’ Beijing: Subways, Schwarzman Scholars, and a Whole Lotta Breakdown in Sanlitun Oct 13, 2017
    • Oct 3, 2017 Still Taiwan After All These Years Oct 3, 2017
  • September 2017
    • Sep 17, 2017 Bombay or Bust: My First Journey to India, and the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship Sep 17, 2017
    • Sep 16, 2017 Bangkok Redux: Exploring the Golden City Sep 16, 2017
    • Sep 15, 2017 Ancient City of Infinite Charms: Hanoi, Vietnam Sep 15, 2017
    • Sep 5, 2017 Why Asia Needs More Liberal Arts (and Sciences) Sep 5, 2017
    • Sep 3, 2017 Night Train to Singapore Sep 3, 2017
  • July 2017
    • Jul 28, 2017 Quick Asian Impressions from a Whirlwind Recruiting Tour (Part 1 of 2) Jul 28, 2017
    • Jul 27, 2017 My Chinese Alter Ego, or What's In a Name? Jul 27, 2017
    • Jul 22, 2017 I'm a zhongguo tong, dammit (and proud of it!) Jul 22, 2017
    • Jul 10, 2017 On the Value of Liberal Arts Education Part 2: Classical vs. Jazz Jul 10, 2017
  • June 2017
    • Jun 25, 2017 On the value of a liberal arts education, or how I went from a math and science nerd to a China/Asian studies nerd Jun 25, 2017
  • May 2017
    • May 19, 2017 Jazz Bandleader Whitey Smith, “The Man Who Taught China to Dance” in Shanghai, 1920s-1930s May 19, 2017
    • May 7, 2017 Rocking Kunshan: A Night with The Eagle Bar Band May 7, 2017
  • April 2017
    • Apr 25, 2017 昆山的酒吧 The Bars and Clubs of Kunshan (Part One) Apr 25, 2017
    • Apr 20, 2017 Getting Green Again: Remembering our Class of 1991 25th Reunion at Dartmouth College Apr 20, 2017
    • Apr 16, 2017 Gathering the Worthies: The Association of Asian Studies (AAS) Conference in Toronto, March 2017 Apr 16, 2017
  • February 2017
    • Feb 19, 2017 Spring 2017 GLS Orientation and Faculty Tour of Shanghai Feb 19, 2017
    • Feb 4, 2017 Vinyl School Years: Musical Memories from the 1980s and my Top 20 Albums (Part 2) Feb 4, 2017
  • January 2017
    • Jan 30, 2017 Vinyl School Years: My Favorite Albums from the 1980s (Part 1) Jan 30, 2017
    • Jan 17, 2017 The Year 2016 in 10 Favorite Books Jan 17, 2017
  • May 2016
    • May 24, 2016 Remembering James Freedman, President of Dartmouth College May 24, 2016
  • April 2016
    • Apr 17, 2016 An educational weekend in Shanghai with SAS Alumni and Duke Kunshan GLS faculty Apr 17, 2016
  • February 2016
    • Feb 21, 2016 Music and Memory: Remembering the Dartmouth College Chamber Singers Feb 21, 2016
  • January 2016
    • Jan 2, 2016 Live from Tokyo, its...A podcast interview on Shanghai Nightscapes with "New Books in East Asian Studies" presenter Carla Nappi Jan 2, 2016
  • November 2015
    • Nov 7, 2015 More talks for Shanghai Nightscapes Nov 7, 2015
  • September 2015
    • Sep 1, 2015 Shanghai Nightscapes book talk for Royal Asiatic Society, Sept 12 Sep 1, 2015
  • August 2015
    • Aug 3, 2015 Shanghai Nightscapes Goes Live Aug 3, 2015
  • July 2015
    • Jul 7, 2015 That's a Fine Cuppa Cha: Another Rave Review of Mu Shiying Jul 7, 2015
    • Jul 4, 2015 What Makes a City Habitable? Workshopping with Toby Lincoln and SASS, and a Night of Cow's Heads and Craft Brews Jul 4, 2015
  • June 2015
    • Jun 18, 2015 Catching Coco and the Possicobilities at JZ Club Jun 18, 2015
    • Jun 6, 2015 Project Dementia Revisited: Getting Reacquainted with the Beijing Rock Scene Jun 6, 2015
  • December 2014
    • Dec 24, 2014 Walter Benjamin: A Critical Life Dec 24, 2014
    • Dec 24, 2014 A Great List of Books and Films on Old Shanghai Dec 24, 2014
  • November 2014
    • Nov 21, 2014 "The Beautiful and Damned:" Including a Review of Mu Shiying: China's Lost Modernist Nov 21, 2014
    • Nov 10, 2014 Shanghai Art Deco Weekend: A Talk on the Paramount Ballroom of the 1930s Nov 10, 2014
  • August 2014
    • Aug 28, 2014 Another review of Mu Shiying Aug 28, 2014
    • Aug 20, 2014 The recordings of Whitey Smith, the Jazz-Man who Taught China to Dance Aug 20, 2014
  • May 2014
    • May 26, 2014 A review of Mu Shiying: China's Lost Modernist in Asian Review of Books May 26, 2014
  • April 2014
    • Apr 19, 2014 Announcing our New Book: Shanghai Nightscapes (to be published within the next year or so) Apr 19, 2014
    • Apr 18, 2014 Book Talk at Italian Chamber of Commerce in China Apr 18, 2014
  • March 2014
    • Mar 24, 2014 Mu Shiying Book Talk at Wooden Box, Shanghai April 3 Mar 24, 2014
    • Mar 24, 2014 Film Screening of "Down" for RAS Shanghai, Wed Mar 26, 7 pm Mar 24, 2014
    • Mar 24, 2014 Mu Shiying Book Talk at FCC HK Mar 24, 2014
    • Mar 16, 2014 A Whirlwind of Talks and Tours in March 2014 Mar 16, 2014
    • Mar 16, 2014 City of Darkness Revisited, by Greg Girard and Ian Lambot Mar 16, 2014
    • Mar 7, 2014 The 2014 Shanghai Literary Festival Begins Mar 7, 2014
    • Mar 6, 2014 Local media support for my new book on Mu Shiying Mar 6, 2014
    • Mar 6, 2014 Mu Shiying: China's Lost Modernist now available on Amazon Mar 6, 2014
    • Mar 4, 2014 My New Book has Arrived! Mar 4, 2014
    • Mar 4, 2014 A Review of our Film, Down: Indie Rock in the PRC Mar 4, 2014
  • February 2014
    • Feb 20, 2014 The Poseidon Project: A Review of a Locally Produced Indie Doc Feb 20, 2014
    • Feb 11, 2014 Some podcasts on my rotation list Feb 11, 2014
    • Feb 5, 2014 Two new BBC radio shows: on Chinese Pop Music and Shanghai History Feb 5, 2014
  • November 2011
    • Nov 27, 2011 子曰--王燮达个人作品展 Sages' Sayings: Wang Xieda Solo Exhibition @ James Cohan Gallery Nov 27, 2011
    • Nov 16, 2011 The Poetry of Chen Gongbo, and the Perils of Translation Nov 16, 2011
    • Nov 16, 2011 Video Art in China @ The Minsheng Art Museum Nov 16, 2011
  • September 2011
    • Sep 29, 2011 Congratulations to Peter Hessler, on Being Awarded a MacArthur Fellow Sep 29, 2011
    • Sep 27, 2011 Some Random Notes on Filmmaking, Art, Music, and Identity Sep 27, 2011
    • Sep 17, 2011 Excavating China's Collective Unconscious: Some Good Contemporary Chinese Art Shows at Shanghai's Moganshan Art District Sep 17, 2011
    • Sep 12, 2011 Old Shanghai Revisited: Touring the Bund and the Shanghai History Museum with my NYU Shanghai History Class Sep 12, 2011
    • Sep 4, 2011 Jazzing Chinese Folk: The Solitary Bird CD Release Party @ TwoCities Gallery Sep 4, 2011
  • August 2011
    • Aug 31, 2011 A Visit with Shanghai's Red Collector, Liu Debao Aug 31, 2011
    • Aug 26, 2011 Strolling Through China's Revolutionary History: A Walk in Shanghai's French Concession Aug 26, 2011
    • Aug 23, 2011 China's Basketball Brawls: Aggression vs. Etiquette on the Courts and on the Road Aug 23, 2011
    • Aug 15, 2011 One More Night of Blues and Funk with Tony Hall's Blues Mission Aug 15, 2011
    • Aug 14, 2011 Shanghai Nights of Blues and Jazz Aug 14, 2011
    • Aug 13, 2011 The Many Faces of Shanghai: Life in the Apocatropolis Aug 13, 2011
    • Aug 9, 2011 A Fond Farewell to Yonsei University Aug 9, 2011
    • Aug 7, 2011 A Visit to Songdo: Yonsei's Eco-Campus of the Future Aug 7, 2011
    • Aug 7, 2011 Artful Construction Sites: Seoul's Digital Media City Aug 7, 2011
    • Aug 6, 2011 A Shanghailander in Seoul VI: So Long Seoul (for now) Aug 6, 2011
  • July 2011
    • Jul 31, 2011 Another review of my book Shanghai's Dancing World Jul 31, 2011
    • Jul 29, 2011 A Shanghailander in Seoul V: Beating the Rainy Day Blues Jul 29, 2011
    • Jul 22, 2011 A Shanghailander in Seoul IV: A "Field Trip" to the Ehwa Museum Jul 22, 2011
    • Jul 16, 2011 A Shanghailander in Seoul III: Getting Squared with Seoul Circles, Jul 16, 2011
    • Jul 3, 2011 A Shanghailander in Seoul II: Climbing Seoul Mountains Jul 3, 2011
  • June 2011
    • Jun 25, 2011 A Shanghailander in Seoul Part 1: Touched Down and Settling In Jun 25, 2011
    • Jun 18, 2011 Two Plays Now Showing in Shanghai: God of Carnage and Deer Cauldron Tale Jun 18, 2011
    • Jun 5, 2011 Land of Rice Wine and Stinky Tofu: A Weekend in Shaoxing Jun 5, 2011
  • May 2011
    • May 15, 2011 Resurrecting the Ghosts of Old Shanghai: The Execution of Mayor Chen May 15, 2011
    • May 11, 2011 Mao on Maoming Road: A Tour of the Chairman's Old Shanghai Haunts May 11, 2011
    • May 9, 2011 Here are some Wordle Word Clouds from my Research and Writing May 9, 2011
    • May 1, 2011 Playing with Noise: A Weekend of Art and Rock in Beijing May 1, 2011
  • April 2011
    • Apr 15, 2011 Glitz and Glamour, Desire, and Danger: A Field Trip to Xintiandi Apr 15, 2011
    • Apr 13, 2011 Shanghai has Sprung: Walking through Historic Parks, Remembering Lu Xun and Waltzing with Mao Apr 13, 2011
    • Apr 10, 2011 Touring the French Concession and Screening Down: Indie Rock in the PRC Apr 10, 2011
    • Apr 9, 2011 Bob Dylan Rocked Shanghai, But Did He Roll? Apr 9, 2011
    • Apr 4, 2011 Interview with the filmmakers on the making of Down: Indie Rock in the PRC Apr 4, 2011
    • Apr 1, 2011 A Week of Musical Magic in Shanghai Apr 1, 2011
  • March 2011
    • Mar 29, 2011 春日游走老上海法租界 A stroll through the Heart of Old Shanghai's French Concession with NYU Shanghai Mar 29, 2011
    • Mar 28, 2011 上海纽约大学奠基仪式 NYU Shanghai Campus Groundbreaking Ceremony Mar 28, 2011
    • Mar 23, 2011 Shanghai's Dancing World favorably reviewed in the American Historical Review Mar 23, 2011
    • Mar 21, 2011 有朋自遠方來 不亦樂乎: Receiving honored guests from Tokyo and Harvard, resurrecting the ghost of Zhang Ailing, and exploring rooftops on the Shanghai Bund Mar 21, 2011
    • Mar 20, 2011 穆時英 上海的狐步舞, “Shanghai Fox-trot” Mar 20, 2011
    • Mar 19, 2011 Shanghai’s Nighttime Phantasmagoria: Haunting Nightlife Spaces Old and New Mar 19, 2011
    • Mar 4, 2011 Canned Fun: An Evening at the Phebe 3D Dance Club in Shanghai Mar 4, 2011
  • February 2011
    • Feb 10, 2011 Dancing at the Majestic Hotel to "Nightime in Old Shanghai" by Whitey Smith Feb 10, 2011
    • Feb 7, 2011 An A-Muse-ing Weekend in Shanghai or Sexing the Foreigner in the Nightlife Scene Feb 7, 2011
  • January 2011
    • Jan 14, 2011 On Chua, Chinese Mothers, and Educating Our Daughter in Shanghai Jan 14, 2011
    • Jan 13, 2011 The Rock Doc is Nearing Completion Jan 13, 2011
  • August 2010
    • Aug 25, 2010 Shanghai's Dancing World voted a "page turner" at HK Book Fest Aug 25, 2010
    • Aug 4, 2010 A review of _Shanghai's Dancing World_ in _China Quarterly_ Aug 4, 2010
  • July 2010
    • Jul 30, 2010 On Reading Peter Hessler’s latest book, Country Driving Jul 30, 2010
    • Jul 27, 2010 Some Late Night Thoughts on Reading Paul Theroux’s _My Secret History_ Jul 27, 2010
    • Jul 1, 2010 Xu Jilin on Arts and Culture in Shanghai Jul 1, 2010
  • June 2010
    • Jun 3, 2010 Shanghai Journal back online Jun 3, 2010
  • October 2008
    • Oct 5, 2008 A Fun-Filled Vacation Week in Shanghai Oct 5, 2008
  • September 2008
    • Sep 30, 2008 Singin' the Digestive Blues in Good Ol' Shanghai Sep 30, 2008
    • Sep 13, 2008 Life in Shanghai Continues Apace, and my New Job with CIEE Ramps Up Sep 13, 2008
  • August 2008
    • Aug 31, 2008 Post-Olympic Rambles Aug 31, 2008
  • July 2008
    • Jul 26, 2008 Ah, Those Wonderful Olympics (II) Jul 26, 2008
    • Jul 26, 2008 Tempests in Teapots: The Beijing Olympics and the World Press Jul 26, 2008
    • Jul 22, 2008 Back on Track in Muggy Shanghai Jul 22, 2008
    • Jul 14, 2008 Garden Memories of an Illustrious Past: A Weekend Visit to Suzhou Jul 14, 2008
    • Jul 8, 2008 Beaches and Buddhas: A Weekend Trip to the Zhoushan Islands of Shenjiamen, Zhujiajian, and Putuoshan Jul 8, 2008
    • Jul 1, 2008 Another Sign of Old Shanghai Vanishing Jul 1, 2008
  • June 2008
    • Jun 29, 2008 Shanghai Gloaming: A Videographic Portrayal of the City in Flux Jun 29, 2008
    • Jun 29, 2008 (mis)Representing Beijing: A Review of _Beijing Time_ by Dutton et al Jun 29, 2008
    • Jun 23, 2008 Sex and Politics in the Orient: An Interview with James Farrer Jun 23, 2008
    • Jun 16, 2008 Punks on Stage in Shanghai: Re-TROS at Moganshan Lu STD Party Jun 16, 2008
    • Jun 7, 2008 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: The Rogue Transmission, Boys Climbing Ropes, and Joyside at Windows Underground Jun 7, 2008
    • Jun 1, 2008 Windows Underground: A New Bastion for the Rock Scene in Shanghai Jun 1, 2008
    • Jun 1, 2008 Happy Children’s Day, Shanghai Jun 1, 2008
  • May 2008
    • May 21, 2008 A Message to China: Stop Eating Shark Fin Soup! 鱼翅汤背后的成本:鲨鱼可能消失 May 21, 2008
    • May 19, 2008 Nightlife in China: A Special Issue of _China An International Journal_ May 19, 2008
    • May 18, 2008 Earthquake Rocks Sichuan, but Shanghai Parties On May 18, 2008
    • May 17, 2008 Six Shanghai Walks: One Down, Five to Go May 17, 2008
    • May 13, 2008 Shanghai in May: A Renewed Love Affair with the City May 13, 2008
    • May 3, 2008 A Virtual Tour of the Paramount Ballroom, 1930s Shanghai's Finest Dance Palace May 3, 2008
  • April 2008
    • Apr 28, 2008 Holy Hollywood! Welcoming John Cusack to Shanghai Apr 28, 2008
    • Apr 28, 2008 Tintin in the Land of Snow: Tibet, China, and the West Apr 28, 2008
    • Apr 21, 2008 Dartmouth in Beijing Presents: Preserving the Hutongs of Beijing Apr 21, 2008
    • Apr 20, 2008 CIEE Workshop On Improving Teaching, Learning, and Intercultural Understanding Apr 20, 2008
    • Apr 11, 2008 SUBS in Shanghai : Great band but the venue needs work Apr 11, 2008
    • Apr 10, 2008 Sparrow Village: A Film about China's Miao Minority People Apr 10, 2008
    • Apr 6, 2008 Tianzifang: A Close Look at Shanghai’s “Creative Art Park” Apr 6, 2008
    • Apr 4, 2008 China's Jimi Hendrix? The Guitar Work of Zhou Chao 周朝 Apr 4, 2008
    • Apr 2, 2008 Shanghai Spring has Finally Arrived Apr 2, 2008
  • March 2008
    • Mar 29, 2008 A Week in Shanghai with Dr. Nightlife and Dr. Sex Life Mar 29, 2008
  • February 2008
    • Feb 19, 2008 Goodbye Sydney, Farewell UNSW Feb 19, 2008
    • Feb 10, 2008 Chinese New Year Resolutions Feb 10, 2008
  • January 2008
    • Jan 30, 2008 Chasing the Shanghai Winter Blues Jan 30, 2008
  • December 2007
    • Dec 20, 2007 Nile Perch and Blue Jeans: Videographing inequalities in globalized labor in China and Africa Dec 20, 2007
  • November 2007
    • Nov 11, 2007 Another Week of Rock, Art, and Beauty in Beijing Nov 11, 2007
    • Nov 6, 2007 Beautiful Ugliness: The Aesthetics of Jia Zhangke's Film _Still Life_ Nov 6, 2007
    • Nov 3, 2007 The Ullens Center and Chinese New Wave Art from the 1980s Nov 3, 2007
  • October 2007
    • Oct 6, 2007 Beijing Punk Band Snapline Oct 6, 2007
    • Oct 5, 2007 The Best of Old and New Beijing: Historical Sites and Live Music Oct 5, 2007
  • September 2007
    • Sep 18, 2007 Kaiser Kuo Gives a Smoking Talk to Dartmouth FSPers Sep 18, 2007
    • Sep 18, 2007 Dartmouth Does the Great Wall: Simatai to Jinshanling Sep 18, 2007
    • Sep 11, 2007 Hang the Police, We're Here to Rock! The Beijing Pop Festival, Sept 10 and 11 2007 Sep 11, 2007
  • August 2007
    • Aug 15, 2007 An Interview with Greg Girard, Shanghai-based Photographer and Author of Phantom Shanghai Aug 15, 2007
    • Aug 14, 2007 Nightlife in Beijing vs. Shanghai: A Student's Perspective Aug 14, 2007
    • Aug 13, 2007 Another Rockin’ Week in Beijing Aug 13, 2007
    • Aug 8, 2007 Water Ripple: A Bluesy Chinese Rock Band Aug 8, 2007
    • Aug 6, 2007 PUNK VS METAL: A Showdown @ D22 and 13 Club Aug 6, 2007
    • Aug 4, 2007 Chinese Punks and The Ramones Tribute Concert @ Mao Livehouse in Beijing Aug 4, 2007
  • July 2007
    • Jul 31, 2007 A Chinese Rock Odyssey: On tour in Hunan and Wuhan with Beijing punk band SUBS and Veteran Rocker Cui Jian Jul 31, 2007
    • Jul 24, 2007 Courtesans, Hostesses, and Dancers in Old and New Shanghai Jul 24, 2007
    • Jul 24, 2007 Republican Beijing: The City and Its Histories Jul 24, 2007
    • Jul 23, 2007 Project Dementia Goes to Shanghai: An Interview with Wu Jun and a Night @ 4Live Jul 23, 2007
    • Jul 23, 2007 A Mad Whirlwind Weekend in Shanghai: The CET summer field trip July 21-22 Jul 23, 2007
    • Jul 23, 2007 Full Tilt: An Online Journal of East Asian Literature and Poetry in Translation Jul 23, 2007
    • Jul 21, 2007 Shanghai Baby Redux Jul 21, 2007
    • Jul 20, 2007 Project Dementia Week 3: A Tsunami@2K, Jamming@Sugar Jar, Acoustic Glam@D22, and the usual Excess@PPG Jul 20, 2007
    • Jul 15, 2007 Welcome to Project Dementia: Week 3 in Beijing Jul 15, 2007
    • Jul 10, 2007 BEIJING ROCKS!!! The CH-INDIE Fest at Dos Kolegas Jul 10, 2007
    • Jul 6, 2007 A Rocking Week in Beijing: 13 Club and Kaiser Jul 6, 2007
    • Jul 2, 2007 Rock It! A Crash Course in the Chinese Indie Music Scene Jul 2, 2007
    • Jul 2, 2007 Sex in China: The Times They Are a Changin' Jul 2, 2007
  • June 2007
    • Jun 27, 2007 人在中国现在能读我的博客!People in China can now read my blog! Jun 27, 2007
    • Jun 27, 2007 Beijing or Bust: Documenting China's "Returnees" Jun 27, 2007
    • Jun 25, 2007 Trippin’ at the Hip-Hoppinest Club in Beijing: Propaganda Jun 25, 2007
    • Jun 25, 2007 Freedom, Beijing Style Jun 25, 2007
    • Jun 25, 2007 Muse: Shanghai's Toniest Nightclub? Jun 25, 2007
    • Jun 22, 2007 A Stroll through the Shanghai Night Jun 22, 2007
    • Jun 21, 2007 All of Shanghai Under one Roof Jun 21, 2007
    • Jun 17, 2007 Shanghai: A Day in the Life Jun 17, 2007
    • Jun 7, 2007 Battle of the Sexes: Shanghai Baby vs. Foreign Babes in Beijing Jun 7, 2007
    • Jun 6, 2007 A Dialogue on Fairer Globalization with Devin Stewart Jun 6, 2007
    • Jun 2, 2007 Public Manners in China and the Case of a Korean Blogger Jun 2, 2007
  • May 2007
    • May 28, 2007 China and Genocide in Darfur vs. America in Iraq May 28, 2007
    • May 27, 2007 Sustainable Development and the "Eco-City" of Dongtan near Shanghai May 27, 2007
    • May 27, 2007 Responsible Globalization in Asia and the World May 27, 2007
    • May 27, 2007 Strange Cities: A Multimedia Site on Old Shanghai May 27, 2007
    • May 18, 2007 An Interview with Peter Hessler May 18, 2007
    • May 16, 2007 David Spindler and the Great Wall May 16, 2007
    • May 15, 2007 The Great Wall of China: Article and Film May 15, 2007
  • April 2007
    • Apr 27, 2007 Final Remarks on the Usage and Abusage of "Laowai" Apr 27, 2007
    • Apr 22, 2007 Thinking About Ethnicity and Race in China Apr 22, 2007
    • Apr 20, 2007 Frederic Wakeman, _Policing Shanghai_/ A Review Apr 20, 2007
    • Apr 18, 2007 Resurrecting Old Shanghai: The Peace Hotel Apr 18, 2007
    • Apr 15, 2007 What Wm. T. de Bary Has Taught Me Apr 15, 2007
    • Apr 15, 2007 On the True Meaning of Laowai Apr 15, 2007
    • Apr 12, 2007 Mainland Chinese Historians, US Academia, and Cold War Politics Apr 12, 2007
    • Apr 8, 2007 Unblocking Blocked Blogs in China (or India, Pakistan, Nepal..) Apr 8, 2007
    • Apr 7, 2007 A Short Walk on a Great Wall: David Spindler Strikes Again Apr 7, 2007
    • Apr 4, 2007 Are Chinese underrepresented in Western academia? Apr 4, 2007
    • Apr 2, 2007 On Translations of Popular Chinese Literature Apr 2, 2007
  • March 2007
    • Mar 22, 2007 Chinese Doublethink: The New Media Rules Mar 22, 2007
    • Mar 19, 2007 Democracy in China? Mar 19, 2007
    • Mar 17, 2007 Great Wall Exhibit in Sydney/Melbourne Mar 17, 2007
    • Mar 12, 2007 More Thoughts on Sex and Shanghai Mar 12, 2007
    • Mar 9, 2007 Sex and Shanghai Mar 9, 2007
    • Mar 6, 2007 On Chinglish Mar 6, 2007
  • February 2007
    • Feb 22, 2007 Shanghai's Art Deco Riches Revealed Feb 22, 2007
    • Feb 11, 2007 Shanghai: digital map to provide 3D view of downtown Feb 11, 2007
  • January 2007
    • Jan 20, 2007 Comet McNaught--Another Great Siting Jan 20, 2007
    • Jan 19, 2007 Gentrification worries Shanghai preservationists Jan 19, 2007
    • Jan 19, 2007 First Siting of Comet McNaught Jan 19, 2007
    • Jan 16, 2007 Shanghai's mad dash: University Admission Jan 16, 2007
    • Jan 16, 2007 Education key to Shanghai life Jan 16, 2007
    • Jan 15, 2007 Three Days at Uluru Jan 15, 2007
    • Jan 14, 2007 China's problems multiply with its population Jan 14, 2007
    • Jan 14, 2007 Genghis Khan -- A Chinese Hero??? Jan 14, 2007
    • Jan 14, 2007 Shanghai Scandal Jan 14, 2007
    • Jan 14, 2007 Monument to all that jazz: Shanghai's Peace Hotel, a piece of Old Europe in new China Jan 14, 2007
    • Jan 14, 2007 Shanghai Risen, Shanghai Falling Down Jan 14, 2007
    • Jan 14, 2007 Resurgence And Spread Of Syphilis In China Is A Rapidly Increasing Epidemic Jan 14, 2007
    • Jan 5, 2007 Beijing’s Olympic-sized traffic problem Jan 5, 2007
    • Jan 2, 2007 Shanghai to have 400 km urban rail lines in 2010 Jan 2, 2007
  • December 2006
    • Dec 27, 2006 Global warming likely to wreck havoc in China Dec 27, 2006
    • Dec 5, 2006 Beijing vs. Shanghai Dec 5, 2006

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