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  • Welcome to Shanghai Sojourns
  • 海上舞界 Shanghai's Dancing World (Nightlife in the 1920s-40s)
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My Top Five Beatles Albums and their Significance as Artists

May 12, 2024

A few years ago while suffering from insomnia in the solitude of my apartment, I gave a late night soliloquy about the Beatles. I’d been reading some books about the band, and it was the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road so I had Beatles on the brain. I recorded my musings on my iPhone, and ended up with this 5000-word discourse focusing on five of their top albums in my own reckoning, which I transcribe below. Over the past two days, I edited the recording and added some visuals to make a video for YouTube and a podcast of sorts. So, here goes:

So, introducing the Beatles, which came out on VJ Records in July 1963, and there's the UK version, and the US, I guess this is the US version. I'm thinking it has I Saw Her Standing There, Misery Anna, Chains, Boys, Love Me Do, Baby, it's You, Do You Want to Know a Secret, A Taste of Honey, There's a Place, Twist and Shout. So, there's that album, which really started their career.

Now, there's the UK version, which is basically, Please, Please Me. So, it has, I Saw Her Standing There, Misery, Anna, Chains, Boys, Ask Me Why, Please Please Me, Love Me Do. P.S. I love You, Baby, it's You, Do you Want to Know a Secret, A Taste of Honey, There's a Place, Twist and Shout. So, it's quite interesting that the American version didn't have the song Please Please Me. I can talk about the two different versions, the one with and without Please Please Me. And then talk about all of their influences as they were forming their band and forming their sound and their style. And I think it just reflects how the Beatles were like sponges absorbing all these various influences in music without prejudice. You know, they were taking from so many different sources, so many different musical genres. It was borrowing so much and then integrating it into this, evolving into our style that they had, which made the Beatles so fascinating that, in 1959, in the 60s, and these were, you know, more sophisticated, much more sophisticated, much more imaginative.

Much more, you know, sophisticated, much more imaginative, creative, lyrical musicians. And obviously, their story has been told again and again. There are dozens of books that you can read to get a sense of their story and how they develop their sound and everything that was going on in their lives. And I think as part of this project, I'm not so interested in telling their own life stories or retelling all the anecdotes that surround their songs, except when really necessary. Because I think the principle of art is that art is transcendent. So it's important to, in a way, detach the artwork from the artist. Of course, it helps to know the lives of the artists. But I find that a lot of the analysis of the Beatles gets too caught up in the details of their lives and the anecdotes that they use to explain their art.

I remember in high school, we learned about this fallacy of taking the artist at their word. I think great art transcends the artist. So you have to take it out of the context of the artist and what he was going through because great art tells a much deeper story. It delivers a deeper message. And that's the power of great art. It's transcendent. It's not caught up in the detail. It's not like a diary of that specific person's life or what was going on at that moment. Although some of the Beatles’ songs are kind of like diaries, journals, journaling their life story.

But I think what makes these albums great is that they're archetypal. Each of those albums represents a different stage of human development and also some of the fundamental themes of the human experience. So going back to the beginning when they're still kind of coming out of their teenage years and discovering love and sex and kind of the freedom of being dependent on their parents to being these young adults in the process of discovering their own power. And those songs are very thrilling. They're very happy and energetic, not that original because a lot of their songs as I said were covers. So the Beatles were, they started out like most bands. They started out as great cover artists. They became masters at covering other people's songs. And they had a couple of their own. But even their own original songs were pretty derivative. Like they sounded like the artists that they were admiring at the time.

So for example, Please Please Me sounded like Roy Orbison, maybe a sped up version of a Roy Orbison song, whom they deeply admired. But obviously they were showing their creative powers with that first album. But anyway, that album, Please Please Me or Introducing the Beatles, I think that represents the energy, the excitement of youth. Obviously, you know, it's about falling in love. There's, there are a lot of sexual themes in the songs. It's just about kind of libidinous energy dancing. They were coming out of, you know, playing in Hamburg, coming out of playing in the cavern club in Liverpool. So it's really, these are dance tunes. They're meant to get an audience shaking. They're, you know, it's the kind of music that they eventually got whole stadiums of young, especially girls screaming at the top of their lungs. That kind of libidinous youthful energy. So that's album, you know, that’s the last album that we're going to, so we're going to go backwards. So, you know, we're going to go backwards from, from their, their last album to their, to their earliest.

So, but the first stage is youth and pleasure and fun and thrill and kind of all the things that, you know, young people, young people get into. Not too much thought. There's not a lot of, you know, reflection and thought and it's just a very kind of energetic, energetic album.

But then, you know, Rubber Soul is probably, [the next breakthrough album] you know, because, you know, the next albums, I think, kind of continued in that line. But then they were getting more creative. They were, they were making their own songs, but they were still kind of sounding, you know, sounding quite similar. The love songs that they became so famous for in the early 60s. But then Rubber Soul represents another stage of their development where they're starting to get much more reflective.

They're starting to really think about life and art and music and, you know, they were at that point hanging out with people like Bob Dylan and starting to see music as something where you could really express yourself lyrically, poetically. So, they're getting beyond the kind of love songs that they had been famous for, you know, in the early stage of their career. So, this is like 1965. So, you can kind of see their development, this rapid development within the span of a couple of years. So, Rubber Soul. I originally grew up with the American version, which starts out with, I've Just Seen a Face. And then it goes into Norwegian Wood, You Won't See Me, Think for Yourself, The Word, Michelle. And then side two is It's Only Love, Girl, I'm Looking Through You,In My life, Wait and Run For Your Life. So, that was the album that I grew up familiar with as, you know, because I grew up in, in the USA. So, that was the album that that we had. But then there's the British album, which I discovered much later, which starts with Drive My Car. And that song had been put on to another album that was, that was released in the US. So, Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood, You Won't See Me. Nowhere Man, Think for Yourself, The Word, Michelle, What goes on? Girl, I'm Looking Through you, In My Life, Wait, If I Needed Someone and Run For Your Life. So, two slightly different albums. I really associated Rubber Soul with that song, I've Just Seen a Face. I just feel like Rubber Soul is not complete without that song. I think that was the better choice than Drive My Car, to be honest. So, I'm going to focus on the American version. And, hey, you know, the US was their biggest fan base. So, I think the albums that sold in the US were in a sense more important, at least in terms of their overall popularity than the original British albums.

So, that album came out in December 1965. And, you know, I think it represents, as I said, more, obviously, much greater maturity. They're telling stories now. Norwegian Wood is one of the iconic songs. But, You Won't See Me is a really interesting song too. And, there's a lot you can say about that song. And, they're starting to develop a sense of time. Time becomes very important. So, it's kind of, you can see it as, like, there's a lot of loss on this album. There's a sense of the fleeting, you know, they're starting to come out of their youthful periods. So, life is fleeting. Love is transient. You know, that kind of young love. Time marches on. All of these themes that are, you know, people can be deceptive. Oh, my God, my life, you know, in my life. So, run for your life. There's starting to think of the bigger picture of life. So, it's kind of represents a phase of awareness, a heightened awareness, growing awareness of the temporality of life, you know, from when you're a teenager and you kind of feel like you can live forever to, oh, God, things are going by so fast, getting much more reflective. But still within the idiom of, you know, popular music as they knew it.

But then, you know, 1966, Revolver was then another new, another breakthrough album. And much, much deeper than, than rubber soul, much more cynical, you know, starting with Tax Man, and then Eleanor Rigby, which I think I would argue was their first masterpiece. That was, that song is just, lyrically, it's musically, it's rather simple. But lyrically, it just took them to another level entirely.

And then, you know, some going back to kind of, but some more like mature love songs, like Here There and Everywhere. She Said, She Said, again, kind of communication, but there's some drug motifs there that you could talk about. Good Day Sunshine in the British version And Your Bird Can Sing, which is a lovely, a lovely song. Dr. Robert, again, kind of referencing the drug culture they were now a part of. I Want to Tell You, Got to Get You into My Life. And then, of course, Tomorrow Never Knows, which was another kind of breakthrough in popular music, much more psychedelic than anything. And, you know, referencing religion, they were starting to get into kind of mysticism and starting to move towards, you know, more focused on religion.And on that, what's the deeper meaning of life? In other words, they're starting to get interesting. It's kind of, they're going to college now, you know. For guys who never went to college, who never had a higher education, so to speak, they're kind of, now they're going to college. They're studying, they're reading, they're learning, they're kind of getting much more philosophical. So that's, yeah, that's Revolver.

And then, of course, 1967, the great Sergeant Peppers. There's obviously, you know, Sergeant Peppers is still considered one of the greatest popular music albums ever made. It's often ranked as their greatest album. I'm not sure I agree, but that came out in June 1967. And it has the theme, kind of, they've disguised themselves as another band, kind of referencing an earlier age, maybe a Victorian era. They are, you know, experimenting with sounds and styles and, you know, continuing this experimentation that started with Revolver.

And getting more, more lyrical, somewhat more, yeah, more reflective and philosophical with, like A Day in the Life, more imaginative with Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. But also, yeah, philosophical, mystical Within Without You. Now they're kind of thinking way forward to, you know, When I'm 64, so they're like projecting themselves way into the future.

And then there's just a lot of fun songs about kind of daily life. So it's like, how do we find the deeper meaning in our daily lives and in the places that we happen to be, you know, have grown up in or are living in kind of the life of the city or of a small town or going to the park or, you know, and most Beatles historians would argue that the two songs, Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields kind of belong with this album, even though they were not on the album. So getting very whimsical and nostalgic about the place where they grew up. So it's kind of like they know they're leaving home. So like She’s Leaving Home. And the she could be them, you know, they're leaving home. They're never going to be liverpudlians again, you know, they're leaving. They're, they've gone out into the world. But they're still grounded. They're deeply grounded in their childhoods in the memories that they have of growing up there.

And not just that, but they then ground themselves even further in the history of popular music and popular culture and entertainment in their country. So, you know, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite, referencing a circus poster that goes back to maybe the late Victorian age. So, and the, the style of the music as well, they're referencing music, all music from the 1920s and, you know, they're referencing even earlier stuff, folk tunes that probably go back centuries. So they're kind of getting ready to depart, but they're deeply grounding themselves in the past. So it's like they're setting off on this much bigger journey, mystical kind of search, but anchoring themselves in, you know, who they are. And what culture that they came from, the people that they grew up with and so forth. So that's Sergeant Pepper.

And then, of course, they, they went even further with that, with the Magical Mystery Tour, which had, you know, some pretty cool songs like Fool on the Hill. Of course, I Am the Walrus, really, you know, it was Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane. I mean, some pretty amazing songs on there. But I think overall the album was, it was just too heavy-handed. They kind of, rather than giving a subtler message, they kind of put it front and center. Like, we're going on a magical mystery tour and, and look at us, you know, how clever we are. We're going on a bus. And, you know, it kind of parodied. It was like a parody of itself. And so it didn't quite work. Whereas Sergeant Pepper, people could kind of indulge in the project because they disguised themselves. They put on these costumes on the cover and they kind of turned themselves into something different. Whereas, you know, Magical Mystery Tour just didn't quite work as a concept.

So we're going to skip that one. And then, go on to, you know, let's skip over 1968. And we're going to skip over the White Album and, you know, like I said, that was, I mean, there were some great songs that came out from this period, but, but let's move on to what was their last and perhaps greatest album, which is, which is Abbey Road.

Why is it the greatest? Well, here's my theory of Abbey Road. You know, a lot of people who analyze this album will put it in the context of they were breaking up, but it was a happy album. They wanted to create something happy before they departed. And there's some truth to that. It was the final studio album, which George Martin produced. It did represent a collective effort. So they've kind of brought their bits and bobs of songs that they were working on. Here are some reasons why I think this was their best creation.

Conceptually, it holds together extremely well. It's the sequence of the songs, the themes that they, the musical themes within the songs are very coherent. And there's a classic element to the music. This is by far their most classical album. It's an album that has resonances with Bach and Mozart and Beethoven.

So they're digging even deeper into the wellspring of music. Paul found a poem written for a play in like 1600. So going way back in history, Golden Slumbers, which I think is really the keystone to understanding this album. It's that song. And this was my revelation with this album. I won't tell you what I was on, but I remember one day, just I guess listening or thinking about this album. And it just occurred to me that that's a song about death.

The golden slumbers is the slumber of death. That's it. And so it's, you know, smiles awake you when you rise. Sleep pretty darling. Do not cry. It's kind of like a laying down to death. It's the death of the Beatles. It's an acceptance. I will sing a lullaby. I think what is saying is we have to accept death. And we have to tell ourselves kind of the myth that we continue to live on after we die. We need to tell ourselves that myth. And that's what all religion tells us that our souls continue to live or that we're reborn.

But it's a myth. You die, you die. You're gone. And I think they kind of understood that. And that was deeply embedded into this album. They knew that after this album, the Beatles would be gone. There would be no more Beatles. They would live on as individuals, but the magic that they had woven together as four musicians would never exist again.

Would it be transcendent? Would it stand the test of time? You know, I'm sure that they were wondering, you know, how long are we, we were, we were this incredible band, but are we just a product of the 60s or will this last on? And what will we do as individuals.

So I think all that's woven into this album. And I liken this album to Dante. The first side is the Inferno. That's the hell. Maybe it's the hell that they were going through as they as they broke up. Terrible fights, fights over money, over artistry. They were probably going through a kind of a personal hell because, you know, they, they were very sad that this couldn't last. And I think they all, you know, they were, they had gone through so much together. So it was kind of like a divorce in a way. The band breaking up as they went on with their lives. And like a divorce, it was pretty messy. It was, there was a lot of anger and a lot of resentment and negative feelings and, you know, that really comes out on the first side of the album.

With like, you know, I Want You. She's so Heavy. Oh, Darling. I mean, there's a lot of screaming. There's a lot of, you know, emotions, a lot of pent up emotions and anger on this first side. Maxwell's Silver Hammer, you know, that's an interesting one was, is this, I don't think that that song can be taken literally. I think it has to be, I think this, the hammer is figurative. I think it's, it's a metaphor, you know, the hammer of justice, the hammer of freedom. It was, they're, they're smashing a relationship in order to gain their freedom, their artistic and personal freedom. They're breaking up what was the greatest band on earth in order to attain their own freedom and peace of mind. So, you know, I think if you analyze that song, it's all about smashing authority figures. It's kind of a cultural revolution. The aspect to it. I can even kind of see a cultural revolution poster in my mind of a, of a young revolutionary with a hammer trying to smash all the olds [in 1960s China]. And maybe that's what it's referencing. Just smashing, you know, teachers, old girlfriends or judges, the kind of people who are holding you back. So, I think it has to be taken figuratively. I don't think it's literally a story about a serial killer. And especially because it's told and sung in such a whimsical way. Obviously, it's not, this is not a dark, this is not a Peter Gabriel-like serial killer kind of song.

So, yeah, so the whole first side just has this, you know, there's, it's dark, it's, it's, it's earthy, it's fair, it's the inferno. Here come ol’ flat top, you know, it's Come Together, a song, which is about as creepy a song as you can get as bluesy and dark and, you know, from the earth, from the ground up. And Octopus's Garden thrown in there is kind of an underwater, underworld sort of adventure with caves and darkness and something primordial. And, you know, an octopus is kind of a fearful, fearsome creature, you know, you don't really want to, you know, be swimming and kind of come across an octopus all suddenly without warning. So, you know, it's, that's a dark, that's the dark side of the album. And, it represents kind of the winter of their discontent and their aggression and anger.

And then you turn the side over and it's, and you're, and it's the Paradise. Now they're ascending to heaven. So, the flip side is, you know, Here Comes the Sun, one of the most joyful popular songs ever made. It's, every winter, it's a song that you sing in March when the flowers start to bloom again after a long cold, lonely winter. So, that was George Harrison and that was his kind of sense of freedom and happiness that he was no longer a Beatle, he could go, he could find his own destiny now. He had so much to share that had been suppressed by the Beatles and now he was going to let it all out.

You know, then, You Never Give Me Your Money which is such a deep song, such a, it's a sad, but it's also about freedom about, you know, crossing bridges. And, you know, leaving a place that you know you'll never go back to and so you're sad about that, but you're now finding your freedom and you're kind of finding yourself, a self that had been lost.

And then the whole, the whole medley, of course, which is just a brilliant concoction of these old bits that they had kind of, you know, scraps of songs that they, that they had been working on that had never really jelled into full songs and they put them together in this medley. And somehow it worked. And so it ends the album with this, and it's very kind of dreamlike, it's, like I said, it's very heavenly, the Sun King, a lot of themes of sun and light and joy.

And, you know, then you, you kind of go back to these mundane characters, but they're very, you know, Mean Mr. Mustard, Polythene Pam, kind of the people that you might see on the streets and Liverpool or in the clubs, but they're very iconic, very archetypal figures. And, and then She Came in Through the Bathroom Window. I mean, that song, I think you can only understand by knowing the anecdote about the Apple Scrufs and Paul and kind of the end of Apple Records, but you could also see it as kind of, I guess it's their relationship to their fans in general that their fans are just invading their private space and they're kind of sick of that. They're ready to move on. An then of course, Golden Slumbers, which I had explained is kind of, it's a poem ancient, not ancient, but, you know, several hundred years old poem, which I think was about death. And, kind of the myth, the mythology of rebirth that, you know, that we're told like a, a bedtime story. And then finally, The End, it's the end. And that's where they all come together for this jam session, which is quite amazing and really, and then of course, Paul's statement about the love you take is equal to the love you make. And what are you saying is, life is finite. We don't know what's going to happen after we die. We don't know what, of that we produce will be remembered or cherished. But at the end, it all equals out. What you take is equal to what you make. So, whatever you consume or enjoy ultimately is, it's going to be equal to what you produce in the world. If you're loved by people, it means that you loved them. You can't get anything for free. You have to put in as much as you get out.

So, it's an interesting way. It's a final message. And then there, of course, there's that the final final thing tacked on, which was just a kind of a whimsical mistake that they decided to keep, which was the little, the little bit Her Majesty, which I think it's such an unfinished little, I mean, it sounds almost like a jazz song from the 1920s. It's very kind of classic early, early 1920s popular song in its structure. And it could have been something much, much bigger and much more joyous, but they just kind of just tacked it on at the very, at the very end of the album as kind of a little surprise, very folksy little bit.

But, you know, all their songs can be played in so many different ways. But what I really, so there's the Heaven and the Hell motif, you know, the Dante's Inferno to the Paradise. And kind of ascending, I think in the, you know, they're ascending to the heavenly Pantheon. They'll always be known as this great band, seminal band. And they kind of, I think they recognize that the band would outlive them. They would go on as individuals, but nothing would ever be as important as the Beatles in their lives. Even though it was so short, so fleeting, it just passed by in like six, eight years, you know, and then they get there, they get to live the rest of their lives.

So, I think structurally and musically that album really came together. There are so many recurring motifs and themes. And I think in a way, it was kind of like their Ninth Symphony. You know, when you listen to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, it encapsulates pretty much everything that he was known for musically. And just takes it all to greater and greater heights. And it's about joy and about the beauty of humankind and about art and love.

And I think that that was the message of Abbey Road as well. It was kind of continuing on from just that, so love in a way is kind of the message that love is transcendent. You know, it started out with the childish, it starts out with the teenage love, which is kind of a lusty, lusty love, but kind of a zest for life. And then, and then they got more reflective over time and, and more imaginative and lyrical and transcendent, and then finally, but it's always cycling back to that message about love. And that kind of never, that never left, you know, so it's, so love was always the message that, in a way, very Christian, as opposed, that you have to, you have to love the world. You have to love the people in the world, even though they'll let you down, even though there will be nasty breakups, there will be wars, there will be death, there will be struggle. The only way for us to keep going on is to have just believe in the power of love, believe that there's a some kind of greater power, and, and that love is coursing through the universe. And that was kind of the deepest message, I think, that resonated through their music.

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    • Jul 4, 2021 Journey to the Center of China: 20 Days on the Road in Gansu, Shaanxi, and Qinghai Provinces陕西省,甘肃省,青海省旅程 Jul 4, 2021
  • June 2021
    • Jun 3, 2021 Rocking and Jazzing in 2021: Following, Filming, and Playing in the Music Scenes of Shanghai and Kunshan Jun 3, 2021
  • April 2021
    • Apr 29, 2021 Screening Jazz & Blues a la Shanghai—Some Thoughts and Reflections on the Filmmaking Process Apr 29, 2021
    • Apr 17, 2021 My New Doc Film “Jazz & Blues a la Shanghai” is Nearly There Apr 17, 2021
  • February 2021
    • Feb 16, 2021 Catching up with the Live Scene at the Kunshan Eagle Bar Feb 16, 2021
  • January 2021
    • Jan 1, 2021 Focusing on Discipline and Daily Practice: my New Years Resolutions for 2021 Jan 1, 2021
  • December 2020
    • Dec 30, 2020 From Trees to Stones, Wizards to Kings, and Rock to Jazz: 16 Books That Topped My Pandemic Reading List in 2020 Dec 30, 2020
    • Dec 28, 2020 Boarded Up: The Sad Loss of Shanghai’s Heritage in the “Old Walled City” and Environs Dec 28, 2020
    • Dec 25, 2020 Live Again: The Revival and Current Status of Music Scenes in China Dec 25, 2020
    • Dec 22, 2020 Ten Things I’m Grateful for in 2020 Dec 22, 2020
  • October 2020
    • Oct 23, 2020 Re-Discovering Nature While Adjusting to Life in Kunshan, China Oct 23, 2020
    • Oct 6, 2020 Getting Back to Normal: Returning to our Lives in Shanghai Oct 6, 2020
  • September 2020
    • Sep 10, 2020 Getting Back to China: It Wasn’t Easy, But We Made It Sep 10, 2020
    • Sep 1, 2020 Walking and Cycling Towards Walden: More Meditations on Place, Belonging, Nature, and Displacement Sep 1, 2020
  • August 2020
    • Aug 8, 2020 Where Else but Walden? Some Reflections on Henry David Thoreau While Walking Around Walden Pond Aug 8, 2020
    • Aug 1, 2020 Our Cape Cod Adventure in These COVID Times Aug 1, 2020
  • July 2020
    • Jul 11, 2020 “The Berkshires Seem Dream-like”: Notes from a Recent Trip to Western Mass. Jul 11, 2020
  • June 2020
    • Jun 29, 2020 More Thoughts on Liberal Education: What is it and Why is it Important? Jun 29, 2020
    • Jun 19, 2020 Trails Through Time: Exploring Conservation Lands and Wildlife Refuges in Eastern Massachusetts Jun 19, 2020
  • May 2020
    • May 26, 2020 How I Released My Inner Druid, and Why the Owl Looks Familiar May 26, 2020
    • May 17, 2020 Some Reflections on Home, Nature, and Displacement in the Ceremonial Time of Corona   May 17, 2020
  • April 2020
    • Apr 22, 2020 The Making of Jazz & Blues Ala Shanghai: A New Documentary Film on the City's Live Music Scenes Apr 22, 2020
    • Apr 1, 2020 Why the Hobbit Movies Don’t Work For Me: Notes from a Dedicated Tolkien Reader Apr 1, 2020
  • March 2020
    • Mar 27, 2020 Count Your Blessings: Some More Thoughts While Coping with the Crisis Mar 27, 2020
    • Mar 20, 2020 Battling the Coronavirus Blues Mar 20, 2020
    • Mar 14, 2020 Please Don’t Succumb to Coronoia: How to Avoid the Viral Madness Mar 14, 2020
    • Mar 13, 2020 How to Move Teaching and Learning Online—FAST!!! Teaching A Course Remotely to Students at Duke Kunshan University  Mar 13, 2020
    • Mar 12, 2020 Take Heart! The Jazz Orchestra Known as the USA Will Prevail Against the Coronavirus Mar 12, 2020
    • Mar 7, 2020 To Blame or Not to Blame? That is the Question: Wet Markets, Wild Creatures, Whistleblowers, and Other Polemics Against China in the Age of Coronavirus Mar 7, 2020
    • Mar 5, 2020 Stay Safe and Sane Folks! More Thoughts on the Coronavirus and Suggestions for Compadres in the USA and Elsewhere Mar 5, 2020
  • February 2020
    • Feb 27, 2020 Why We Left China: Seeking Refuge Abroad During the Coronavirus Crisis Feb 27, 2020
    • Feb 8, 2020 Coping with the Coronavirus Crisis in Shanghai Feb 8, 2020
    • Feb 2, 2020 And Now…Here They Are…The Beatles! A Review of Bob Spitz’s Bio Feb 2, 2020
  • January 2020
    • Jan 30, 2020 武汉加油!Wuhan Rocks! My Memories and Associations with a Rocking City in the Heart of China Jan 30, 2020
    • Jan 1, 2020 Ah, The Joy of Gratitude: Things I Am Grateful For in 2019 Jan 1, 2020
  • December 2019
    • Dec 30, 2019 It's Wake-Up Time: Looking Back on the Unfolding Ecological Crisis in 2019, and Some Goals for 2020 Dec 30, 2019
    • Dec 29, 2019 Sticky Rice, Snorkling, and Sunburn: The Do’s and Don’ts of a Family Vacation in Thailand Dec 29, 2019
    • Dec 21, 2019 走近昆山的音乐酒吧 Catching Up With the Live Music Bar Scenes in Kunshan Dec 21, 2019
    • Dec 15, 2019 Ah, Those Good Old Dartmouth Days: Looking Back At My College Education After 30 Years Dec 15, 2019
  • November 2019
    • Nov 23, 2019 Top Ten Films from My Teen Years, aka the 1980s Nov 23, 2019
    • Nov 14, 2019 Ode to Beijing Bookworm Nov 14, 2019
    • Nov 11, 2019 A Colorful Journey to a Chinese Mountain Village: A DKU Quest Trip to Siming Mountain in Zhejiang Province Nov 11, 2019
  • October 2019
    • Oct 27, 2019 Now I am 5(0): Some Reflections Upon Entering Into my Sixth Decade Oct 27, 2019
  • September 2019
    • Sep 30, 2019 Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles Album Abbey Road Sep 30, 2019
    • Sep 26, 2019 Holy Bronzes! A Field Trip to the Shanghai Museum Sep 26, 2019
  • August 2019
    • Aug 3, 2019 Camp Dartmouth: A Five-Star Summer Experience in Hanover Aug 3, 2019
  • July 2019
    • Jul 20, 2019 Learning from the Long Sands: A Conference Trip to Changsha and the Rule of Thirds Jul 20, 2019
    • Jul 12, 2019 Touring Zhangjiajie, The Fantastical Mountainscape of China’s “Avatar Disneyland” Jul 12, 2019
  • June 2019
    • Jun 2, 2019 International Educators Unite! Surviving My First NAFSA Conference in 2019 Jun 2, 2019
  • May 2019
    • 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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