Latest Posts
-
Yes, A Black Woman Can Be Chinese
I have blogged about race and Chinese identity before (most prominently here and here). So, when I saw the stories about Lou Jing, a young Shanghai woman whose mother is Chinese and whose father is African-American, I took notice. I… Continue reading
-
Trying to Control History
In the run-up to the big October 1st National Day celebrations, the Chinese Communist Party is working hard to limit historical debate – even history that long pre-dates the PRC. They are trying to ban a book that is apparently… Continue reading
-
Han Han and Popular Cultural Confucianism
No one would accuse writer/blogger/celebrity Han Han of being a Confucian. That's why it was interesting to see some of the comments in this article from Xinhua. For example, in discussing censorship in China, and the attention he has garnered… Continue reading
-
Chris on Taoist Parenting
Chris, at A Ku Indeed!, has been blogging up a storm of late. Some great stuff. I have to call out his rumination, "The Tao of Kids." Without explicitly saying so, he is pushing back against Legalist-like parenting strategies that… Continue reading
-
“I” am “Laozi”
Roland, over at ESWN, reports on how the term "Laozi" 老子 is sometimes used colloquially to refer to "wuo" 我. Laozi is, of course, the name of the legendary author of the Daodejing. So, confusion can be created when the… Continue reading
-
Growing old well
NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty writes (and speaks) a tribute to Fred Stocking, a man who taught at Williams College for over forty years. Living and working here for the past twenty years, I came to know Fred mostly by reputation,… Continue reading
-
No Ayn is an Island
Jonathan Chait has a review of a couple of new biographies of Ayn Rand (h/t Sullivan). This passage struck me: ….Rand held up her own meteoric rise from penniless immigrant to wealthy author as a case study of the individualist… Continue reading
-
A Taoist Maestro
A nice piece in The Age about Vladimir Jurowski, conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, who apparently finds some inspiration in Taoism. A key graf: Jurowski has always been inclined towards matters spiritual – he spent his first student grant… Continue reading
-
Confucian Confusion
Francesco Sisci has a nice piece in The Asia Times last week on Confucianism. The title, "West confused over Confucianism," does not do it justice, since there is confusion to be found in China as well when it comes to… Continue reading
The Useless Tree 