It's been a pleasant two days here. I was last in Kunming in 1989 and, obviously, the city has grown considerably since then.  But it has retained a certain charm.  The central shopping district, Zhengyi street, has a long tree-lined… Continue reading

Another temple complex near Siem Reap, Ta Prohm, is still overgrown with forest.  Marvelous scenes of nature taking over humankind's creations – something Daoist in that.  Let me post some pictures without commentary (I might lose the internet at any… Continue reading

On March 19, 2006 Aidan, my son, died.  Below is something I wrote on the first anniversary of his death.  I post it here as a part of his continuing presence in my life. Without Him I’m weaker without him.… Continue reading

This story has moved fast.  Two days ago a rather strange op-ed popped up in the English edition of the Chinese newspaper, The Global Times: "Charlie Sheen is not filial."  It turns out to be a satire (the big give… Continue reading

Last month I blogged on Amy Chua's audacious web introduction of her Tiger Mother persona, which I argued is more Legalist than it is "Chinese."  Well, she succeeded in pumping up her book sales, maximizing the profit for her fifteen… Continue reading

This story reports on religious Daoism, which is really not my specialty, but I'm not thrilled by this turn of events: Over the Lunar New Year weekend Vivian Choi made her annual visit to Wong Tai Sin, one of Hong… Continue reading

Over at Global Voices, Andy Yee has a nice little round-up of stories and blog posts in the aftermath of the unveiling of the new Confucius statue near Tiananmen Square.  Some of the pieces are a bit old, but the… Continue reading

China appears ready to legislate filial duty: Adult children of elderly parents will be required to visit their parents regularly and must care for their spiritual needs and cannot neglect or isolate them, according to a draft amendment of China’s… Continue reading

I've been thinking about Evan Osnos's great piece in The New Yorker last week (sub. required) about the emergence of Freudian talk therapy in China.  Of course, it is important to keep in mind that only a very small group… Continue reading

Just a quick shout out to Kate Merkel-Hess and Jeffrey Wasserstom (of China Beat fame) for their nice little piece in Time Magazine, "The Many Chinas."  Much more could be said of cultural and sociological and philosophical pluralism in China,… Continue reading