Book Excerpt: “Staging for the Emperors: A History of Qing Court Theatre, 1683–1923” by Liana Chen
“Far from static or stale, these rites and rituals were intimately connected to the display of power and processes of empowerment.”
“Far from static or stale, these rites and rituals were intimately connected to the display of power and processes of empowerment.”
“Writers have to activate all their senses, including taste, sight, sound, and touch, as well as other mysterious senses absent from the usual list.”
Happy birthday to Nobel laureate Gao Xingjian, a painter, novelist, essayist, and more. Below, read about two essay collections Gao published with Cambria—in which he discusses aesthetics, the climate crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic—and a study of his original artistry: Called “a tour de force” and “a most valuable collection…
“Insects in Chinese Literature will appeal to many audiences: entomologists and insect lovers will find it delightful, while specialists in Chinese literature will appreciate the copious notes and careful documentation of each text’s provenance. The works included will enrich both the Chinese and the comparative literature classroom. Quirky and eclectic, this…
In 2017 Paper Republic selected Liu Zhenyun’s Chi gua shidai de ernumen 吃瓜时代的儿女们 as one of the best books in Chinese, noting: Following his previous award-winning books such as I Did Not Kill My Husband and A Word is Worth Ten Thousand Words, Liu Zhenyun’s new book continues his typical sick humour and…
Nobel Laureate Mo Yan, whose name literally means “don’t speak,” is renowned for his fiction, which includes The Garlic Ballads; Red Sorghum; Shifu, You’ll Do Anything for a Laugh; Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out; The Republic of Wine; and Big Breasts and Wide Hips (all translated into English by Professor Howard Goldblatt). Mo Yan’s fiction…
We are greatly saddened by the passing of Professor Yü Ying-shih, whom we came to know through his memoir, From Rural China to the Ivy League: Reminiscences of Transformations in Modern Chinese History, which was scheduled to be published this month. Professor Yü set the gold standard for humanity and…
Imperfect Understanding: Intimate Portraits of Modern Chinese Celebrities by Christopher Rea
Shedding light on the three-way cultural exchange among early Chosŏn Korea, Ming China, and Muromachi Japan, Professor Jongmook Lee examines poetic exchanges between Hanlin scholar Hua Cha 華察 (1497–1574) and his Korean counterpart So Se-yang 蘇世讓 (1486–1562); see, for example, page 25 (below) in his chapter “Establishing Friendships between Competing…
The following are essential books for Taiwan Studies. The first three have just been published in the new Literature from Taiwan Series, in collaboration with the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and National Taiwan Normal University. A Taiwanese Literature Reader edited by Nikky Lin According to Taiwanese writer and historian…