Jottings from the Granite Studio

The field of Chinese history is twice saddened this month; another great has gone from us. K.C. Liu, distinguished professor of Qing history, passed away at his home in Davis, CA yesterday. I had the pleasure of meeting Professor Liu and his wife several times. When I first started here, I would often be out […]

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According to tradition (and the tourist office in Qufu, Shandong) today is Confucius’ 2557th birthday. The big guy has taken a few knocks in the last 150 years or so, but his staying power is just impressive. Just this past month, Confucius has been a symbol of cross-straits unity, a means of promoting a harmonious […]

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There is a funny post over at Danwei (thanks to TPD for the link) on the perils of apartment hunting in the capital city that made me nostalgic for my past real estate exploits and a bit nervous of future ones. The last time I went apartment shopping in Beijing was in the summer of […]

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It’s fair to say that when the Pats play the Seahawks next year in Beijing, there won’t be any Chinese playing on either side. Korea has claimed (finally accepted?) Hines Ward but so far no NFL equivalent of Yao Ming, Sun Jihai, or even a Wang Chien-ming has emerged on the gridiron. But that […]

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Confirmation this week that the New England Patriots (English–Chinese) will play the Seattle Seahawks on August 8, 2007 at Workers Stadium in Beijing.
Also beginning today, the NFL will broadcast the Sunday Night Football game live on CCTV (showing at the oh, so convenient time of 8:30 am on Monday mornings).
Plans are being made. I’m from […]

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(From the archives: with the release of Fearless (霍元甲) in the USA and Europe this week, here again is my take on Jet Li’s final martial arts.)Original post: 8/31/06I just finished the movie Fearless (霍元甲) Jet Li’s self-proclaimed final wushu film. The movie itself is not bad (Not that I’m much of a movie […]

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Some quick thoughts as I fly from New England to California this morning.
In the Times Literary Supplement is a fascinating review of Francis Fukuyama’s new book After the Neocons. (”Doomed International” TLS 09/20/06, thanks to Arts and Culture Daily for the link) Whether you love him, loathe him, used to loathe him and now […]

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Sad news in the field of Chinese history, one of the true giants has passed on. Fred Wakeman was one of the most influential and important American scholars of Chinese history. His first work, Strangers at the Gate, about the links between resistance against foreign threats and rebellion against the government in the wake of […]

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As YJ and I try to plan our own wedding for next year, we of course go through all the usual discussion and debates about what kind of wedding to have. We both want it to be small and tasteful, with close family and friends brought together to celebrate our new life together. Of course […]

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Having just spent the last 18 hours in transit, I’ve been thinking a little about airplanes and airplane safety. Two weeks ago The Economist had a screaming leader on the issue of airplane safety. Here then, from The Economist, is the in-flight announcement on the (fictional) Veritas Airlines:

“GOOD morning, ladies and gentlemen. We are […]

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