April 2011 - Jottings from the Granite Studio

Dylan in Beijing: final thoughts and a bit of a rant

April 10, 2011

Those who thought that Dylan was going to get up on stage in Beijing to harangue the CCP and then lead the crowd in a singalong of "Ai Shall be Released" were seriously kidding themselves. [Read More...]

How to marry a Billionaire (If you can’t find the PhD student of your dreams)

April 6, 2011

An article in the Global Times about How to Marry a Billionaire causes Yajun to wonder about the cost of equating money with love in today's China. [Read More...]

Zhou Enlai, the Qingming Festival, and the spring demonstrations of 1976

April 5, 2011

Is our lasting image of Zhou Enlai to be the smooth, urbane diplomat showing up for talks in Geneva in a tailored-suit, silk tie, and a fedora, exchanging quips about the French Revolution? Or will it be the Zhou Enlai standing on top of Tiananmen with a red armband and a little red book, screeching in a high-pitched hysterical frenzy, “Long Live Chairman Mao!” as hordes of fanatical teenagers chant in the square and the Chairman looks on in approval? [Read More...]