Requiem for a Noodle Joint
In Beijing’s fast evolving food and beverage industry, the lifespan of a restaurant — a short-lived beast in any environment — makes the medfly look like Methuselah. [Read More...]
July 2016
“China’s Made up Maritime Holiday,” Here! Dongguan Magazine
In 1492, Columbus may have sailed the Ocean Blue, but compared to Zheng He, he was a Christopher-Comes-Lately in a tiny toy boat. [Read More...]
Barbarians at the Gate Podcast: China’s territorial claims on the rocks in the South China Sea
Jeremiah and James talk about the implications of the decision at the Hague, the reaction here in Beijing, and the use (and abuses) of history in establishing contemporary territorial claims. [Read More...]
On the Rocks
Should the tribunal rules against the PRC — as it is expected to — and if the Chinese government chooses to use the tribunal’s ruling to, for example, wipe the ass of the nearest stray dog — as they will almost certainly want to do — the repercussions will ripple far past the rocks and reefs of the South China Sea. [Read More...]
From the Archives: The Ghost of Zheng He rises…again
In honor of Maritime Day in China, an updated piece from the archives on whether the ocean voyages of Ming Admiral Zheng He were really as peaceful as many Chinese historians today claim. [Read More...]
From the Archives: 独立宣言–The American Declaration of Independence in Chinese
The linguistic and philosophical thorns of translating American independence into the Chinese language. [Read More...]