Literature

The Edible Menu

China has something that the rest of the world is copying for a change, not that there's anything wrong with copying. Restaurants all over the world are going for a "presented" menu, no paper and no pen. The food is just set out before cooking. It's refreshing to see that a trend exists in an absolutely non-trendy way.

Lijia Zhang's "Socialism is Great"

http://www.pekingduck.org –

Richard gives his detailed review of LiJia Zhang's book - Socialism Is Great, the story of a woman who was sent to work in a missile factory in post-Cultural Revolution China. Despite the hardships of the work, Zhang taught herself English and rebelled against the unfair practices of the factory. Not only does she pull herself out of the factory - but she goes on to be a writer and commentator on BBC and NPR. As Richard puts it - it trumps "just about every conceivable Cinderella story."

“Apologies Forthcoming” - A Conversation with Xujun Eberlein

http://www.pekingduck.org –

A great interview with the award-winning author Xujun about her new book "Apologies Forthcoming". The conversation offers some great conversation and thought about the intricacies of the Cultural Revolution and the roles people aren't always willing to admit they played in it.