RAS Suzhou Sojourn – September 25th – The Thinking Man’s (or Woman’s) Day Out

The Shanghai RAS have organised a trip out to Suzhou that features some interesting folk out there such as Shelley Bryant and the brilliantly erudite Paul Hansen s0 I’m giving it a plug (and an excuse for a picture of the old RAS building in Shanghai – now the rather unexciting Rockbund museum thingy):

RAS WEEKENDER

Sunday 25^th September, 2011

MEET POINT: TBA

MEET TIME: 0900hrs

SUZHOU SOJOURN

With

BILL DODSON, AS THE HOST AND RAS SUZHOU CHAPTER, PRESIDENT

SHELLY BRYANT walking us through I.M. Pei’s Suzhou

PAUL HANSEN’S readings of ‘The Lyric Poetry of Xin Qiji’

In a unique venue of a typical Suzhou style canal side house, BEN POTTER of the SUZHOU BOOKWORM, will welcome us, choose and prepare us a special RAS Members lunch and drink & snack menu.

A SON OF SUZHOU; I.M. PEI’S SUZHOU with Shelly Bryant

World-famous architect I. M. Pei comes from the illustrious Bei family, making him one of Suzhou’s most famous sons. The rich heritage of the city, especially its gardening culture, has had a profound influence on Pei’s philosophy and his work. The New Suzhou Museum, Pei’s crowning work, was designed in such a way as to mark a career that has come full circle. It is a homecoming, an act of homage to the forces that went into the making of the man who created so many outstanding works of architecture around the world.

The walk covers the main sites of importance in I. M. Pei’s relationship with the city of Suzhou, including the New Suzhou Museum, the Bei Ancestral Hall, and the Lion Grove Garden.  The tour will focus on the part Suzhou played in the shaping of Pei and his work.

Shelly Bryant divides her year between Suzhou/Shanghai and Singapore, working as a teacher, freelance writer, researcher, and student of Chinese language and culture. She is the author of a travel guide to the city of Suzhou entitled Suzhou Basics, and two volumes of poetry, Cyborg Chimera and Under the Ash.  Her current projects include writing an updated guide to the city of Shanghai for Urbanatomy and translating the novel 《北妹》 Northern Girls for Penguin Books.

THE LYRIC POETRY OF XIN QIJI by Paul Hansen

With some 700 lyrics surviving Xin Qiji (1141-1207) remains the most prolific composer in the lyric form of the Song period. He lived during the first half of the Southern Song Dynasty, when the Northern (third of China), was ruled by the Tartar Jin Dynasty. A man of considerable military prowess, throughout his official career Xin advocated the re-conquest of the North by the Southern Song, and submitted a number of proposals to the throne and high officials in which he outlined strategies for it. Indeed, Xin’s outspoken recommendations on this crucial matter caused him to spend more than twenty years in enforced rural retirement. It was during these times he composed many of his most renowned works.

Today the disappointed poet-official is known almost exclusively for his patriotic poetry encouraging military action on the part of the Songs, and many modern Chinese people can recite examples of them. It is these great patriotic lyrics on which his enduring reputation is largely based.

PAUL HANSEN will read translations of some of these patriotic lyrics and also offer examples from his lyrics, the subject matters of which are not quite so well known: from his pastoral poetry depicting rural landscape and the simple, but satisfying lives of the local people and as well from his romantic lyrics, usually written in a woman’s persona. Though satisfying as love songs, his romantic lyrics are widely considered to be allegories that reflect the nations and his own dilemmas.

Paul is a poet, landscape painter and translator of Classical Chinese poetry. He has exhibited widely, most recently in 2010 with my former Fish Town colleagues of the 1970’s at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Connor, Washington: ‘A School of Fish’. He studied at the University of Washington, first coming to Asia in 1962 and the PRC in 1983. Presently he teaches in a private middle school in Suzhou. Published works include: Rimes of a Riverrat, Ramblings of an Unfrocked Mandarin (poetry) and Before Ten-Thousand Peaks, Lin Hejing, Recluse Poet of Orphan Mountain and Slanting light along the riverbank, a stretch of trees: Selected Lyrics of Xin Qiji (translations).

Xin Qiji by Ma Zhensheng – “Drunk, teasing the lampwick/I gaze at my sword’

BEN POTTER the Chef and Manager of Suzhou Bookworm started his career in the highly acclaimed and award winning Country Hotel ‘Thornton Hall’… washing dishes.

Three weeks later during the scorching summer of ’96, with a large wedding reception underway, the pastry chef cut his thumb with a bread knife, accidentally. The Head Chef looked around and settled on BEN to help send out the 250 swan shaped pavalovas to the guests.

From that day on Ben Potter has always worked with or around food, he loves everything about his chosen profession. He has worked in many acclaimed establishments in London and Paris. Loving China he has realized a more permanent arrangement at the Suzhou Bookworm, where he: ‘ loves having someone; a couple, a group of friends coming to my place and really enjoying themselves, eating good food, drinking well and leaving my establishment full and satisfied and a little bit ‘happy’ both physically and intellectually. The Bookworm doesn’t have anything incredibly new or cutting edge on the menu, what we do have however is good, fresh and clean food, and if you have that, all you have to do is watch your thumbs and let the word spread.

ENTRANCE: RMB 350.00 (RAS members) and RMB 500.00 (non-members) including; return train tickets, private bus in Suzhou, guided walk of I.M. Pei’s Suzhou, lunch at Suzhou Bookworm, some time to meander the canals with a return to Suzhou Bookworm and a poetry reading of Xin Qiji’s Lyric Poetry.

ENTRANCE FOR SUZHOU RESIDENTS: RMB 250.00 (RAS Members) RMB 350.00 (non members)

A limited attendance event (30), Members have priority for booking until 16th of September.

Those unable to make the donation but wishing to attend may contact us for exemption, prior to the RAS Weekender. Membership applications and membership renewals will be available at these events.

RSVP: to RAS Bookings at: bookings@royalasiaticsociety.org.cn with scan of passport copy with reservation (in order to advance purchase train ticket for individuals from the group) RSVP: By latest 2011.09.16

FULL PROGRAMME FOR SUZHOU SOJOURN

RSVP: By latest 2011.09.16 (including passport copy for train ticket purchase)  

MEET POINT: At Station – details of Meet Point to be advised once place has been confirmed and passport copy submitted.

MEET TIME: 0900hrs DEPARTURE TIME: TBA

TRAIN NO. AND DEPARTURE TIME: TBA

PICK UP AT SUZHOU RAILWAY STATION BY PRIVATE BUS: TBA

DROP OFF: For Walk of I.M. PEI’S SUZHOU with Shelly Bryant.

LUNCHTIME: 1330HRS AT SUZHOU BOOKWORM with Ben Potter and Bill Dodson RAS in China, Suzhou Chapter, President. The Suzhou Bookworm is housed in a typical Suzhou style canal side house, adding to the charm…

FREE TIME: 1500HRS – 1700HRS

FREE TIME OPTIONS: A bus will be available to take members of the group to PingJiang Street; one of the oldest surviving streets of ‘old Suzhou’, in Paul French’s words; a lovely warren of old traditional Suzhou canal side houses with lots of cafes and individual craft shops AND no traffic. Running along side one of the original canals of Suzhou, Ping Jiang Jie retains its old character with stone walk ways, stone bridges (some dating back as far as Song Dynasty) with willow trees draping the banks of the canal.

PAUL HANSEN’S reading and explaining the Lyric Poetry of Xin Qiji @ 1730hrs                        – at THE SUZHOU BOOKWORM

ADDITIONAL DRINK AND SNACK MENU AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

DEPART SUZHOU BOOKWORM FOR SUZHOU TRAIN STATION: 1930HRS

TRAIN BACK TO SHANGHAI: APPROXIMATELY 2000hrs

Menu: TBA

Requirements: Minimum 16 persons, Maximum 30 persons

Mu Shiying’s Shanghai Foxtrot in Translation Courtesy of Andrew Field

Though rarely read these days Mu Shiying was one of China’s most interesting modern and modernist writers. His style – highly staccato with references to foreign brands and rooted in the dance hall culture of inter-war Shanghai – always stuck in my mind when thinking and writing about that period. However, Mu was, inevitably, not favoured by the Maoists and also was assassinated as a member of the collaborationist puppet government of China during the war. Mu came back to me as Andrew Field covers him in his excellent history of Shanghai nightlife culture between the wars Shanghai’s Dancing World: Cabaret Culture and Urban Politics 1919-1954.

Andrew also translated one of My Shiying’s best known works Shanghai Foxtrot from 1934. You can read his excellent translation of Mu’s excellent short story here in the Shanghai Journal online.

Monday 19 September – Midnight in Peking Comes to Bookazine in Hong Kong

The good, good folk at Bookazine in the Prince’s Building in Hong Kong’s Central are hosting a night for Midnight in Peking with wine, me, books and a bit more wine! Should be good. It’s free and numbers are limited so you need to RSVP to them. All details as below or on their website here. If you’re in Hong Kong please do come along, it’d be great to see you all.

Ballard Bio Slated…by Everyone it Seems

Just before JG Ballard died in 2009 he published his memoir, Miracles of Life: Shanghai to Shepperton. In that book he said rather more about Shanghai and his childhood than he had cared to previously for many years. Publishing his own autobiography so near the end Ballard niftily rather stalled a flood of quickie biographies; indeed that may well have been his intention. However now they are appearing. John Baxter’s The Inner Man has just been published and, though I haven’t read it yet, appears to have been roundly trashed by everyone so far.

Robert McCrum in The Guardian certainly doesn’t like it

David Evans in The Independent is unconvinced

John Gray in The New Statesman says “A Model for Missing the Point of Biography”

All in all it’s hard to think of a book that’s had worse reviews across the board for quite some time!!

Who’s Afraid of China? – UK Events

My latest Asian Arguments author Michael Barr is doing a couple of events in the UK to promote his new book Who’s Afraid of China: The Challenge of Chinese Soft Power. Details below.

Newcastle

Café Politique: Who’s Afraid of China?

Michael Barr (Politics, Newcastle University)

Location: Urban Café, Dance City, Temple Street, Newcastle, NE1 4BR

Time/Date: 19th September 2011, 19:00 – 21:00

What role does China play in the Western imagination? Michael Barr will discuss how China’s rise as an alternative model to Western liberalism has created a fear that developing countries will stray from Western standards of democracy, transparency and human rights. He will challenge us to rethink our ideas on modernity, history, and international relations.

London

Chatham House China Programme: Who’s Afraid of China?

Michael Barr

Location: Chatham House, Royal Institute of International Affairs, 10 St James’s Square, London SW1

Time/Date: 22nd September 2011, 13:00-14:00

RSVP: contact@chathamhouse.org

If China suddenly democratised, would it cease being labelled as a threat? This provocative book argues that fears of China often say as much about those who hold them as they do about the rising power itself. It focuses not on the usual trope of economic and military might, but on China’s growing cultural influence and the connections between China’s domestic politics and its attempts to brand itself internationally. Using examples from film, education, media, politics, and art, Who’s Afraid of China? is both an introduction to Chinese soft power and a critical analysis of international reaction to it. It examines how the West’s own past, hopes, and fears shape the way it thinks about and engages with China and argues that the rising power touches a nerve in the Western psyche, presenting a fundamental challenge to ideas about modernity, history, and international relations.

Who’s Afraid of China? – the Latest from Zed Asian Arguments

As you may know I am editing a series of books for Zed Books in London. The series is called Asian Arguments and is composed of succinct (60,000 words or so) books on various themes in contemporary Asia. I’m enjoying the process of finding authors for the series and developing the titles as it allows me to stay abreast of contemporary issues in Asia and also to commission and publish books on subjects that interest me and that, I think, are under researched. Part of the aim of the series is to bring to light voices from below that are not often heard in these debates while also trying to bring academic research to a wider audience in a more accessible and readable form. We launched the series with Kerry Brown’s Ballot Box China, a great study of the state of democracy in China, last year.

Anyway, the second book in the series has just been published – Michael Barr’s Who’s Afraid of China: The Challenge of Chinese Soft Power. I think it’s a succinct and pointed round up of the efforts of Beijing to extend its soft power and Michael’s done a great job. Details below and some launch events in the UK to follow in a separate post.

If China suddenly democratised, would it cease being labelled as a threat? This provocative book argues that fears of China often say as much about those who hold them as they do about the rising power itself. It focuses not on the usual trope of economic and military might, but on China’s growing cultural influence and the connections between China’s domestic politics and its attempts to brand itself internationally. Using examples from film, education, media, politics, and art, Who’s Afraid of China? is both an introduction to Chinese soft power and a critical analysis of international reaction to it. It examines how the West’s own past, hopes, and fears shape the way it thinks about and engages with China and argues that the rising power touches a nerve in the Western psyche, presenting a fundamental challenge to ideas about modernity, history, and international relations.

‘One need not agree with every aspect of Michael Barr’s ‘Whose Afraid of China’ to benefit from his exploration of China’s use of ‘soft power’ and its attempt to exploit the global information space. China’s challenge in this dimension, its attempt to mis-position the West, to diminish Western values and appeal, reflect a maturing ‘battle of ideas’ about governance. Michael Barr offers interesting perspective on these dynamic questions. A good read for anyone concerned about governance, values and the increasingly informational dimension in which China increasingly challenges the West.’ – Dr Stefan Halper, University of Cambridge

”Who’s Afraid of China?’ by Michael Barr provides a very solid answer to the puzzle of why there is international fear of China’s rise. Both those advocating and opposing the theory of Chinese threat will understand why neither of their arguments holds water after reading this book. It is especially worth reading for those who plan to shape a friendly environment for China’s rise.’ – Professor Yan Xuetong, Tsinghua University, Beijing.

‘China’s rise has been generating so much breathless commentary that we now need more than just authors able to help us understand this complex country. We also need ones like Michael Barr who can shed light on the curious ways China is being fantasized about and feared. This short book provides not just a savvy analysis of Chinese soft power, but also a clear-eyed critique of the latest versions of Sinomania and Sinophobia.’ – Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Professor of History, UC-Irvine and author of ‘China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know’.

Shanghai Chai has Arrived Should You Want it

Here’s one in my occasional series of references to regurgitated efforts at Shanghai cool extending across the globe…sort of…

Popular Australian low end coffee, tea (the ridiculous concept of the Chai Latte predominating) and sandwiches chain Villa & Hut Kafe have just launched a new drink – a chai no less (basically tea) called the “Shanghai Chai” – which is, apparently, “straight out of Shanghai”. I didn’t try it – but they have opened a branch (their first in China) in Pudong in the lobby of a crummy new build bank skyscraper (very evocative of old Shanghai!). More on that here for anyone interested. Seems Shanghai still has the old magic in some places and with some products.

I Literally Stumble Across Another Plaque to Conrad

I’ve posted before about how Joseph Conrad monuments and plaques crop up in the oddest places – being a Polish-born English naturalised novelist who had sailed the seas for many years before literary fame mean all sorts of places, often in Asia, can claim a Conrad link. Singapore’s claim is pretty brazen – see here.

Seems Sydney has a Conrad plaque too – and just as Singapore used a few minor quotes of Conrad’s about the island so Sydney has dredged up a rather forgettable quote about Sydney Harbour from one of Conrad’s more forgettable works, Mirror of the Sea.

Still, you never know, might inspire someone to pick up Conrad and give him a read….