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20 episodes with Red chamber
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2 episodes with Red chamber
2 episodes with Red chamber
2 episodes with Red chamber
2 episodes with Red chamber
2 episodes with Red chamber
2 episodes with Red chamber
Welcome Flora Qian with her first novel "South of the Yangtze," a coming-of-age story of a thoughtful and curious Chinese girl, born and raised in Shanghai during the one-child years.* Flora discusses the origins of the novel which maps some of her own experiences as a young woman educated in China who then moved to Hong Kong. The intriguing novel, written in English, explores the themes of language, relationships, loneliness, and community, against a backdrop of post-Cultural Revolution China. Flora discusses her interest in Chinese characters, how Mandarin and English entered her life, how Chinese sayings and folk tales influence our thinking, the risks of original thought, and how circumstances often hinder our ability to reach greater intimacy with others. A thought-provoking episode with something for everyone. *And could make a great holiday present!Flora's website:https://floraqian.com/Thoughts? Comments? Potshots? Contact the show at:https://booksshowstunes.discreetguide.com/contact/Support us!https://booksshowstunes.discreetguide.com/support/Sponsored by Discreet Guide Training:https://training.discreetguide.com/Social Media:YouTube: @MadActsXTwitter: @Mad_ActsBlueSky: @mad-acts.bsky.socialFB: @BooksShowsTunesIG: @Mad_ActsLI: Jennifer K. Crittenden
New York resident and author, Flora Qian was born and raised in Shanghai but has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong, where her ancestors had lived, and in Washington D.C. before settling in New York. This cross cultural and multilingual experience influenced her debut novel, “South of the Yangtze.” At once a coming-of-age story and a meditation on language itself, South of the Yangtze is Flora Qian's award-winning debut novel that follows Yinan Qian, a girl growing up in Shanghai at the turn of the century. Set against China's rapidly changing political, economic, and social environment from the 1980s to current day, South of the Yangtze is a thoughtful reflection on both physical migration and migration between languages. Layered with history, it provides a moving portrait of China's only child generation and the meaning of identity. In an interview, Qian could discuss: WRITING: · South of the Yangtze is fiction but draws from Flora's life experiences. Did this make it easier or more difficult to find Yinan's “voice” while writing? · With language being such a central theme to South of the Yangtze, why did Flora choose to write the book in English? · The book frequently references Chinese words and history. How did Flora balance explanation for an audience that may not be well-versed in Chinese culture while remaining authentic to her vision? · Which books have influenced Flora the most as a writer? In South of the Yangtze, Dream of the Red Chamber has a special place for Yinan and her friend, Jie. What is its significance? CHINESE CULTURE & LANGUAGE: · Her experiences growing up in China during the only-child mandate, which lasted from 1979 to 2015. · Flora has lived in Shanghai and Hong Kong, as well as the United States. What were the major cultural differences? Did they inspire South of the Yangtze in any way? · Did Flora's experience living in Hong Kong during the protests of 2019 – 2020 influence South of the Yangtze? · What it was like to witness enormous socioeconomic shifts in China through her childhood and into her adulthood. · One of the book's main themes is how language shapes thought. With Chinese being one of the oldest living languages, is it especially poised to do so? Why did Flora choose to write the book in English? · Given how rapid the changes to China were following the Cultural Revolution, how does South of the Yangtze preserve a specific and unique moment in China's history? · There are frequent references to Chinese folktales in the novel. How do they play a role in Flora's writing life? · One of the early relationships the protagonist has in South of the Yangtze is with her Mandarin-speaking teacher, who was also an activist in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest. What is the significance of this character and their relationship? · Migration is one of the central themes in South of the Yangtze. Yinan is an emigrant (from China) and Simon is a first-generation Chinese American. They seem to share a special connection. How does Flora's experience of being an emigrant inform the novel? Sherylbass999@gmail.com or sheryl@mckinneymediagroup.com FLORA QIAN was born and raised in Shanghai. She received a bachelor's degree in English from Fudan University in 2005. After graduation, she worked briefly in the publishing industry in Shanghai, where she was as an editor and an interpreter. In 2007, Flora moved to Hong Kong for a master's degree in Translation at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. During that time, she translated Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic and Sister into Chinese, which was published in 2009. Afterward, she worked in the financial sector in Hong Kong for six years.
Before she became a Canadian Senator, Paula Simons was an investigative journalist and National Newspaper Award-winning columnist. It's clear she approaches accountability around her role in the Red Chamber differently than most of her colleagues. Right out of the gates in this must-watch episode, Senator Simons opens up her own expense reports, talks about her Senate salary, and confronts her critics in the Real Talk live chat. 2:10 | Senator Simons talks supply managment and free trade, food security and soil, Medical Assistance in Dying, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, municipalities vs. provinces, and more in her signature candid fashion. PAULA'S ALBERTA VIEWS PIECE ON SOIL: https://albertaviews.ca/the-real-dirt-land/ Save 50% off a one-year subscription to Alberta Views with the promo code AVRJ! "CRITICAL GROUND" - SENATE REPORT ON SOIL: https://rtrj.info/071924CriticalGround 1:14:30 | The Sco's at odds with Adler, Paul cracks on our coverage, Kyle's angry at the liberals and "so-called centrists," and Merrick the Red Headed Prick says moral decay is alive and well. Real Talkers are alllllll fired up in this all-Trump edition of The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! FIRE UP YOUR FLAMETHROWER: talk@ryanjespersen.com When you beat the heat by grabbing a Blizzard at the DQs in Palisades, Namao, Newcastle, Westmount, and Baseline Road, be sure to tell 'em Real Talk sent you! Do you know a post-secondary student in Canada who's lost a parent to cancer? They could qualify to receive financial assistance from the Real Talk Julie Rohr Scholarship. Application deadline is August 1. APPLY FOR THE REAL TALK JULIE ROHR SCHOLARSHIP: https://ryanjespersen.com/scholarship FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM: @realtalkrj REAL TALK MERCH: https://ryanjespersen.com/merch RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE PERKS - BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: / ryanjespersen THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.
Senator Raymonde Saint-Germain talks to Peter Mazereeuw about the Senate reforms passed this spring, what will top the Red Chamber's agenda this fall, and gives a warning to the government about its use of omnibus bills.
Ep #180 with Mei Han, zheng player and composer. Mei Han grew up in China during the cultural revolution and her exposure to music was limited to propaganda songs praising Mao and the Communist Party. She started learning the ancient zheng which was considered to be a dying instrument. She directs a Chinese World Fusion Quartet called Red Chamber and has worked with musicians from all over the world. She even does Chinese bluegrass! On Facebook: /https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063982602329 On YouTube: •https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjCsinyQdEA&t=10s Podcast:
Resident Chef & Food Anthropologist, Dr Anna Trapido on some of the best Chinese food in the province and review Red Chamber; Hyde Park Corner, Corner Jan Smuts Avenue and William Nicol Drive, Hyde Park, Johannesburg; http://redchamber.co.za @redchamber_hydepark. (011) 325 6048.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Dream of the Red Chamber Book I by Xueqin Cao audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Dream of the Red Chamber Book II by Xueqin Cao audiobook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, Frauke sits down with University of Edinburgh Senior Lecturer and author Xuelei Huang to discuss her new book Scents of China: A Modern History of Smell. In the conversation she reveals a unique perspective on the smellscapes that permeated Chinese life from the eighteen through mid-twentieth century. Xuelei explains the concept of "smell as the stranger" and shares some of the rich olfactory imagery of 18th century China through references in the novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She then tells how nineteenth century Shanghai shows an exemplary depiction of deodorization, which started to happen at that time. And how a subsequent (re)perfuming changed the olfactory smellscape of China once again. Xuelei furthermore showcases the unique way Mao Zedong used olfactory tactics to transform politics in the early twentieth century. Whether you know a lot about Chinese history or not, this conversation will give you new perspectives and leave you longing to explore more. Learn more about Xuelei Huang here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/xuelei-huang Use this link to buy Xuelei's book: www.cambridge.org/9781009207041 and enter the code SOC2023 at checkout to get the 20% discount (valid until 31 May 2024). Visit Frauke's website www.anaromaticlife.com Follow Frauke on Instagram @an_aromatic_life Check out Frauke's Scent*Tattoo project: www.scenttattoo.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anaromaticlife/message
Let us know how you like it. https://open.firstory.me/user/cl3bgp1ow05tc01wo49pg3o4y/comments Hello everyone, welcome to『千里之外』(qiān lǐ zhī waì)! A Thousand Miles aims to teach Chinese idioms with historical background, fun facts, and engaging stories with culture perspectives for Chinese language learners or anyone who is interested in Chinese culture. We will start from the very beginning of ancient China, all the way until the modern era. Our 7th special edition was in a line spoken by one of the main characters of the novel - Dream of the Red Chamber. Qiān qí bǎi guài, which means an assortment of fantastical oddities. Episodes will be uploaded every Monday (English version) and Thursday (Chinese version) teaching the same idiom. Follow our Facebook ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/MandarinXorg/ Follow our Instagram ➡️ https://www.instagram.com/chineseidiomx/ Visit our website ➡️ https://www.mandarinx.com/ MandarinX online Chinese courses on edX ➡️ https://www.edx.org/school/mandarinx 千里之外 by Jay Chou ➡️ https://youtu.be/ocDo3ySyHSI Sponsor us ➡️ https://pay.firstory.me/user/cl3bgp1ow05tc01wo49pg3o4y Powered by Firstory Hosting
Host Peter Mazereeuw and Conservative Senator David Wells talk about a private member's bill proposing to expand a carbon tax carveout for farmers that has progressed despite opposition from the government, and sparked acrimony in the Red Chamber.
On today's show: we learn more about a carbon tax exemption for farmers that's fired up senators in the Red Chamber; Canada has 1.2 trillion dollars worth of debt. Should we be worried; season five of Fargo is now rolling, and we are joined by the show's set decorator, a Calgarian!
Information Morning Fredericton from CBC Radio New Brunswick (Highlights)
Krista Ross, former CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, is heading to the Red Chamber. She's one of three New Brunswickers appointed to the Senate yesterday.
Relebogile speaks to Emma Chen the Founder of Red Chamber about rediscovering authentic Chinese dining at Red Chamber.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Chapter 38 poetry review of Hong lou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber, Story of the Stone) continues!Note: as indicated in the episode, some “creative” post-production editing was performed in order to improve upon and to correct elements of our original commentary.Also note: The Greek painter whose name escapes Kevin in the episode is Parrhasius!Final note: The Leonard Cohen song briefly in question is "Tower of Song."
When Judy White was growing up in Flat Bay, she never imagined that one day she'd be sitting in the Upper Chamber of the Canadian Parliament. But last week, the Mi'kmaw lawyer was one of two new Senators appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Water Margin (水浒传) is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an(施耐庵).It is also translated as Outlaws of the Marsh or All Men Are Brothers. The story, which is set in the Northern Song dynasty (around 1120), tells of how a group of 108 outlaws gather at Liangshan (梁山)Marsh to rebel against the government. Later they are granted amnesty and enlisted by the government to resist the nomadic conquest of the Liao(辽) dynasty and other rebels. It is considered one of the masterpieces of early vernacular fiction and Chinese literature. It has introduced readers to many of the best-known characters in Chinese literature, such as Wu Song(武松), Lin Chong(林冲), Song Jiang(宋江) and Lu Zhishen(鲁智深) to name just a few. Water Margin also exerted a towering influence in the development of fiction elsewhere in East Asia, such as in Japanese literature.With us today is Professor. Andrew Plaks. He is Professor Emeritus of East Asian Studies and Comparative Literature at Princeton University. He is the author of Archetype and Allegory in the Dream of the Red Chamber as well as The Four Masterworks of the Ming Novel.Recommended Reading:Water MarginThe Four Masterworks of the Ming NovelThis podcast is sponsored by Riverside, the most efficient platform for video recording and editing for podcasters.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show
‘I felt that in action and in lore, one and all were far above me; that in spite of the majesty of my manliness, I could not, in point of fact, compare with these characters of the gentle sex'Share your feedback by email: thetranslatedchinesefictionpodcast@outlookAs this show draws only ten episodes short of its ascent to heavenly hiatus, let us call down from those lofty vapours a sad and beautiful tale, a story of a stone, The Dream of the Red Chamber. Musing with me in the aristocratic compound is another host: Annie Qu, a genuine Bilibili literati. Much like Cao Xueqin, I considered myself lucky to be in the presence of such a refined lady, as we discussed the continuing relevance of this classic of classics to ideas concerning high culture, gender norms, and all the frivolous imaginings we spend our brief lives upon.-// NEWS ITEMS //Zijin Chen's Bad Kids, translated by Michelle Deeter, gets a shortlist spotLu Xun short story Kong Yiji cited in PRC education/employment discussionsWatch: Jing Tsu's Asia society talk on Kingdom of Characters-// WORD OF THE DAY //(美 – měi – beauty/aesthetics)-// MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE //The Second Sex by Simone de BeauvoirXianqing Ou Ji and The Importance of LivingFamily by Ba Jinthe final 40 chapters controversyQing/Qi/Shu Hua: the four arts-// Handy TrChFic Links //Help Support TrChFic // Episode TranscriptsINSTAGRAM
Ep #149 with Mei Han, zheng player and composer. Mei Han grew up in China during the cultural revolution and her exposure to music was limited to propaganda songs praising Mao and the Communist Party. She started learning the ancient zheng which was considered to be a dying instrument. She directs a Chinese World Fusion Quartet called Red Chamber and has worked with musicians from all over the world. She even does Chinese bluegrass! On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100063982602329/videos/874407923666372 On YouTube: https://youtu.be/n67v6b7v8nI Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/hilljoy/ep-149-mei-han-zheng-player-and-composer A Worldsoul Records production derrikjordan.com
①Phase 4 of China's lunar exploration project moving at full throttle ②China's FAST telescope detects more than 740 pulsars ③Chinese travel agencies ready for outbound group travel rebound ④France awaits return of Chinese tourists ⑤Beijing to conduct COVID-19 antibody survey to optimize measures ⑥IOC chief hails 'impressive' legacy as Beijing 2022 marks one-year anniversary ⑦"Dream of the Red Chamber" staged as art on the toe
Yuhki Yamashita is Chief Product Officer at Figma. Prior to Figma, he was Head of Design of Uber's New Mobility efforts, and before that a product manager at Google and Microsoft. Adding to his impressive resume, Yuhki also taught introductory computer science at Harvard. In today's episode, we talk about operationalizing quality, the case against OKRs, and how Figma isn't just known for product-led growth, but also for building a community of empowered users. Yuhki also shares why he thinks storytelling is key to being a great product manager, owning the "why," and the potential impact of Adobe's acquisition of Figma.—Find the full transcript here: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/an-inside-look-at-how-figma-builds-product-yuhki-yamashita-cpo-of-figma/#transcript—Thank you to our wonderful sponsors for supporting this podcast:• Notion—One workspace. Every team: https://www.notion.com/lennyspod• Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security: https://vanta.com/lenny• Flatfile—A CSV importer that says yes instead of error: mismatch: https://www.flatfile.com/lenny—Where to find Yuhki Yamashita:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/yuhkiyam• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuhki/• Website: https://www.figma.com/@yuhki—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—Referenced:• Yuhki's guest post on Lenny's Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-figma-builds-product• Shishir Mehrotra on Lenny's Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rituals-of-great-teams-shishir-mehrotra-of/id1627920305?i=1000576021672• Five Why's template: https://www.figma.com/templates/5-whys-template/• Dylan Field on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zoink• Jeff Holden on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffholden• Figma: https://www.figma.com/• Friends of Figma: https://friends.figma.com/• Camille Ricketts on Lenny's Podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-notion-leveraged-community-to-build-a-10b-business-camille-ricketts-notion-first-round-capital/• Adobe Illustrator: https://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/campaign/pricing.html• Adobe Photoshop: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/• Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard: https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385528752/• The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber: https://www.amazon.com/Story-Stone-Dream-Chamber-Vol/dp/0140442936• Serial podcast: https://serialpodcast.org/• The Good Nurse on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81260083• FigJam: https://www.figma.com/figjam/• Asana: https://asana.com/• Slack: https://slack.com/• Notion: https://www.notion.so/• Dropbox Paper: https://www.dropbox.com/paper/start• Figma's Alignment Scale: https://www.figma.com/community/widget/1030848035996871692—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Yuhki's background(09:05) What Yuhki learned from being on a design team(10:29) Why managing designers is more difficult than managing product teams(12:20) Why storytelling is important for product managers(16:35) How to improve your storytelling skills (18:51) Why PMs need to know the “why” of the product they are managing(22:34) The importance of developing a community and strong customer relationships(26:13) How to use different types of feedback(28:11) Working with Dylan Field(32:44) Testing at Figma and the branching emerging feature(34:54) Why your entire company should be using your product(36:50) The importance of having personal accountability (38:48) Why Yuhki likes to stay out of the way of engineers fixing their own bugs(40:50) Yuhki's thoughts on OKRs and how they are used at Figma(48:40) Figma's interview process(51:45) How Figma's sales team works by creating human connections and empowering designers(54:57) How Figma built community and created organic growth(56:36) Advice for founders (58:57) The potential acquisition by Adobe and the future possibilities for Figma(1:01:42) Closing thoughts (1:03:44) Lightning round—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe
I recently caught a rare viewing of a 2001 Chinese film, Lan Yu. It tells the story of two gay men falling in love and finding domestic life throughout the reform and opening years of China. The filmmakers never bothered to apply for approval from the censors, knowing that its homosexual storyline would never make it past the moralistic Communist censors. On this episode, I take a look at the place of homosexuality in the traditional Chinese mindset and under these years of Communism. My guests are Zhang Yongning, the producer of Lan Yu, and Liu Yiling, a a writer covering Chinese society, technology and internet culture who has written about the the dating apps that millennial gay men now use. We discuss the homosexuality rooted in traditional Chinese literature, like Dreams of the Red Chamber, balanced against the Confucian need to procreate and pass on lineage. It turns out that, much like ancient Greece, the problem wasn't so much the gay sex so long as you still set up families and had children, Yongning says. With the influx of Christianity through missionaries, there took on a ‘pathological' view of homosexuality, more akin to the western homophobia, says Yiling. When it comes to political attitudes, Yiling makes the astute point that ‘Chinese history has always moved in patterns of fang shou (open and close)'. Under Communism, you might expect the kind of restrictive attitudes towards divergent lifestyles, but much of this had moved in more liberal ways since reform and opening, forming the backdrop to Lan Yu's story. Yet the sticking point is always whether these minority groups ask for political or civil rights. Unlike feminists under the MeToo movement which has been shut down by the government, gays haven't united politically. ‘If they start asking for rights, then they will be in huge trouble', Yongning says. We don't get much time to talk about other LGBT communities, but I'll certainly come back to those in future episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, you can now register your interest for an upcoming Chinese Whispers newsletter, at www.spectator.co.uk/whispers. It'll be everything you love about the podcast.
I recently caught a rare viewing of a 2001 Chinese film, Lan Yu. It tells the story of two gay men falling in love and finding domestic life throughout the reform and opening years of China. The filmmakers never bothered to apply for approval from the censors, knowing that its homosexual storyline would never make it past the moralistic Communist censors. On this episode, I take a look at the place of homosexuality in the traditional Chinese mindset and under these years of Communism. My guests are Zhang Yongning, the producer of Lan Yu, and Liu Yiling, a a writer covering Chinese society, technology and internet culture who has written about the the dating apps that millennial gay men now use. We discuss the homosexuality rooted in traditional Chinese literature, like Dreams of the Red Chamber, balanced against the Confucian need to procreate and pass on lineage. It turns out that, much like ancient Greece, the problem wasn't so much the gay sex so long as you still set up families and had children, Yongning says. With the influx of Christianity through missionaries, there took on a ‘pathological' view of homosexuality, more akin to the western homophobia, says Yiling. When it comes to political attitudes, Yiling makes the astute point that ‘Chinese history has always moved in patterns of fang shou (open and close)'. Under Communism, you might expect the kind of restrictive attitudes towards divergent lifestyles, but much of this had moved in more liberal ways since reform and opening, forming the backdrop to Lan Yu's story. Yet the sticking point is always whether these minority groups ask for political or civil rights. Unlike feminists under the MeToo movement which has been shut down by the government, gays haven't united politically. ‘If they start asking for rights, then they will be in huge trouble', Yongning says. We don't get much time to talk about other LGBT communities, but I'll certainly come back to those in future episodes. If you enjoy this podcast, you can now register your interest for an upcoming Chinese Whispers newsletter, at www.spectator.co.uk/whispers. It'll be everything you love about the podcast.
Time to choose: do you believe in the marriage of gold and jade, or do you believe in the marriage of stone and flower? Check out part 1 of our discussion of chapter 36 of Dream of the Red Chamber, or The Story of the Stone.
Senator Vern White is leaving the Red Chamber and moving to Finland to be with his family. He spoke with The Hot Room about his decade in the Senate and what's next for him.
The CSP is back for another season. We're coming out of the starting gate nice and strong for the Sixth Season opener with one of the great all-time classics: Point at the Mulberry Tree and Scold the Locust Tree. Zhǐ Sāng Mà Huái 指桑骂槐. This one has a double provenance, coming to us from both The Thirty-Six Strategems and Dream of the Red Chamber. This Chinese Saying is quite useful and strongly favored by lovers of the art of passive aggression. Nine more good ones lined up for this season. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The CSP is back for another season. We're coming out of the starting gate nice and strong for the Sixth Season opener with one of the great all-time classics: Point at the Mulberry Tree and Scold the Locust Tree. Zhǐ Sāng Mà Huái 指桑骂槐. This one has a double provenance, coming to us from both The Thirty-Six Strategems and Dream of the Red Chamber. This Chinese Saying is quite useful and strongly favored by lovers of the art of passive aggression. Nine more good ones lined up for this season. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The CSP is back for another season. We're coming out of the starting gate nice and strong for the Sixth Season opener with one of the great all-time classics: Point at the Mulberry Tree and Scold the Locust Tree. Zhǐ Sāng Mà Huái 指桑骂槐. This one has a double provenance, coming to us from both The Thirty-Six Strategems and Dream of the Red Chamber. This Chinese Saying is quite useful and strongly favored by lovers of the art of passive aggression. Nine more good ones lined up for this season. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The CSP is back for another season. We're coming out of the starting gate nice and strong for the Sixth Season opener with one of the great all-time classics: Point at the Mulberry Tree and Scold the Locust Tree. Zhǐ Sāng Mà Huái 指桑骂槐. This one has a double provenance, coming to us from both The Thirty-Six Strategems and Dream of the Red Chamber. This Chinese Saying is quite useful and strongly favored by lovers of the art of passive aggression. Nine more good ones lined up for this season. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 87:This week we're finishing On Practice and Contradiction by Mao ZedongThe two halves of the book are available online here:https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-1/mswv1_16.htmhttps://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-1/mswv1_17.htmThe previous episode that already covered chapter 2 of this book can be found here:https://www.abnormalmapping.com/leftist-reading-rss/2020/8/31/guest-leftist-reading-oppose-book-worship[Part 1]1. A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire[Bonus 1, from the archives]2. Oppose Book Worship[Part 2]3. On Practice: On the Relation between Knowledge and Practice, between Knowing and Doing[Part 3 - 6]4. On Contradiction [Part 6]5. Combat Liberalism6. The Chinese People Cannot Be Cowed by the Atom Bomb7. US Imperialism Is a Paper Tiger[Part 7]8. Concerning Stalin's Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR9. Critique of Stalin's Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR[Part 8]10. On the Correct Handling of Contradictions among the PeopleSection 1-2[Part 9]Section 3-8[Part 10]Section 9-1211. Where Do Correct Ideas Come From?[Part 11]12. Talk on Questions of Philosophy[Part 12 - This Week]12. Talk on Questions of PhilosophySecond Reading - 00:22Discussion - 24:55Footnotes:27) 00:34Ai Ssu-chti (c. 1910–66) was, at the time of his death, Vice-President of the Higher Party School. He was one of the Party's leading philosophical spokesmen, who had translated works on dialectical materialism from the Russian, and written many books and articles which aimed to make Marxism accessible to the masses. On 1 November 1964 he published an article in People's Daily attacking Yang Hsien-chen, the ‘bourgeois' philosopher Mao refers to earlier in this talk in connection with the principle of ‘two combining into one'.28) 03:54The metaphor of ‘dissecting a sparrow' is an applied theory and a work method to acquire knowledge and sum up experiences. Instead of attempting to generalize about a vast number of repetitions of a phenomenon, this work method advocates the in-depth analysis, thorough study and investigation of a prototype, and a summing-up experience through such analysis. The slogan is derived from the common saying, ‘while a sparrow is small, it contains all the vital organs'. Here, Mao makes the point that, in the broader international context, China as a whole is a microcosm of the problems of revolution in the world today.29) 05:27Leng Tzu-hsing discourses on the mansion of the Duke of Jung-kuo in chapter 2 of The Story of the Stone. The ‘Talisman for Officials' was a list of the rich and influential families in the area which the former novice from the Bottle-Gourd Temple said every official should carry in order to avoid offending them and thereby wrecking his career.30) 06:33For Comrade Mao's criticisms on this matter see ‘Letter Concerning the Dream of the Red Chamber' (Selected Works, vol. V, pp. 150–51), ‘On Criticising Longloumeng yuanjia' (Selected Works, vol. V, pp. 293–94). For Mao's criticism of Yü P'ing-po see ‘Letter Concerning the Study of the Dream of the Red Chamber', 16 October 1954, Selected Works, vol. V. Wang K'un-lun was Vice-Mayor of Peking in the 1950s.31) 06:36Ho Ch'i-fang (1911—), a lyric poet and powerful figure in the literary world, had defended Yü P'ing-po up to a point at the time of the campaign against him in 1954, saying that Yü was wrong in his interpretation of the Dream of the Red Chamber, but politically loyal. He himself came under attack at the time of the Great Leap Forward.32) 06:41Wu Shih-ch'ang's work on this subject has been translated into English: On ‘The Red Chamber Dream', Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1961.33) 07:01Mao's statement here concords with the views of Lu Hsün.34) 07:55The figures Mao gives here, as he shifts to the present and calls to mind the final showdown with the Kuomintang, are those at the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War rather than those at the beginning of the renewed civil war in 1946, when the People's Liberation Army had grown to at least half a million men.35) 09:28In January 1949, General Fu Tso-i, commanding the nationalist garrison in Peiping (as it was then called), surrendered the city without a fight to avoid useless destruction. He subsequently became Minister of Water Conservancy in the Peking government.36) 11:05The legendary Emperor Shen Nung is said to have taught the art of agriculture in the third millennium BC, and in particular to have discovered the medicinal properties of plants.37) 14:30The Lung Shan and Yang Shao cultures, located respectively in northeastern and north-western China, were the two most remarkable cultures of the neolithic period. As Mao indicates, they are particularly noted for their pottery.38) 16:18The book called the Chuang-tzu, which was probably composed only in part by the man of the same name who lived in the second half of the fourth century BC, is not only one of the classic texts of Taoism (with the Lao-tzu and the Book of Changes), but one of the greatest literary masterpieces in the history of China.39) 22:23Sakata Shiyouchi, a Japanese physicist from the University of Nagoya, holds that ‘elementary particles are a single, material, differentiated and limitless category which make up the natural order'. An article by him expounding these views was published in Red Flag in June 1965.40) 22:55Mao is apparently referring to a collection of essays published by Jen Chi-yü in 1963, and reprinted in 1973: Han Tang fo-chiao ssu-hsiang lun chi (Collected Essays on Buddhist Thought in the Han and T'ang Dynasties). In these studies, he quotes from Lenin at considerable length regarding dialectics.41) 23:06T'ang Yung-t'ung (1892–1964), whom Jen Chi-yü acknowledges as his teacher, was the leading historian of Buddhism, who had written on Chinese Buddhism under the Han, Wei, Chin, and Northern and Southern dynasties, on the history of Indian thought, etc. He was Dean of the Humanities at Peking University from 1948 until he fell ill in 1954.42) 23:24Under the influence of Ch'an Buddhism (better known under its Japanese name of Zen), Chinese philosophers of the Sung and Ming dynasties, of whom Chu Hsi (1130–1200) is the most famous, developed a synthesis between Confucianism and Buddhism in which a central role is played by the concept li (principle or reason), commonly known as Neo-Confucianism. For a Chinese view of the relations between these schools basically similar to Mao's, see Hou Wai-lu, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, Peking, Foreign Languages Press, 1959, pp. 33–51. For an interpretation by a Western specialist, see H. G. Creel, Chinese Thought from Confucius to Mao Zedong, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, and London, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1953, Ch. 10.43) 24:06Han Yü and Liu Tsung-yüan. Han Yü sought to recreate the simplicity of the classical period, while avoiding excessive archaism. The slogan about ‘learning from their ideas' quoted by Mao refers to this aim of seeking inspiration from the ancient Confucian sages, while avoiding outmoded forms of expression. He adopted a critical attitude towards Buddhism, but nonetheless borrowed some ideas from it. Liu Tsung-yüan, whom Mao calls here by his literary name of Liu Tzu-hou, was a close friend of Han Yü.44) 24:17Liu Tsung-yüan's essay T'ien Tui (Heaven Answers) undertook to answer the questions about the origin and nature of the universe raised by Ch'ü Yüan in his poem T'ien Wen (Heaven Asks). The latter is translated under the title ‘The Riddles' in Li Sao and Other Poems of Chu Yuan. It is, as Mao says, suggestive but extremely obscure.
A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide (Columbia UP, 2021), co-authored by Susan Chan Egan and Pai Hsien-yung (Columbia University Press, 2021), is a straightforward guide to the Chinese literary classic, The Story of the Stone (also known as Dream of the Red Chamber), that was written at a time when readers had plenty of leisure to sort through the hundreds of characters and half a dozen subplots that weave in and out of the book's 120 chapters. The Story of the Stone is widely held to be the greatest work of Chinese literature, beloved by readers ever since it was first published in 1791. The story revolves around the young scion of a mighty clan who, instead of studying for the civil service examinations, frolics with his maidservants and girl cousins. The narrative is cast within a mythic framework in which the protagonist's rebellion against Confucian strictures is guided by a Buddhist monk and a Taoist priest. Embedded in the novel is a biting critique of imperial China's political and social system. Each chapter of A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide summarizes and comments on each chapter of the novel. The companion provides English-speaking readers—whether they are simply dipping into this novel or intent on a deep analysis of this masterpiece—with the cultural context to enjoy the story and understand its world. The book is keyed to David Hawkes and John Minford's English translation of The Story of the Stone and includes an index that gives the original Chinese names and terms. Susan Chan Egan is an independent scholar. She is the author of A Latterday Confucian: Reminiscences of William Hung (1893–1980) (1987), coauthor of A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit: The Half-Century Romance of Hu Shi and Edith Clifford Williams (2009), and cotranslator of Wang Anyi's The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai (Columbia, 2008), among other books. Pai Hsien-yung (Bai Xianyong) is an acclaimed fiction writer and a professor emeritus of East Asian languages and cultural studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His books include Taipei People (1971) and Crystal Boys (1983). He has taught The Story of the Stone for decades and is the author of a popular three-volume guide in Chinese on which this book is based. Linshan Jiang is Ph.D. candidate in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests are modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide (Columbia UP, 2021), co-authored by Susan Chan Egan and Pai Hsien-yung (Columbia University Press, 2021), is a straightforward guide to the Chinese literary classic, The Story of the Stone (also known as Dream of the Red Chamber), that was written at a time when readers had plenty of leisure to sort through the hundreds of characters and half a dozen subplots that weave in and out of the book's 120 chapters. The Story of the Stone is widely held to be the greatest work of Chinese literature, beloved by readers ever since it was first published in 1791. The story revolves around the young scion of a mighty clan who, instead of studying for the civil service examinations, frolics with his maidservants and girl cousins. The narrative is cast within a mythic framework in which the protagonist's rebellion against Confucian strictures is guided by a Buddhist monk and a Taoist priest. Embedded in the novel is a biting critique of imperial China's political and social system. Each chapter of A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide summarizes and comments on each chapter of the novel. The companion provides English-speaking readers—whether they are simply dipping into this novel or intent on a deep analysis of this masterpiece—with the cultural context to enjoy the story and understand its world. The book is keyed to David Hawkes and John Minford's English translation of The Story of the Stone and includes an index that gives the original Chinese names and terms. Susan Chan Egan is an independent scholar. She is the author of A Latterday Confucian: Reminiscences of William Hung (1893–1980) (1987), coauthor of A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit: The Half-Century Romance of Hu Shi and Edith Clifford Williams (2009), and cotranslator of Wang Anyi's The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai (Columbia, 2008), among other books. Pai Hsien-yung (Bai Xianyong) is an acclaimed fiction writer and a professor emeritus of East Asian languages and cultural studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His books include Taipei People (1971) and Crystal Boys (1983). He has taught The Story of the Stone for decades and is the author of a popular three-volume guide in Chinese on which this book is based. Linshan Jiang is Ph.D. candidate in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests are modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history
A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide (Columbia UP, 2021), co-authored by Susan Chan Egan and Pai Hsien-yung (Columbia University Press, 2021), is a straightforward guide to the Chinese literary classic, The Story of the Stone (also known as Dream of the Red Chamber), that was written at a time when readers had plenty of leisure to sort through the hundreds of characters and half a dozen subplots that weave in and out of the book's 120 chapters. The Story of the Stone is widely held to be the greatest work of Chinese literature, beloved by readers ever since it was first published in 1791. The story revolves around the young scion of a mighty clan who, instead of studying for the civil service examinations, frolics with his maidservants and girl cousins. The narrative is cast within a mythic framework in which the protagonist's rebellion against Confucian strictures is guided by a Buddhist monk and a Taoist priest. Embedded in the novel is a biting critique of imperial China's political and social system. Each chapter of A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide summarizes and comments on each chapter of the novel. The companion provides English-speaking readers—whether they are simply dipping into this novel or intent on a deep analysis of this masterpiece—with the cultural context to enjoy the story and understand its world. The book is keyed to David Hawkes and John Minford's English translation of The Story of the Stone and includes an index that gives the original Chinese names and terms. Susan Chan Egan is an independent scholar. She is the author of A Latterday Confucian: Reminiscences of William Hung (1893–1980) (1987), coauthor of A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit: The Half-Century Romance of Hu Shi and Edith Clifford Williams (2009), and cotranslator of Wang Anyi's The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai (Columbia, 2008), among other books. Pai Hsien-yung (Bai Xianyong) is an acclaimed fiction writer and a professor emeritus of East Asian languages and cultural studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His books include Taipei People (1971) and Crystal Boys (1983). He has taught The Story of the Stone for decades and is the author of a popular three-volume guide in Chinese on which this book is based. Linshan Jiang is Ph.D. candidate in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests are modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies
A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide (Columbia UP, 2021), co-authored by Susan Chan Egan and Pai Hsien-yung (Columbia University Press, 2021), is a straightforward guide to the Chinese literary classic, The Story of the Stone (also known as Dream of the Red Chamber), that was written at a time when readers had plenty of leisure to sort through the hundreds of characters and half a dozen subplots that weave in and out of the book's 120 chapters. The Story of the Stone is widely held to be the greatest work of Chinese literature, beloved by readers ever since it was first published in 1791. The story revolves around the young scion of a mighty clan who, instead of studying for the civil service examinations, frolics with his maidservants and girl cousins. The narrative is cast within a mythic framework in which the protagonist's rebellion against Confucian strictures is guided by a Buddhist monk and a Taoist priest. Embedded in the novel is a biting critique of imperial China's political and social system. Each chapter of A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide summarizes and comments on each chapter of the novel. The companion provides English-speaking readers—whether they are simply dipping into this novel or intent on a deep analysis of this masterpiece—with the cultural context to enjoy the story and understand its world. The book is keyed to David Hawkes and John Minford's English translation of The Story of the Stone and includes an index that gives the original Chinese names and terms. Susan Chan Egan is an independent scholar. She is the author of A Latterday Confucian: Reminiscences of William Hung (1893–1980) (1987), coauthor of A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit: The Half-Century Romance of Hu Shi and Edith Clifford Williams (2009), and cotranslator of Wang Anyi's The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai (Columbia, 2008), among other books. Pai Hsien-yung (Bai Xianyong) is an acclaimed fiction writer and a professor emeritus of East Asian languages and cultural studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His books include Taipei People (1971) and Crystal Boys (1983). He has taught The Story of the Stone for decades and is the author of a popular three-volume guide in Chinese on which this book is based. Linshan Jiang is Ph.D. candidate in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests are modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies
A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide (Columbia UP, 2021), co-authored by Susan Chan Egan and Pai Hsien-yung (Columbia University Press, 2021), is a straightforward guide to the Chinese literary classic, The Story of the Stone (also known as Dream of the Red Chamber), that was written at a time when readers had plenty of leisure to sort through the hundreds of characters and half a dozen subplots that weave in and out of the book's 120 chapters. The Story of the Stone is widely held to be the greatest work of Chinese literature, beloved by readers ever since it was first published in 1791. The story revolves around the young scion of a mighty clan who, instead of studying for the civil service examinations, frolics with his maidservants and girl cousins. The narrative is cast within a mythic framework in which the protagonist's rebellion against Confucian strictures is guided by a Buddhist monk and a Taoist priest. Embedded in the novel is a biting critique of imperial China's political and social system. Each chapter of A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide summarizes and comments on each chapter of the novel. The companion provides English-speaking readers—whether they are simply dipping into this novel or intent on a deep analysis of this masterpiece—with the cultural context to enjoy the story and understand its world. The book is keyed to David Hawkes and John Minford's English translation of The Story of the Stone and includes an index that gives the original Chinese names and terms. Susan Chan Egan is an independent scholar. She is the author of A Latterday Confucian: Reminiscences of William Hung (1893–1980) (1987), coauthor of A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit: The Half-Century Romance of Hu Shi and Edith Clifford Williams (2009), and cotranslator of Wang Anyi's The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai (Columbia, 2008), among other books. Pai Hsien-yung (Bai Xianyong) is an acclaimed fiction writer and a professor emeritus of East Asian languages and cultural studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His books include Taipei People (1971) and Crystal Boys (1983). He has taught The Story of the Stone for decades and is the author of a popular three-volume guide in Chinese on which this book is based. Linshan Jiang is Ph.D. candidate in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests are modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature
A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide (Columbia UP, 2021), co-authored by Susan Chan Egan and Pai Hsien-yung (Columbia University Press, 2021), is a straightforward guide to the Chinese literary classic, The Story of the Stone (also known as Dream of the Red Chamber), that was written at a time when readers had plenty of leisure to sort through the hundreds of characters and half a dozen subplots that weave in and out of the book's 120 chapters. The Story of the Stone is widely held to be the greatest work of Chinese literature, beloved by readers ever since it was first published in 1791. The story revolves around the young scion of a mighty clan who, instead of studying for the civil service examinations, frolics with his maidservants and girl cousins. The narrative is cast within a mythic framework in which the protagonist's rebellion against Confucian strictures is guided by a Buddhist monk and a Taoist priest. Embedded in the novel is a biting critique of imperial China's political and social system. Each chapter of A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide summarizes and comments on each chapter of the novel. The companion provides English-speaking readers—whether they are simply dipping into this novel or intent on a deep analysis of this masterpiece—with the cultural context to enjoy the story and understand its world. The book is keyed to David Hawkes and John Minford's English translation of The Story of the Stone and includes an index that gives the original Chinese names and terms. Susan Chan Egan is an independent scholar. She is the author of A Latterday Confucian: Reminiscences of William Hung (1893–1980) (1987), coauthor of A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit: The Half-Century Romance of Hu Shi and Edith Clifford Williams (2009), and cotranslator of Wang Anyi's The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai (Columbia, 2008), among other books. Pai Hsien-yung (Bai Xianyong) is an acclaimed fiction writer and a professor emeritus of East Asian languages and cultural studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His books include Taipei People (1971) and Crystal Boys (1983). He has taught The Story of the Stone for decades and is the author of a popular three-volume guide in Chinese on which this book is based. Linshan Jiang is Ph.D. candidate in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests are modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history
A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide (Columbia UP, 2021), co-authored by Susan Chan Egan and Pai Hsien-yung (Columbia University Press, 2021), is a straightforward guide to the Chinese literary classic, The Story of the Stone (also known as Dream of the Red Chamber), that was written at a time when readers had plenty of leisure to sort through the hundreds of characters and half a dozen subplots that weave in and out of the book's 120 chapters. The Story of the Stone is widely held to be the greatest work of Chinese literature, beloved by readers ever since it was first published in 1791. The story revolves around the young scion of a mighty clan who, instead of studying for the civil service examinations, frolics with his maidservants and girl cousins. The narrative is cast within a mythic framework in which the protagonist's rebellion against Confucian strictures is guided by a Buddhist monk and a Taoist priest. Embedded in the novel is a biting critique of imperial China's political and social system. Each chapter of A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide summarizes and comments on each chapter of the novel. The companion provides English-speaking readers—whether they are simply dipping into this novel or intent on a deep analysis of this masterpiece—with the cultural context to enjoy the story and understand its world. The book is keyed to David Hawkes and John Minford's English translation of The Story of the Stone and includes an index that gives the original Chinese names and terms. Susan Chan Egan is an independent scholar. She is the author of A Latterday Confucian: Reminiscences of William Hung (1893–1980) (1987), coauthor of A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit: The Half-Century Romance of Hu Shi and Edith Clifford Williams (2009), and cotranslator of Wang Anyi's The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai (Columbia, 2008), among other books. Pai Hsien-yung (Bai Xianyong) is an acclaimed fiction writer and a professor emeritus of East Asian languages and cultural studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His books include Taipei People (1971) and Crystal Boys (1983). He has taught The Story of the Stone for decades and is the author of a popular three-volume guide in Chinese on which this book is based. Linshan Jiang is Ph.D. candidate in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests are modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide (Columbia UP, 2021), co-authored by Susan Chan Egan and Pai Hsien-yung (Columbia University Press, 2021), is a straightforward guide to the Chinese literary classic, The Story of the Stone (also known as Dream of the Red Chamber), that was written at a time when readers had plenty of leisure to sort through the hundreds of characters and half a dozen subplots that weave in and out of the book's 120 chapters. The Story of the Stone is widely held to be the greatest work of Chinese literature, beloved by readers ever since it was first published in 1791. The story revolves around the young scion of a mighty clan who, instead of studying for the civil service examinations, frolics with his maidservants and girl cousins. The narrative is cast within a mythic framework in which the protagonist's rebellion against Confucian strictures is guided by a Buddhist monk and a Taoist priest. Embedded in the novel is a biting critique of imperial China's political and social system. Each chapter of A Companion to The Story of the Stone: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide summarizes and comments on each chapter of the novel. The companion provides English-speaking readers—whether they are simply dipping into this novel or intent on a deep analysis of this masterpiece—with the cultural context to enjoy the story and understand its world. The book is keyed to David Hawkes and John Minford's English translation of The Story of the Stone and includes an index that gives the original Chinese names and terms. Susan Chan Egan is an independent scholar. She is the author of A Latterday Confucian: Reminiscences of William Hung (1893–1980) (1987), coauthor of A Pragmatist and His Free Spirit: The Half-Century Romance of Hu Shi and Edith Clifford Williams (2009), and cotranslator of Wang Anyi's The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai (Columbia, 2008), among other books. Pai Hsien-yung (Bai Xianyong) is an acclaimed fiction writer and a professor emeritus of East Asian languages and cultural studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His books include Taipei People (1971) and Crystal Boys (1983). He has taught The Story of the Stone for decades and is the author of a popular three-volume guide in Chinese on which this book is based. Linshan Jiang is Ph.D. candidate in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests are modern and contemporary literature, film, and popular culture in mainland China, Taiwan and Japan; trauma and memory studies; gender and sexuality studies; queer studies; as well as comparative literature and translation studies.
What meaning could reside in a hairpin? When is a hairpin a pen, and which character is being written? Would a false Xi Shi 西施 dream of real roses? Part 2 of our discussion of Chapter 30 of "Dream of the Red Chamber" Hong lou meng 紅樓夢, "Story of the Stone" (石頭記).
Plays within plays, and a meta-cognitive dispute! Is every jade tear still a microcosm? Do two false representations make one shared reality? Part 2 of our discussion of Chapter 29 of Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓夢，红楼梦), Story of the Stone (石头记).
From the Halls of Power to the Halls of the Upper Chamber. Mike Duffy career started at a local newspaper in his home province of Prince Edward Island. From his start at Club 62 in PEI, to his rise to the Red Chamber in Ottawa, we chat with retired Senator Mike Duffy about his career, his thoughts on journalism, and he talks about the 2012 expense scandal that had him under the microscope. Duffy in his first interview since leaving office talks about his career, and his thoughts on some of the most power players in the Ottawa Bubble. Be sure to tune in and listen to this great interview. If you like what you hear and want to keep the show going consider sponsoring the show at https://www.patreon.com/CrossBoderInterviewPodcast Follow the Cross Border Interview Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossborderpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrossBorderPod Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrossBorderInterviewPodcast Website: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI2i25ZVKTO84oUsLyO4jig Miranda, Brown & Associates Inc. © 2021
In this episode we broach one of the most central questions of Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢 — why bury fallen flowers? Attempting to answer this question, we discuss cuckoos, mottled bamboo, the end of spring, cold pillows, inner chambers, and tears of blood. We also touch upon the relationship between interpretative spaces and values to live by.
A time of danger, with molten wax and curses raining down on Baoyu! We discuss Aunt Zhao's resentment, Mother Ma's sesame oil subscription service, and the sublime, surprising role of the supernatural in this chapter of Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has decided that Alberta should hold a Senate election— and Progress Alberta's Executive Director, Duncan Kinney, has answered the call. Duncan joins Team Advantage to discuss the rich history of Senatorial activism, declares his support for Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism, and weighs in on the important issues facing Canada's chamber of sober second thought. Follow Duncan @duncankinney and support his campaign at kinney4senate.ca
In this episode, we finish our read-through of Baoyu's seasonal poems, empathizing common themes and images. Meanwhile Baoyu has newly procured scandalous romantic literature and has snuck a few texts into the garden, including the famous Xixiang ji 西廂記 Romance of the Western Chamber. Join us for one of the most iconic moments of Dream of the Red Chamber, Baoyu and Daiyu comparing different methods for taking care of fallen flowers. What undercurrents can be traced? What explosions of love and life are here represented and sublimated?
In our coverage of the second half of Chapter 22 of Dream of the Red Chamber, we focus on the infidelities of Jia Lian and the dynamics of his marriage with Xifeng. Observing a ritually-prescribed separation from Xifeng on account of his daughter's recovery from smallpox, Jia Lian has the opportunity to bed another occupant of the Jia compound known for her promiscuity. Patience's discovery of an artifact of this affair places her in a difficult situation, facing suspicions and aggression both from a mistress and her excitable husband.
Bible Study with Jairus - Ruth The book of Ruth is comprised of only four short chapters, but it's a very important book in the Bible. It serves as a link between the past and the future. It's preceded by the historical account of chaotic Israel in the book of Judges for hundreds of years or more. It's a cycle in which the Israelites turned their backs on God and therefore God judged them, and then they repented and prayed for God's help, so God saved them. In summary, the scene of Judges is not very good. The book after Ruth is Samuel. It describes the birth of David and the wonderful work God did through David. Ruth was a Moabite gentile. She married Boaz, the descendant of Tamar and Judah (Salmon, the father of Boaz by Rahab). Boaz is the father of Obed. Obed is the father of Jesse, and Jesse is the father of King David (NIV, Matthew 1:5-6). Matthew's genealogy looks very simple, but it's the condensed version of the entire Old Testament. If you want to figure out this genealogy, you need to be familiar with the history of the Israelites in the entire Old Testament. Similarly, Ruth's short description at the beginning tells us that in the days when the judges ruled, Israel suffered a famine. Naomi's husband Elimelek left Bethlehem in Judah and lived in the country of Moab. In the end, Elimelek and his two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, died. These first three verses have simply recorded this story. Actually, this is a condensed summary of the history of the Judges. The history of the Judges is like a severe cold winter, with dead twigs and withered leaves everywhere. But when the earth is in a severe cold winter, new life will be born underground, just waiting for the spring to come. It's just like the budding plum blossom in China. The Bible is written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I often say that the Holy Spirit is the best playwright and creator in the world. The picture painted by the Holy Spirit in the book of Ruth is like the author of traditional Chinese ink painting. Now there are a few black dead twigs on the Xuan paper. It doesn't look that lively, but it didn't take long for God to draw a few bright red and beautiful plum blossoms, making this painting radiant. The dark period of the Judge's is like the dead twigs of this Chinese ink painting. The story of Ruth's wonderful salvation is like the blooming of plum blossoms. Although the weather is still severe and cold, the plum blossom is starting to bloom and spring has already arrived. Ruth is this plum blossom, proclaiming the Savior of mankind. Jesus Christ is coming soon in a few more generations. Isn't this exciting? If you were a prophet in the Old Testament or Simeon or Anna who were looking forward to the coming of Jesus Christ in the temple, can you imagine how exciting it will be to see this picture? Ruth the mother of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David, and Jesus Christ, the descendant of David, are coming soon. Although it can't happen overnight, a definite date has already been arranged. It's a pity that most people don't have such prophetic vision. They see the savage darkness and the raging winter instead. Chinese poet Hai Zi said, "The night has given me dark eyes but I use them to look for light." I am not familiar with Hai Zi's poems, but a good friend of mine who graduated from Beijing Normal University is a fan of him. He told me about Hai Zi's poems and the story of Hai Zi's suicide. I don't understand what kind of pain causes a person to commit suicide. I can only say that Hai Zi did not live out the ideals written by his poems. Darkness is temporary. As John says, darkness never overcomes the light (NIV, John 1:5). Dawn is actually very near you when you're in your darkest hour. The footsteps of spring have already come secretly even in the harshest winter season. The book of Judges is like a cold, dark winter. Ruth's appearance depicts a blooming plum blossom before spring. In our speed reading this time, we've painted this beautiful picture. I hope to briefly review the contents of our Bible Study. God's Judgment brought Redemption I have always said that God's judgment is not the aim, but a means to bring redemption. Many people misunderstand God's thoughts and imagine God as a fierce God. Elimelech and his two sons died because of God's judgment. Of course, Naomi felt bitter. The name Naomi means blessings from God. Her life was bitter to the point where she even returned to the country of Judah and told other Israelites, “Don't call me Naomi, call me Mara for my life is bitter.” (Ruth, 1:20). My wife and I have suffered the painful experience of ten years of infertility. The process is really bitter. The quarrels, struggles, tears, and pain experienced is unimaginable for those who have never experienced it. Another couple who participated in our Bible Study at that time was also infertile for many years. One day, the wife said to us that she felt that God had done nothing but deprive her. Everything that others have, she doesn't. Coupled with other difficulties in life, she felt like Naomi who called herself Mara, which meant bitter (Of course, she had a son and a daughter afterward; we also have our miracle daughter). Thinking back, we really learned a lot of lessons. We should keep our eyes open and see the hope ahead of us when we're in difficult circumstances. Naomi represents our old man, Ruth represents our new man Actually, saying that Naomi represents our old man is not very accurate, or perhaps it's too early to say that. Because the thing that should be said first is that Elimelech and his two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, represent our old man. They have been killed by God's judgment. But Naomi can represent the struggles of our old man in our spiritual experience. We all know that once we are saved, our old man is crucified with Christ. But in experience, our old man is still alive. From the spiritual reality, our old man is indeed dead. But in terms of spiritual experience, our old man still needs to be conformed to the death of Christ. In the process, our old man will inevitably complain. This is Naomi's experience. Ruth represents our new man. While Naomi had experienced death, life was started in Ruth, and it resulted in producing a descendant, which was Obed. Although this child was Ruth's, people said that he was Naomi's child, because Naomi became his nurse. Naomi's and Ruth's experiences are actually together, or we can say that a person's two different experiences, when intertwined, produce a new man in the end. I heard that the author of the book "Dream of the Red Chamber" sometimes applied the story of the same person on different characters. The Holy Spirit often used this writing technique when writing the Bible. It often separates and puts the spiritual experience that one person had on different people. If you have spiritual comprehension, you will be able to understand that they are actually one person, or that the experience of these people can actually be a person's different spiritual experience. For example, the Bible records that the families of Saul and David had been fighting for a long time. This experience can represent the battle between a person's old and new man. In the end, of course, the new man represented by David won. Similarly, the experience of Naomi and Ruth here is intertwined, showing us a picture of how the new and old man reacts differently to things. For example, in facing God's judgment, the old man Naomi said that the Almighty has made my life very bitter (NIV, Ruth 1:20). But the new man Ruth lay at the feet of Boaz (who represents Christ), like Mary of Bethany. The old man Naomi said, “Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?” (NIV, Ruth 1:11). The new man Ruth said, “Unless death can separate me from you, where you go I will go, your God will be my God”. (NIV, 1:16). The old man Naomi complained that her life was bitter so she let people call her Mara. But the new man Ruth never complained. She did not complain that her husband died. She also did not complain that she was born a Moabite. In Deuteronomy 23:3 God said: “No Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, not even in the tenth generation.” (NIV, Deuteronomy 23:3). If she lived today, she would have a lot to complain about, such as: "I was born the wrong color, my race was cursed, my husband has even died etc," But in the entire book of Ruth, you don't hear any complaints from her. Her words and behavior are very much like what Peter said, "Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." (NIV, 1 Peter 3:4) Naomi also represents the Holy Spirit, Ruth represents the bride I mentioned earlier that the Holy Spirit often puts different experiences that a person can have on different people when writing the Bible. In addition, the Holy Spirit often uses the same person, things, or events to represent different spiritual things or experiences. For example, the simplest example is that the Bible uses a lion to describe the Lion of the tribe of Judah - Jesus Christ. It also uses a lion to describe the devil who prowls around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Here, in addition to representing the old man, Naomi also represents the Holy Spirit. Ruth represents the bride, and Boaz represents Christ. We know that Abraham's old servant represents the Holy Spirit. He finds Isaac (who represents Christ) a bride named Rebekah. He beautified the bride (gave Rebekah a lot of earrings, nose rings, and other ornaments), and used camels (representing an unclean environment that is a tool in the hands of God) to bring Rebekah to the tent of Isaac. We also know that the eunuch in the book of Esther also represents the Holy Spirit. Not only did he help select Esther, but he also supplied her with anointing oil, so that she could receive beauty treatments (ointments and perfumes), thus exuding the fragrance of (Christ), letting the king (who represents Christ) to be delighted with her. Here, Naomi also represents the Holy Spirit. She has been a helper and a comforter. After our old man is dead, we travel together with our weak new man to bring her to the Promised Land God has given us and help her to know Christ (a representation of Boaz) to please Him. Through his redemption as her relative, she has become his spouse and bride. In the end, a man child (Obed) was brought into the lineage of Christ thus completing God's plan. Ruth 2:1 says that Naomi had known that Boaz was a wealthy man. But in verse 2, Ruth herself said that she would glean in the fields and she didn't know who would find favor with her. Note that it doesn't say here that Ruth knew Boaz. She didn't know him at all, but the Holy Spirit explained in the first chapter that when Naomi was in the land of Judah, she knew Boaz. Here is the foundation of the writing of the Holy Spirit later in this chapter. So, how long did Naomi stay away from Judah? The Bible didn't record it, so we don't know. But we guess that it may be quite a while because both of her two daughters-in-law were married in Moab. We guess that Boaz may be an old man already and perhaps he is a man with wife. We don't know these. It's just our speculation. Because when Ruth followed Boaz, Boaz said a sentence, “You have not run after the younger men but chose me instead.” (NIV, Ruth 3:10). From here, we can also guess that Boaz might not be that young anymore. But Ruth did not know Boaz (who represented Christ) according to the flesh. It's through the help of Naomi (who represents the Holy Spirit) that she knew Boaz (or Christ). Consequently, Ruth went to glean in the fields and it happens to be the field of Boaz. Was this accidental? No, it wasn't. The Holy Spirit led her there. I've been a believer for seventeen years now. Looking back at the history of these seventeen years and the years before becoming a believer, I find that the Holy Spirit has been wonderfully leading me. When the Holy Spirit leads us, he often doesn't speak loudly. Rather, he leads us silently. We may not feel him, or we'll only discover afterward that it's the Spirit's wonderful leading. When I was in college, I went to Peking University to find some friends to hang out with. When I saw that they were preparing for the TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language) test, I was curious to understand why they were preparing to go abroad. I had thoughts myself of going abroad to study. However, I also wanted to take the national postgraduate entrance exam in China. I had made a plan for myself. If I passed the national postgraduate entrance exam, I would stay and pursue postgraduate studies in China. If I didn't pass, I would apply to study abroad. In the end, I took third place for my total score in the national postgraduate entrance exam in my major. Ten plus postgraduate students were enrolled in our major. My scores far exceeded the admission score. However, when I was taking the politics exam, I had an extremely bad headache. I didn't score well on the test. I was only a few points away from passing. So, I missed the postgraduate admission. Only after I was saved, did it occur to me that this might be the Lord intervening. I rarely get headaches so perhaps He wanted me to study abroad. Later, when I did go abroad to study, I came in contact with gospel believers and began to receive Biblical education. It was only then that I realized that this was part of God's plan for me. Even the school choices that I filled out in college were the same. I originally planned to apply for philosophy at a well-known university in China. While I was trying to rest in my dorm room, I suddenly thought of applying to a journalism major in another university. This university was more of a liberal arts college. Because I come from a rural family and wasn't good at socializing with others, I had a very hard time adjusting to this school and spent a few painful years there. Later, I had worked in the media industry, and I had hoped to make a difference in this area. But because I'm a believer, I was also slowly becoming indifferent to the world's ambitions. But in recent years, God gradually showed me that my ministry will greatly use media and film in the future, and gave me dozens of dreams to encourage me to make films. These are things I never thought of, but I did know that God was the one leading me to study media from the beginning. Often, the way that God leads us is by giving us an idea, and we unknowingly obey the leading of the Holy Spirit. I shared my own experience here to make a point. The way the Holy Spirit leads us is sometimes very subtle. Here, when Ruth walked in the field, whether she walked to the left or to the right, she was led by the Holy Spirit. In the end, she was brought wonderfully to the fields of Boaz. Things that you often think are accidental are not. It's just that you haven't seen the certainness behind the accidental, which is the silent leading of the Holy Spirit. After Ruth returned, she told her mother-in-law that she was gleaning in the fields of Boaz that day. Naomi told her, “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative." (NIV, Ruth 2:20). After which, Naomi told Ruth, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him because in someone else's field you might be harmed.” (NIV, Ruth 2:22). This accompanies what Boaz said to Ruth before, "My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me." (NIV, Ruth 2:8). They said almost the same thing. So how did Naomi know? It's very surprising. It can be seen from here that Naomi represents the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit often confirms what the Lord says to us. At the beginning of the third chapter, Naomi was preparing to find a home for Ruth. In 3:2, Naomi said, “Tonight, Boaz will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.” (NIV). How did she know? It shows that Naomi had inside information or she knew Boaz very well. The same is true of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit comes from God and Christ. He knows Christ very well. Then in 3:3-4, Naomi told Ruth to wash, perfume herself, dress up, and go lie down in the threshing floor of Boaz. This represents the work of the Holy Spirit. It dedicates God's church, and the bride of Jesus Christ to her husband without blemish, which is Jesus Christ. Naomi taught Ruth how to get Boaz's attention and told Ruth (after everything was going according to plan) that Boaz wouldn't rest until the matter was settled (NIV, Ruth 3:18). What was the book of Ruth talking about? It's Boaz (who represents Christ) redeeming us, his lost relatives, which Ruth represents. Christ is our relative and ultimately through the sacrifices He made, we were redeemed to return to God, which is our inheritance (because God is our portion and our inheritance). Boaz had a relative who was first in line to redeem Ruth, but according to the law, he would have had to marry Ruth in order to maintain the name of her dead husband with his property. But the man said that he was willing to redeem, but he wasn't willing to marry Ruth because it would endanger his own estate. According to the law, if he married Ruth, her child would not belong to him, but to Ruth's dead husband. Thus, his inheritance would be damaged. But Boaz was willing to make these sacrifices. Because of this he was blessed by the Israelites. In Ruth 4:11-12, the Israelites blessed Boaz and Ruth and said: 11 May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.” (NIV). Later, Ruth gave birth to a son named Obed. Naomi held him in her arms and became his nurse. He was obviously Ruth's son, but the neighbor women named the child, saying that, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed (NIV, Ruth 4:17). The meaning of Obed is servant, the servant of God. Obed is the father of Jesse. Jesse is the father of David. And Christ is the descendant of David. At this point, Naomi and Ruth's experiences are combined into one. The previous pain that she experienced has passed, because a son was born, bringing her much happiness. Our old man will also experience pain like this. But our new man will have continued growth. In the end, we will enter the glory. At the same time, Naomi also represents the Holy Spirit. His change in us is now finally completed. He has completed the work of God on earth today, letting Christ be glorified in us. The one who is glorified is the man child, which is a new man in the universe. As a new believer attending a special conference in 2004, I didn't believe that Christ would come back the second time and was unwilling to dedicate my life to Him. That evening I prayed: “Lord if you show me that you are really coming again, I will dedicate my life to you.” Then, I had a prophetic dream that night. Two people were fighting to get my heart. A man who was stronger took my heart away. The next day, I dedicated myself to the Lord and then I saw a vision. The Lord said to me, “Once the New Jerusalem, the body of Christ in the world is built up, I will come back.” Ruth's experience is our experience as the bride of Christ. May we work cooperatively with the Holy Spirit and gradually transform ourselves into the image of Christ. The book after Ruth is Samuel. It describes the birth and growth of King David, our position of sitting together with Christ in the heavenly and reigning with the king. These two sides complement each other. They are the two different sides of Christian spiritual destiny. Not only are we the bride of Christ, we also have the power to govern and rule the universe with Him.
Since Xi Jingping rose to power in 2012, China has embarked on a new phase of expanding their role as a global superpower. Gone are the days of the charm offensive and the peaceful rise, here come the 'wolf warriors.' Xi's "Chinese Dream" has been pitched by state propaganda as a visionary plan for a "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" leading up to the year 2049, but now it seems they are entering a phase where the internal threats significantly outweigh the external challenges to realizing this dream. Prof. Jing Sun of the University of Denver, who formerly worked as a correspondent for Chinese state media, joins Departures with Robert Amsterdam this week to discuss his fascinating new book, "Red Chamber, World Dream: Actors, Audience, and Agendas in Chinese Foreign Policy and Beyond." Sun argues that the development and implementation of major Chinese foreign policy decisions are hardly unilateral dictates from the party leadership. Instead, there are a multitude of actors and sources of pressure from society playing out in intraparty fighting, inter-ministerial feuding, social media, TV dramas and movies, among others. Understanding how these forces work and interact can do much to advance our understanding of how China reaches its foreign policy outcomes - decisions which of course have major impacts on the global system writ large.
Enter the garden Shi Xiangyun, one of the most beloved characters in Dream of the Red Chamber. Meanwhile the status anxieties of Jia Huan and Aunt Zhao are explored, and Baoyu and Daiyu continue perfecting the art of verbal escalation and “maybe I should just die” provocation.
Brian share his personal memories of Jean Lapierre and how the man could speak to anyone. We need more of that. Also, Anthony Furey on the new effort to counter radicalization. The retired Senator Marjory Lebreton on the fake new system appoint to the Red Chamber joins Brian for a frank talk. Warren Kinsella on Ontario's new fundraising rules and Brian's head explodes that's to Stephane Dion's revisionist history and lies.
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