A Path Less Conventional

Wisdom means learning to live with ambivalence and to embrace uncertaintyHelga Nowotny’s memoir provides a detailed account of her life, highlighting the challenges and triumphs of a woman who defied convention in the male-dominated field of science. From her early days in science and technology studies, where she faced bureaucratic hurdles, to her influential role in shaping the European Research Council, Nowotny offers a candid look at her career. She shares personal stories of navigating the complexities of academia and policy, revealing the uncertainties and contingencies that shaped her life and work. This memoir resonates with anyone who has pursued a path less traveled, and offers a glimpse into the resilience and ambition required to succeed in challenging environments.Future Needs Wisdom is not really a memoir, nor is it an intellectual history, nor is it entirely a personalreflection or a summative philosophy. It is, in fact, all of these things fused together: her life, her

Richard Wang's Ming Erotic Novellas is path breaking in its attention to a virtually ignored body of literature that certainly influenced the writing of the Jin Ping Mei, the Sanyan vernacular stories

Revelations of China’s global influence and intentions, from one of its most respected foreign policy analysts.For Washington, China is a strategic competitor: the only country with both the will to reshape the world order and, increasingly, the means to do so. For Europe, the People’s Republic is a ‘partner for cooperation, an economic competitor and a systemic rival’. For NATO, it is a ‘decisive enabler’ of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Yet Beijing’s image is far more positive in the Global South, of which the PRC considers itself a part.Zhou Bo’s essays unpack China’s own view of its role today. The PRC is operating not only in a world becoming less Western, but—more importantly—a West becoming less Western; and the key to its outlook lies in Africa, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific as much as in Europe and the White House.Are Moscow and Beijing really so closely aligned? Where are Sino-Indian relations headed? Is China a new Cold War foe for the West? Or will economic ties inev

Some people say that entrepreneurship is a lonelyroad, but new startups do not need to travel it alone.Hong Kongʼs mature startup ecosystem providesmany lessons to be learned for startup founders inthe city and around the world. As long as they arewell prepared and understand the ecosystem, theycan create a path to success! This book features exclusive interviews withstakeholders involved in various aspects of HongKongʼs startup ecosystem, providing answers toquestions about entrepreneurship. It allows readersto connect with the startup ecosystem, learn aboutthemselves and their competitors, and subsequentlyachieve twice the results with half the effort. A must-read for startups, the book also includes lists of usefulinformation to help entrepreneurs put theirinnovative ideas into practice.

How did lay people in old China save their lives when dealing with acute or chronic health issues? Conventional medicine was costly and might not have been an option for many. Instead, people in villages and towns relied on remedies drawn from a woodblock-printed illustrated booklet called the Seventy-Two Therapies, first published in 1847. The goal of this book is to foster an appreciation of China’s long tradition of folk remedies. Each folk remedy is illustrated by a page from the circa 1860s woodblock edition of the Seventy-Two Therapies which the author used for translation. He also added a historical and interpretive analysis to expand on each therapy and to place it in the context of contemporary thinking, aiming at academics and readers interested in the everyday lives of common people in pre-1950 China, and in the folk medicine wisdom inherited from the past. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “The 72 specific disease

When the Yellow River Floods explores the relationship between environmental degradation, hydraulic engineering, and nation-building in the context of Liu E’s The Travels of Lao Can. This book contributes to the field by providing a unique perspective on modern Chinese literary history that goes beyond conventional narratives that focus solely on political and cultural factors. The main areas covered include the role of water management in literary nation-building and the connections between the novel’s various themes, such as river engineering, medical and political discourses, national sentiment, and landscape description. The book is targeted toward scholars and students of Chinese literature, history, and environmental studies, as well as those interested in the intersections between literature, nation-building, and environmental challenges. By offering a comprehensive and material-based analysis of The Travels of Lao Can, this book broadens the understanding of nation-building in

一杯香滑奶茶！ 一種香港情懷！香港茶餐廳，由冰室演變而成，代表着經典的港式飲食文化。新鮮出爐的蛋撻、菠蘿油、西多士，再配上一杯絲襪奶茶，更是品嚐着一種香港情懷。茶餐廳提供早午晚常餐及下午茶，種類多樣，充滿中西特色風味。這次就帶大家一同走進茶餐廳文化啦！A Cup of Silky Milk Tea A Taste of Hong KongHong Kong cha chaan teng, originated from a type of eatery called "ice houses", represent the traditional Hong Kong food culture. Freshly baked egg tarts, pineapple buns with butter, French toast, together with a cup of (Hong Kong-style) silky milk tea—all bring out a taste of the nostalgic Hong Kong vibe.From all-day menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as afternoon tea, cha chaan teng offer various kind of food, blending together Chinese and Western tastes. Let's take a journey to experience the culture of Hong Kong cha chaan teng!

In Gentle Voices, Bold Strides, Professor Fanny Cheung shares her inspiring journey as a psychologist, academic leader, and champion of gender equality. Growing up in a traditional Hong Kong family, she recognized early injustices against women and dedicated her life to change.Pioneering gender studies in Asia and leading the Equal Opportunities Commission, she fought discrimination, domestic violence, and gender bias in policy and research. Her leadership reshaped academia and public policy through consensus-building and quiet determination, leaving a legacy of empowerment.By blending personal narratives with social history, this memoir serves as a testament to the power of advocacy and the quiet strength of those who strive to make a difference.

Fascinated by her grandfather’s seafaring life on a freighter and triggered by her own turbulent arrival to Iceland one winter, Crystal Kwan ends up buying a one-way ticket to Paris where her outbound life unfolds. Under the influence of great artists, architects and writers who travelled far both physically and creatively, she is tempted to do the same: to record serendipitous, at times overwhelming moments through writing, sketching and photography. Four themes of “souvenirs”, each a result of a particular type of travel, portray different ways of seeing as she comes face to face with the world. Be it creative or contemplative, memorable or regrettable, the greatest souvenir harnessed throughout all journeys is the transformative power of travel.

A novel dialogue between Buddhism and Western psychology, grounded in original Pali texts. As mindfulness and meditation become mainstream therapeutic tools, their deep Buddhist roots are often stripped away and limit their effectiveness for clients from Buddhist cultural backgrounds. Early Buddhist Teachings: A Theoretical Foundation for Counseling restores these practices to their original context, offering a culturally congruent counseling model grounded in Pali scriptures and core Buddhist principles. This informative volume explores key Buddhist concepts including dependent co-arising, non-self, and impermanence, and places them in conversation with Western psychological theories. Supplemented with practical assessment tools and intervention techniques, this work provides mental health professionals with a new framework for integrating Buddhist teachings into counseling. For therapists, students, and counselors seeking to expand their approach, Early Buddhist Teachings offers a vi

My Mum Called Alzheimer’s is a heartfelt memoir chronicling the author’s journey through her mother’s battle with dementia in the final 4 years of her life. In a diary of intimate dialogues between mother and daughter, we glimpse into the challenges of caring for someone you love, coming to terms with losing them, and finding strength in cherishing the moments that remain. The touching account of the interaction between the author and her mother sends a strong message about keeping a balance, maintaining dignity whilst coping with the effects of the symptoms of dementia and the need to make the best of what we still have. It is a story of love, resilience, perseverance, and hope.

In A New Documentary History of Hong Kong, 1945–1997, Florence Mok, Fung Chi Keung Charles, and other contributors analyse newly released archival records from the National Archives in London, the Government Records Service in Hong Kong, and other sources across the world. This documentary collection provides an updated and improved understanding of basic aspects of the city such as governance, economy, society, and culture. It also aims at investigating topics that are under-exploited in previous sourcebooks, such as race and diasporas, gender and familial relations, medicine and healthcare, and environment and natural disasters. Overall, this book offers an innovative and comprehensive long-term perspective of Hong Kong’s colonial history.

In an epic historical story that talks directly to our times, Cross and Dragon dramatizes the life of one of the most famous Western figures in China: Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci. Sent by the Pope in the late 16th century to convert the Chinese Emperor, Ricci was faced with a “mission impossible” as China in the Ming Dynasty did not allow foreigners to enter the country.

The Classic of Poetry (Shijing), also known as the “Mao Poetry” (Mao Shi), is the oldest existing collection of poetry in China, or indeed anywhere in the world. As a fountainhead of the Chinese literary tradition, it has endured over two and a half millennia of continuous readership. In this volume, eminent sinologist Edward L. Shaughnessy presents a complete English translation of the 305 discrete poems from the Classic of Poetry, divided into the Feng 風“ Ya 雅“ and Song 頌“ Combining the received text with newly unearthed manuscript discoveries, Shaughnessy offers a modern, authoritative interpretation that departs from the dated translations of earlier scholars. His masterful rendering encapsulates the essence of this poetic treasury, reflecting the diverse aspects of life, love, nature, and ritual in ancient China.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Professor Shaughnessy’s translation of the Classic of Poetry

Co-published with HKU LibrariesOn the Steppes of Dreams is the latest collection of ‘dreamscapes’ by Basil Pao. Designed as a companion piece to his previous book Carnival of Dreams (2023) - which chronicled, from his first album cover and early cut & paste collages to the current CGI enhanced digital images of his photomontage work over a period of 50 years. The new book completes the circle and concludes the story of his surrealist/magic-realism imagery with a chapter of tributes to the group of artists who had inspired and influenced his work. The book is also intended as a celebration and a momento for the 100th anniversary of Surrealism.In his introduction, Terry Gilliam wrote: “His stunningly beautiful composite images surprise us by combining opposites, juxtaposing unlikely imagery and ideas that ask questions, make us smile, make us think, releasing us from the rigid restrictions of Reason. The portal is in your hands. Turn the page and float off into Basil’s endless univer

Hong Kong and Macau have both been Special Administrative Regions of China since 1999. To this day, however, the two SARs and mainland China have yet to form a cohesive agreement for extradition. Yanhong Yin proposes a theoretical model—the China Arrest Warrant—that fulfils three essential criteria: compliance with the framework of “One Country, Two Systems,” allowance for differences within the three divergent legal systems, and sufficient human rights protection.This model takes direct inspiration from the European Arrest Warrant, which is undergirded by the principle of mutual recognition—the idea that while states may make different decisions on a wide range of matters, results will be accepted as equivalent to decisions made by one’s own state. The success of the European Union’s adoption of mutual recognition across political, economic, and legal situations is instrumental in providing a blueprint for judicial cooperation among mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Macau SAR. This a

During the nineteenth century, the transpacific world underwent profound transformation, due to the transition from sail to steam navigation that was accompanied by a concomitant reconfiguration of power. This book explores the ways in which diverse Mexican, British, Chinese, and Japanese interests participated, particularly during Porfirio Díaz’s presidency at the peak of Mexico’s participation in the steam network: from its 1860s outset through a time of many revolutionary changes ending with the World War, the Mexican Revolution, the opening of the Panama Canal, and the introduction of a new maritime technology based on vessels run by oil. These transoceanic exchanges, generated within these new geographies of power, contributed not only to the formation of a transpacific region but also to refashioning the Mexican national imaginary. With transnationalism, global and migration studies as its main framework, this study draws upon a dazzling array of primary sources to center Mexico’

Benny Chia’s memoir of life on the fringe is a vivacious slice of Hong Kong’s life and cultural development at a time of minimal institutional support. His colourful and anecdotal story will interest culture practitioners as well as the general reader curious about the Fringe Club and its role as a seedbed for local artists and as a venue for international ones, both functions championed by Benny at the helm of this small but important institution housed in a distinctive former ice house in Central. general reader curious about the Fringe Club and its role as a seedbed for local artists and as a venue for international ones, both functions championed by Benny at the helm of this small but important institution housed in a distinctive former ice house in Central.

With an increasing concern of personal data privacy in Hong Kong and around the world, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD), Hong Kong publishes this third edition of Personal Data (Privacy) Law in Hong Kong: A Practical Guide on Compliance to provide practical guidance on the law of privacy, and the ways to protect personal data in everyday life.This third edition will guide readers through the recent developments of personal data privacy in the local, regional and global contexts with updates on recent Administrative Appeals Board and Court decisions, and investigation reports and materials from the PCPD. In addition, some most-concerned issues are discussed, such as ethical development and use of AI, the collection and use of personal data by employers during COVID-19, data protection under work-from-home arrangements, data security measures for ICT systems, guidelines on doxxing offences and data breach handling. This book will certainly provide readers a

This book tells the truly unique life story of Dr. John Maeda, a visionary leader in multiple fields and recipient of a City University of Hong Kong Honorary Doctorate. The book discusses Dr. Maeda’s most interesting experiences, from his childhood at his parents’ tofu factory in Seattle to his days as an MIT professor, a pioneering digital artist, Silicon Valley venture capitalist, and more. It is suitable for readers interested in art, design, technology, artificial intelligence, and theAsian immigrant family experience in the United States.

Surrealism in China initially gained a foothold in Shanghai’s former French concession during the early 1930s, disseminated by returning Chinese students who had directly encountered the movement in Paris and Tokyo. Shanghai surrealism adopted a dialectical form, resonating with the modus operandi of the Parisian movement as well as China’s traditional belief system of Daoism. Reconciling the thought of Freud and Marx, Surrealism subsumed the multiple contradictions that divided Republican Shanghai, East and West, colonial and cosmopolitan, ancient and modern, navigating the porous boundaries that separate dream and reality. Shanghai surrealists were not rigid followers of their Parisian counterparts. Indeed, they commingled Surrealist techniques with elements of traditional Chinese iconography. Rather than revolving around a centralized group with a leader, Shanghai Surrealism was a much more diffuse entity, disseminated across copious different periodicals, avant-garde groups, and th

An indispensable reference to the development of the Chinese economy—past, present, and future.—DALE W. JORGENSON, Samuel W. Morris University Professor, Harvard University Since China undertook economic reform and opened its economy to the world in the late 1970s, its economy has been growing at an average annual rate of over 9 percent for more than four decades. No other economy in recorded history has grown at such a high rate and for such a long period as China has done. The questions that naturally arise are: Was the Chinese economy a miracle? Or was it a mere bubble? Will the Chinese economy begin to stagnate like the Japanese economy did in the 1990s, and perhaps decline? Will it be able to escape the “middle-income trap”? If it is not a miracle, can the Chinese development experience be replicated elsewhere? This book provides a comprehensive and detailed discussion of the remarkable growth of the Chinese economy over the past decades, by scrutinising the sources of e

The inspiring, haunting story of Chinese migrant workers rejected by the USA who built a new community in Mexico.From the 1850s, as the United States pushed west, Chinese migrants met ordinary Americans for the first time. Alienation and xenophobia lost the US this chance for cultural and economic enrichment—but America gave the Chinese new perspectives, connections, and dreams of their own. As teenagers, Hugo Wong’s great-grandfathers fled poverty in Guangdong for California. A decade later, excluded from the US, they helped establish a Chinese settlement across the border in Mexico, led by a world-famous dissident-in-exile with visions of a New China overseas. They would be among the Americas’ first Chinese magnates, meeting with presidents, generals, and missionaries, living through astonishing victories and humiliating defeats. The bitterest of all would be the colony’s tragic demise amid a violent Mexican revolution, leading to the largest massacre and deportation of Chinese in Am

The COVID-19 pandemic was a global crisis that affected millions of lives and brought mental health challenges to the forefront. In Hong Kong, the situation was worsened by uniquely strict COVID-19 regulations, quarantine measures, and travel restrictions. The mental health issues associated with the pandemic did not end with the lifting of the mask mandate. On the contrary, the repercussions are only just beginning to surface and their impact will be felt for years to come.This eye-opening book tells the stories of ordinary Hongkongers who faced extraordinary challenges during the pandemic. Through a blend of first-person accounts, psychological insights, and hard data, it offers a compelling and accessible exploration of the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on mental health in Hong Kong.However, this book is not only a chronicle of suffering; it is also a guide to healing and hope. It offers practical advice on how to overcome the mental health issues caused by the pandemic,

Form Follows Fever is the first in-depth account of the turbulent early years of settlement and growth of colonial Hong Kong across the 1840s. During this period, the island gained a terrible reputation as a diseased and deadly location. Malaria, then perceived as a mysterious vapour or miasma, intermittently carried off settlers by the hundreds. Various attempts to arrest its effects acted as a catalyst, reconfiguring both the city’s physical and political landscape, though not necessarily for the better. Caught in a frenzy to rebuild the city in the devastating aftermath, this book charts the complex interplay between a cast of figures, from military surveyors, naval doctors, Indian sepoys, and corrupt and paranoid officials to opium traders, arsonists, Chinese contractors, and sojourner architects and artists. However, Hong Kong’s ‘construction’ was not just physical but also imagined. Architecture, cartography, epidemiology, and urban infrastructure offer a critical forensic l

In Rosie Young: A Lifetime of Selfless Service, Moira Chan-Yeung presents a brief history of Professor Young’s remarkable career in medical education and administration at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and her wide-ranging public service to the community over many decades. As the first female dean of HKU’s Faculty of Medicine, her career was deeply intertwined with the socio-economic development of Hong Kong. After her retirement from HKU, she continued to serve HKU and the community up to the present. This book illustrates her many contributions to the development of medical education in Hong Kong and to the university administration at HKU. Professor Young’s extensive public service in the field of medicine also helped improve primary care, hospital care, and public health in Hong Kong. In short, this book provides a valuable record of a female giant in Hong Kong’s medical history and documents her selfless and enduring service to the HKU community and Hong Kong society.

Population ageing is a challenge to societies worldwide in terms of healthcare, social support, community infrastructure, and more. With one of the longest life expectancies in the world, Hong Kong will soon see a dramatic increase in the number of older residents together with a decrease in the old age dependency ratio. This book provides a timely examination of the current status and services available for Hong Kong’s ageing population in four key areas: general healthcare needs, such as health promotion and lifestyle modifications; specific healthcare needs, including care of chronic conditions and hip fractures; psychosocial needs for older people with intellectual disabilities and impairments, as well as the needs of their caregivers; and environmental and technological needs in relation to universal design, information and communication technology, and telehealth.Drawing from a wide range of experience in local professional settings combined with international best practices, the

The distant rustle of a tusker emerging one morning from the forests of Nepal. The crack of the shifting expanses of ice in northern Mongolia. The swirl of mist around a lantern atop of Hong Kong Island. The squeaky whistle of diving kites over the holy waters of Varanasi. Black clouds carrying sleet over the rock country of Australia. Men with their eagles on horseback singing love songs as they ride through tall grasslands. This book of images is a thought-provoking look at stillness and reflection, from the bushlands of Australia to the frozen lakes of Mongolia, and the deserts of the Middle East. It’s a personal look at places of silence and space where I have found peace and meaning. My hope is to invite the viewer to pause, slow down, and look. Pay attention to the small, magical things that are happening within each image and find your own place within them. There we can meet in silence—and be still. When you stand in front of a photographic print made with movement and the play

Mongolia, a vibrant democracy landlocked between Russia and China, stands on the edge of becoming Asia’s next boom nation—one of the richest countries per capita in the region. Referred to as the “wolf economy” for its vast natural resources—copper, gold, and rare earth metals—today, it is also home to a growing number of cutting-edge tech startups and international lifestyle brands. Its vast steppe landscape lends itself not only to herding and tourism but also renewable energy production and filmmaking. This book is about the individuals who are fighting to strengthen the country’s democracy and diversify its economy. It is about innovators aiming to realize Mongolia’s promise as a hub for green energy, tech and lifestyle entrepreneurs who are shaking up traditional industries, and go-getters who have left high-flying jobs on Wall Street to return to the country they love and play their part in moving it forward. Unlocking a country’s potential is never easy. But if

A behind-the-scenes look into the filming of The Last Emperor through the photographs of Basil Pao. The Last Emperor Revisited is a true behind-the-scenes look at the making of Bernardo Bertolucci's legendary film through the exquisite eye of a photographer who had unlimited access to everyone and everything, everywhere. The photographs feature an international cast of characters who contributed to the creation of the masterpiece, from the director, filmmakers, and actors, to the farmers, workers, and students in and around Beijing who were recruited as extras. In July 1986, Basil Pao joined the cast and crew for the filming of The Last Emperor. His principal role was to play the young emperor Pu Yi's father Prince Chun, but he also served as a third assistant director and special stills photographer. The book contains over 250 photographs, including some of Pao's most iconic images of the film, along with a treasure trove of "never-been-seen" pictures captured during filming in Beijin

Prof. William S-Y. Wang, an eminent linguist, has made significant contributions to the field regarding lexical diffusion, experimental phonetic studies, language simulation and modeling, and aging and language. To celebrate his 90th birthday, colleagues and friends worldwide have contributed over 30 articles to a two-volume Festschrift. The English volume includes topics such as Chinese language evolution, the relationship between language and music, and the brain processes involved in language production. This Festschrift is written by and for experienced language researchers and is also suitable for students of Chinese linguistics and those interested in Chinese culture, history, and neurology.

How do public markets, as ordinary as they seem, carry the weight of a city’s history? How do sucheveryday buildings reflect a city’s changing political, social, and economic needs, through their yearslong transformations in forms, functions, and management? Integrating architecture and history, this book invites readers to go through the growth and governance of colonial Hong Kong by tracing the past and present of public markets as a study of extensive firsthand historical materials. As the readers witness the changes in Hong Kong markets from hawker pitches to classical market halls to clean modernist municipal complexes, the book offers a new perspective of understanding the familiar everyday markets with historical contexts possibly unfamiliar to most, studying markets as a microcosm of the city and a capsule of its history. -------------- This book is a robust and in-depth study of the market building history of Hong Kong since the 1840s and contributes to a holistic un

Grounded in a desire to bring back to life rare items from the University of Hong Kong’s Fung Ping Shan Library that are entwined within the world of music and to place them in a context of books and images in American, British, and other Asian collections, Chinese Music in Print views the library as a repository not of information but of artifact, and then uses these artifacts as a means for generating scholarly narrative. It begins by assessing seminal texts in the Confucian canon set against the delicacy of the concubine and amanuensis Shen Cai’s calligraphy and poetry. Confucianism was itself a crucial aspect of courtly life, and an exploration of its ritual is the book’s second theme. Vernacular genres of opera and song are represented in the third chapter, while the Great Sage returns in the fourth for an exploration of the repertoire and richness of his favourite instrument, the qin. The final chapter ends the journey with discussion of the legacy of generations of Europeans who

A Contemporary History of the Chinese Zheng traces the twentieth- and twenty-first-century development of an important Chinese musical instrument in greater China.The zheng was transformed over the course of the twentieth century, becoming a solo instrument with virtuosic capacity. In the past, the zheng had appeared in small instrumental ensembles and supplied improvised accompaniments to song. Zheng music became a means of nation-building and was eventually promoted as a marker of Chinese identity in Hong Kong. Ann L. Silverberg uses evidence from the greater China area to show how the narrative history of the zheng created on the mainland did not represent zheng music as it had been in the past. Silverberg ultimately argues that the zheng’s older repertory was poorly represented by efforts to collect and promote zheng music in the twentieth century. This book contends that the restored “traditional Chinese music” created and promulgated from the 1920s forward—and solo zheng music in

The first exhaustive English-language history and analysis of the Chinese opera genre, Kunqu. In Kunqu: A Classical Opera of Twenty-First-Century China, Joseph S. C. Lam offers a holistic and interdisciplinary view of Kunqu, a 600-year-old genre of Chinese opera that has been fashionably performed inside and outside of China. The first comprehensive and scholarly book on Kunqu written in English, this book explains how and why the genre charms and signifies Chinese culture, history, and personhood. Approaching the genre from several perspectives, ranging from those of performers and producers to those of casual audiences, dedicated connoisseurs, and scholarly critics, Lam also employs a judicious blend of Chinese and international theories and methods. Herein, he establishes the significance of Kunqu not only in the sphere of Chinese music but among the cultural heritage and performing arts at a global level as well.

In The Chinese Idea of a University: Phoenix Reborn, Rui Yang conceptualizes the cultural foundations of modern university development in Chinese societies. Instead of focusing on the uniqueness of the societies, this book aims to prove that one educational purpose could be fulfilled via many paths, and that most of the characteristics the university could be found in other institutions of higher learning. Citing the practices of four selected Chinese societies, Yang opposes the existence of an impassable chasm between Chinese and Western ideas of a university and argues that it is possible to combine Chinese and Western ideas of a university. Also, this book is one of the first in English to theorize the Chinese idea of a university. It links the historical events to the present, in a context of an enormous impact of Western academic models and institutions, from the beginning of modern universities in Chinese societies to the contemporary period.

Based on a close reading of Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu’s extant films, this book provides insights into the ways the director created narrative structures and used symbolism to construct meaning in his films. Against critics’ insistence that Ozu was indifferent to plot and unlikely to use symbols, Geist demonstrates otherwise, revealing the director’s subtle iconographic paradigms. Her incisive understanding of the historical and cultural context in which the films were conceived amplifies her analysis of the films’ structure and meaning. Ozu: A Closer Look guides the reader through Ozu’s early, silent films and his sound films made during Japan’s wars in Asia and the subsequent American Occupation, then takes up specific themes relevant to his later, better-known films. These themes include religion, gender, and the influence of traditional Japanese painting. Geist also examines the impact that Ozu’s films had on specific directors in Europe, America, and Japan. Intended for film

In On Saving Face, Michael Keevak traces the Western reception of the Chinese concept of “face” during the past two hundred years, arguing that it has always been linked to nineteenth-century colonialism. “Lose face” and “save face” have become so normalized in modern European languages that most users do not even realize that they are of Chinese origin. “Face” is an extremely complex and varied notion in all East Asian cultures. It involves proper behavior and the avoidance of conflict, encompassing every aspect of one’s place in society as well as one’s relationships with other people. One can “give face,” “get face,” “fight for face,” “tear up face,” and a host of other expressions. But when it began to become known to the Western trading community in China beginning in the middle of the nineteenth century, it was distorted and reduced to two phrases only, “lose face” and “save face,” both of which were used to suggest distinctly Western ideas of humiliation, embarrassment, honor, a

Masculinity, fast-changing and regularly declared to be in the throes of crisis, is attracting more popular and scholarly debate in China than ever before. At the same time, Chinese literature since 1989 has been characterized as brimming with countercultural ‘attitude’. This book probes the link between literary rebellion and manhood in China, showing how male writers, as they critique the outcomes of decades of market reform, also ask the same question: how best to be a man in the new postsocialist order?In this first full-length discussion of masculinity in post-1989 Chinese literature, Pamela Hunt offers a detailed analysis of four contemporary authors in particular: Zhu Wen, Feng Tang, Xu Zechen, and Han Han. In a series of insightful readings, she explores how all four writers show the same preoccupation with the figure of the man on the edges of society. Drawing on longstanding Chinese and global models of maverick and marginal masculinity, and responding to a desire to retain a

The Many Faces of Ruan Dacheng: Poet, Playwright, Politician in Seventeenth-Century China is the first monograph in English on a controversial Ming dynasty literary figure. It examines and re-assesses the life and work of Ruan Dacheng (1587–1646), a poet, dramatist, and politician in the late Ming period. Ruan Dacheng was in his own time a highly regarded poet, but is best known as a dramatist, and his poetry is now largely unknown. He is most notorious as a ‘treacherous official’ of the Ming–Qing transition, and as a result his literary work―his plays as well as his poetry―has been neglected and undervalued. Hardie argues that Ruan’s literary work is of much greater significance in the history of Chinese literature than has generally been recognised since his own time. Ruan, rather than being a transgressive figure, is actually a very typical late Ming literatus, and as such his attitudes towards identity and authenticity can add to our understanding of these issues in late Ming intel