August 24, 2010

An alert reader of this blog was so kind as to point out that our blog made no mention of the annual book fair in Beijing. So here goes: the 17th Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) will be held from 30 August till 3 September 2010.

This year’s country of honor is India, showcasing the literature and culture of India. The theme ‘Exploring the Middle Path’, according to the information on the website of the Embassy of India, goes back to a statement by Tamyun Shan, eminent Chinese scholar and the Founder Director of the Cheena Bhawan established at Viswa-Bharati: “In China, Rabindranath Tagore together with Mahatama Gandhi had long been regarded as Buddhas of the modern India.” As the explanation goes on about the Buddhist ideal of middle path: “With its Buddhist connection and Indian tradition of espousing peace, tolerance and exchange of ideas on the one hand, this will also find a connect with and echo our contemporary endavours to find common platforms of social, economic, cultural and political dialogue with China. In the literary field, for example, the idea of translation of books for a wider understanding of the foreign societies and their literature itself is a kind of middle path that seeks to connect and communicate with disparate languages and cultures.”

It is good to have readers send us information on events so if you know of something interesting coming up, or if you like to share your views on Chinese culture, please do drop us a line.

Written by: Audrey

August 17, 2010

In an attempt to get away from Hong Kong, we spent the weekend in Shenzhen. Although it is just across the border, it does make for a nice change in terms of space, mentality and environment.

Once on the mainland, an absolute must is Shucheng ‘Book City’. Bookstores in Hong Kong can hardly be compared with those in Taiwan and the PRC. With a few exceptions, bookstores in Hong Kong are either those pretending to be a bookstore selling more stationery than books, or those hiding somewhere on the eighth floor of a building.

Some say it is the lack of space in Hong Kong, both for the bookstores to display books on the shelves as well as for booklovers to store their purchases at home. But is it also not an indicator of the reading habit of the local people?

But space is not an issue in mainland China, and so the bookstores there are huge. People are not only buying inexpensive copies, many customers also read in the stores, spread along the corridors and sitting on the stairs. This display of concentrated reading seems quite exceptional.

Written by: Audrey

August 10, 2010

A series of literary events will be held at the Dutch Cultural Centre of the Shanghai World Expo. The four sessions scheduled for the last week of August will start with an opening event, followed by three dialogues between Chinese and Dutch authors: Wang Anyi and Margriet de Moor; Chen Cun and Anna Enquist; and Bi Feiyu and Cees Nooteboom. All three of these Chinese authors have had their work translated and published in Dutch while all three of these Dutch authors have had their works translated and published in Chinese.

It is good to see that Dutch literature is promoted in China but perhaps more important is the fact that Dutch writers enter into dialogue with their Chinese colleagues. By exchanging views on topics such storytelling, the arts and cosmopolitanism they will also enhance literary and cultural understanding. If you happen to be in Shanghai those days, why not attend these special sessions. See further details in Chinese and English here at Cafe Amsterdam.

Written by: Audrey

August 3, 2010

A new exhibition is forthcoming. The title in Chinese is Shanshui de bianzou, which literally means Variations on Mountains and Waters. Bianzou in musical sense are variations, e.g. variations on a theme by Haydn. Here it is used for realistic landscapes with a twist, e.g. a beautiful scenery blurred by drops of water.

Taiwanese artist Y. J. Cho received her BA from the Faculty of Art, National Taiwan Normal University and her MA from the State University of New York. She is currently Assistant Professor at the Academy of Visual Arts, Baptist University of Hong Kong. Her works of art have been on display at many exhibitions (both solo and group) in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Korea and the U.S. and she has won several awards for her art.

The official opening ceremony will be held on Monday 16 August 2010. Details of the exhibition are as follows:
Period: 17 August – 15 September 2010
Time: 10 am – 7 pm daily
Venue: 6/F CityU Gallery, City University of Hong Kong

For more information, please see the CCIV website.

Written by: Audrey