How are we to believe Mao Zedong's statement that "women hold up half the sky", if China’s women are being downtrodden by the very language they speak?
The value of pronouns; or, ‘Excuse me, Sir?’
Category: Blog Post
Where did my hair go? The aftermath of a drastic hair cut
Four months ago, I made the courageous decision to cut my 12 inch hair off entirely. Here's a video of the day, the event, and the aftermath: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZpAY8zrkEg A huge thank you to my good friends Maxi Battaglia and Ponita Reasmy for making this video possible. It is a wonderful record of a major moment in [...]
Gender Equality in China [Loreli Interview]
There is no reason a western feminist ‘we’ must set the agenda for a developing world feminist ‘them’. Chinese activists are navigating the way toward gender equality using a contemporary Chinese feminism, on their own terms.
Burma Voices Project: Women of Burma
During two trips to Burma (Myanmar) in the past year, I initially felt surprised to experience widespread enthusiasm to speak openly to me, outsider as I am. The openness I was so frequently greeted with amazed me. Locals felt completely at ease about discussing the politics of their threatened totalitarian regime in my presence. The [...]
What 5 Chinese women taught me in Women’s History Month
Just because they don’t get to vote for their government, or don’t have the economic stability you do, or don’t have access to the resources you take for granted, doesn’t mean those women don’t fight for their rights just like you. In fact, you might be surprised at how far they have gone to get rights women around the world deserve.
Lijia Zhang on ambition, writing and her public role in contemporary China (Interview: part 1)
People outside China imagine that 1.3 billion people exist in a very controlled, very rigid environment here. But for lots of ordinary people, the cage has expanded so much that they don’t often feel the limit.
Head in the clouds vs. feet on the ground: best ways to travel
Anyone who knows me well, or at all, really, will attest to the fact I am a great traveller. I don't mean to boast; I use 'great' in reference to the degree of my enthusiasm. I mean that I have a huge urge to be often on the move, and regularly struggle hard to keep [...]
The Chinese New Year: Nutcracker, China style
National Ballet of China’s The Chinese New Year, a Chinese adaptation of the Christmas classic The Nutcracker, is without a doubt the most extravagant celebration of the national holiday that anyone could hope for. Using the original Tchaikovsky score, this version was choreographed in 2010. One wonders how Petipa and Tchaikovsky would feel about The Dance of [...]
Looking back: 2015 in review
This has been a whirlwind of a year. In the past 12 months, I've truly settled into a happy, fulfilling life in China. I've got a lot to be proud of, much of it a result of hard work, some of it springing from luck. But it didn't all go smoothly. I began the year [...]
National Ballet of China: Preserving the Romance of Giselle (Chinese translation)
Unlike some contemporary Giselle being performed in the West, National Ballet of China’s version harks back to the delicacy and romance of the 1841 original. The choreography performed at Beijing’s NCPA last Friday was strikingly beautiful, wonderfully capturing the profound emotion of the piece. This performance resonated profoundly; National Ballet of China set the bar [...]
Zhēn de Gender 