Eileen Chong

Eileen Chong is wearing a cotton qipao in a black and white flower pattern and holding up a sign with her name in English and Chinese. She has taken a selfie.

Eileen Chong is taking a photo of her reflection in a round mirror. It shows her in a cotton qipao in a pattern of black and white flowers. She is wearing four brooches that spell out the word POET.

A photo of Eileen Chong wearing black and white Mary Janes. The photo shows only her calves and feet and part of her dress.

It’s been amazing sweetie 🫶🏼

An exquisitely carved nephrite brush pot, depicting scenery of trees and lakes

A grouping of four objects for a scholars table: a nephrite brush rest in the shape of a mountain, a brush with a nephrite accent below the hairs, a nephrite ink stone and a plain nephrite brush rest

Another exquisitely carved object: a brush washer made out of possibly jadeite with interesting carvings of animals

An exquisitely carved, very lifelike looking dog who is lying down with his front paws crossed. It appears to be mounted onna wooden stick which is meant for weighing papers down.

Why yes I am a poet 😆

A photograph of Eileen Chong standing in front of a sign that says Chinese Jade

An exquisitely carved piece of nephrite jade depicting a pavilion at the base of a mountain

Another exquisitely carved piece of nephrite jade depicting a gathering of eight members of the literati in a mountain setting

A piece of nephrite jade carved in an open work manner, depicting flowers and a dragon

I’ve been collecting jade for over 30 years, so to see this collection in the Shanghai History Museum is a culmination of many long-held dreams.

A photograph of the exterior of two buildings of the Shanghai community international school

A photograph of a row of different countries’ flags outside a school office

A photograph of Eileen Chong sitting on a chair in front of a class of students

A selfie of Eileen Chong holding up a Little Miss Giggles book titled 笑呵呵小姐

Such a joy to read poetry to students at the Shanghai Community International School today 🌟

An exterior shot of the China pavilion for the Expo which has now been repurposed for the China Art Museum

An interior shot of three immense Buddha statues at Jing’An temple. There is a stunning dharma wheel embedded in the ceiling

A shot of a pavilion in a Chinese garden as seen through the entrance to a rockery

A photograph of the skyline of the Bund in Shanghai at night with the buildings all lit up.

This city—this magic city—✨

“the nobel can’t possibly award an Asian lady after it awarded an Asian lady last year”

and ofc they’re kind of right? it just tells you what kind of prize it is

Pay attention to the language that will be used by much of the media.

The Global Sumud Flotilla never entered Israeli waters.

They are in international waters attempting to reach Palestinian waters.

Israel is once again breaking international law

The exterior of an apartment block built in a 1930s on a street in Shanghai China

A bronze plaque detailing the life and work of the novelist Eileen Chang

A table with chairs next to an oil painting

A photograph of Eileen Chong sitting at a desk in the Eileen Chang Cafe. She is smiling at the camera her laptop is open in front of her.

Just me, the poet Eileen Chong, writing poems in a cafe in the building where the novelist Eileen Chang lived 😱😱😱

I hate it when people compare the amount of heat the ocean has absorbed to the power of atomic bombs dropped on Japan. It’s gruesome and not relatable. As my Japanese PhD student said when he heard the comparison, “It’s not a good memory for us.”

What is the value of Meanjin? We’ve done some calcuations – and it’s not about money

New research considers the true value of Meanjin, using publicly available data. The journal has trained generations of Australian writers and editors.

A photo of a modern city from the point of view of a small boat on a river.

A photo of a footbridge across a river. There is a mother and daughter by the water fishing.

Beautiful Huangyan in Taizhou, Zhejiang

🙏🏼🙏🏼

Just reupping a link to bystander intervention tips in case you witness any racist attacks. Please, don’t stand by and say nothing. Victims need support in the moment. You could change someone’s experience forever if you practice active bystander behaviour.

bsky.app/profile/eile...

‘I’d rather be bored than in danger’: Muslim women change how they behave in public because of racist attacks in Australia Islamophobia Register Australia data shows women and girls are subject to 75% of reported incidents. These are some of their stories

‘Muslim women in particular face “the rap” of these incidents. It is well-documented that Muslim women are overwhelmingly targeted in Islamophobic attacks.’

www.theguardian.com/news/2025/se...

A tabby and white kitten meowing on the other side of a glass door

The same cat rolling over on the ground to show her belly

A very cute cat cradled in someone’s arms. The pattern on its forehead looks like it has a fringed hairstyle.

Eileen Chong is cradling the kitten in her arms. The kitten looks happy and relaxed.

My new baby 🐱 she has the same haircut as I do 😂😂😂

Eileen Chong is posing for a photograph with a beautiful older woman and a cute older man. They are standing in front of a bookshelf filled with their books.

A photograph of a canal with trees on either side there is a small boat on the right near some steps and a man is sitting on the boat, turned around to look at the camera

Shanghai has my heart because the people have my heart. 💗 with the esteemed writers Ms. Yin Huifen and Mr. Lou Yaofu, aka my new mum and dad, in Jiading

An old man in traditional Chinese jacket and pants is holding a paper fan. He is also wearing a red fedora. He looks very stylish

An older gentleman seated on a chair at a cafe a plaid flat cap, a striped shirt, plain trousers, and very cool shoes. He is also wearing a stylish watch a gold bracelet and he is smoking.

An elderly gentleman standing in he is wearing a a khaki beret that matches his khaki pants, a blue shirt and a silk scarf knotted around his neck, brown loafers and a black belt with an interesting buckle.

A middle-aged gentleman seated at a cafe he is wearing a short sleeve shirt printed with a very interesting pattern of stripes colours and dots. He is also wearing a pair of seersucker shorts, black loafers and he is holding a pipe. He is also wearing vintage looking round lensed sunglasses.

Stylish men of Shanghai 😍😍😍

A sign outside the 1927 bookshop stating that it was the former site of the Uchiyama Bookstore.

A photograph of the second room of the 1927 bookstore preserved to showcase some first edition books and artefacts of Lu Xun.

A photograph of a table with traditional cane chairs and a tea-set on the table. In the background on the shelves are copies of Lu Xun’s books and periodicals.

A photograph of Eileen Chong standing holding a book of poems gifted to her by the bookshop.

We also visited the site of the Uchiyama Bookstore which was a frequent haunt of Lu Xun’s. This is a bookshop still, 1927. When the staff heard that I was a writer they welcomed me home (‘你回家了‘) and gifted me a book of poems in Chinese. I was so touched I cried.

Eileen Chong is posing in front of a sculpture of the Chinese writer Lu Xun. She is pretending to smoke a cigarette because the writer has been captured smoking his signature cigarette.

A photograph of a postcard of the cover of the Chinese writer Lu Xun’s book, 野草, Wild Grass.

A photograph of a garden in which a bronze statue of the Chinese writer Lu Xun has been erected. It is his grave memorial site.

A photograph of the actual grave of Lu Xun.

The writings of Lu Xun have been a touchstone for me throughout the years. To be at the site of his grave was overwhelming. A literary pilgrimage come true.

Eileen Chong the Australian poet and Yilin Wang the Canadian translator are sitting on a bench in a garden. Yilin is holding up a copy of her book, The Lantern and the Night Moths.

@yilinwriter.bsky.social and I have been friends online for 5 years. We finally got to meet in person this week in the magical city of Shanghai. Here we are in the garden of the Lu Xun museum reading poetry together. 💕

A few pictures from the rally against @mupublishing.bsky.social for their disgraceful axing of Meanjin - permanent shame on those involved in the decision. Melbourne Uni once again committing cultural arson.

Thanks to @beneltham.bsky.social for bringing everyone together

A black and white tuxedo cat lying on the ground. It is very cute

A white cat in a bookshop.

Eileen holding a tabby cat and taking a selfie

Eileen holding a large tabby and white cat and taking a selfie

Shanghai, city of cats 😍😍😍

RALLY TO SAVE MEANJIN

Thursday 11 Sep 9am
Outside the Melbourne University Publishing office, 715 Swanston St, Carlton.

A number of Australian writers and editors will speak in support of this vital cultural institution

Persimmons In sixth grade Mrs. Walker

Reading one of my favourite poems in the land of the poet’s birth. 🫶🏼

poets.org/poem/persimm...

A plate on which small persimmons are arranged in a pyramid.

Eating my paternal grandmother’s favourite fruit in the land of her birth. 🫶🏼

My grandfather used to say: “Wasps get mean in autumn because they know their time is nearly done.” Certain people are like that, too…

A crocheted Patti smith

Patti smith from Horses

I crocheted Patti Smith’s Horses cover

“It reminds me of a piece I once wrote”… cool, Sharon, no one cares

Not one, but three people asked me for directions today. That’s how much I fit in on these streets. I actually love it.

ALT: The video is a montage of the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Writers Program for 2025. It features 8 guest writers from all over the world, snippets of attendees, speeches, and a guzheng performance.