Christopher Walsh

very much hope this is not a "Coleman Barks translates Rumi without speaking Persian" situation

I would never have put money on David Bentley Hart of all people translating the Daodejing

also not great that they do not explain the methodology or the source of the AI translations. Where exactly are they pulling this from?

Check out Tubi's White Lotus knockoff, Red Eyebrows

a china state media graphic of Xi Jinping in a suit, waving, and golden text reading 'a new journey in spring'

HBO Just Dropped a White Lotus Season 4 Teaser And Fans Are Unswervingly Embracing The Fully Correct Path Of Socialism With Chinese Characteristics For The New Era

Even ten years ago I got asked by a random Chinese woman on the street in Shanghai, "are you Jewish? You look Jewish" (I am not). Nonplussed by my polite denial, she immediately pivoted to "Jews are very good at business, very smart." Almost verbatim, 你是犹太人吗？看起来是个犹太人。犹太人，商业得好，很聪明。

When she said she wanted to see the heart of a sage, how was she supposed to know King Zhou would take her literally, smh

I would pay good money to see a film set in the Shang Dynasty, but it's got to be a crazy art film like Masahiro Shinoda's "Himiko," really lean into the alienness of Shang religion and society. The recent blockbusters of the Investiture of the Gods are good but are (naturally) too Ming

up next for the Times, "Daji did nothing wrong: Lake of Wine and Forest of Meat actually soup kitchen"

Threads is a cesspool of rancid Lunar New Year vs. Chinese New Year discourse, it is so exhausting

Bourdieu and Goffman staying relevant in the Year of Our Lord 2026

I recall some Japanese historiography uses medieval equivalences? Azuchi-Momoyama being something like "high medieval?"

YouTube video by APN Films Nadaswaram VS Bharatanatyam Full Video Song l Thillana Mohanambal l Sivaji Ganesan l Padmini..

it's worth it to just watch the dance scenes, Padmini is incredible and the music is great.

one of my favorite Indian films is 1968's Thillana Mohanambal (starring the immaculate Padmini!) which has incredible dance and music scenes, but the absolutely funniest one is where the nadaswaram character played by Sivaji Ganesan plays Western dance music at a garden party in response to a dare

Have you read Wilkinson (2014) on library ethics yet? "a librarian faced with a genuine moral dilemma must ask three questions: (a) what course of action is most consistent with expertise, (b) what action provides the highest level of service, and (c) what action best demonstrates social value?"

oh, thanks for sharing! now I wish I'd included actual references! Glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks!

Should I parse it as 天下溺 / 援之以道 - the world drowns / save by means of the Word? 之以 is what’s tripping me up here

lord, that should read HIGH voice. Too much 黃酒!

That’s Zhou Shen! Famous for his ugh voice!

Good question. Catholics translate "Word" in John 1:1 as 聖言 "Word" and "Way" in John 14:6 as 道路。The CUV gives "道“ for Word, and 道路 for Way.

Am I off-based in thinking there's a better way to translate it? E.g. "The Word saves a drowning world, the Scriptures instruct a foolish people."

Classical Chinese folks, how would you render 天下溺援之以道， 人民愚訓之以經 here? CCPosters goes with "the world is drowning and it needs the Word to save it. If the people are fools, teach them with Bible" but that feels quite simplistic. I'm having trouble parsing the 訓之以經 and 援之以道.

As long as the checks keep clearing he doesn't need to know shit

I wonder the level to which these are conscious reflections of contemporary Chinese state fears about foreign infiltration compared to reception of historical "barbarian" narratives. I had to stop watching Vendetta because the story became too convoluted but the "foreign danger" theme was immense!

The tropes are striking - the foreigners are devious, militarily strong. They covet what China has, they lie in wait for decades and are willing to betray bonds of brotherhood. Crucially, they are often undistinguishable from "Chinese" of the central states physically, but not in their hearts.

The Tiemo reasons for wanting to take over Chang'an are incoherent; it's because their homeland is "too cold" and there isn't enough food in the winter. The Hua are motivated by vengeance; they were conquered and then wiped out by the Emperor's forces.

These are always stand-ins for historical foreign peoples (Xiongnu, Khitans, Mongols, whoever) who speak perfect Mandarin, played by Han actors. They are almost always martial arts masters and superior spies and infiltrators. In Vendetta they're the Tiemo people, in Nirvana in Fire they're "Hua"

This is maybe the third or fourth drama I've seen that has this theme, and it always goes something like "mysterious foreign power threatens to invade China. They are defeated... or are they? They infiltrate and try to move into China because it's so great compared to their homeland/seek vengeance"

has anyone written on the role of the Other in Chinese television media? I was watching the Cdrama "Vendetta of An" (长安二十四計）which revolves around the infiltration of Chang'an by a foreign people who have been in deep cover in the capital for years. There was a similar theme in Nirvana in Fire （琅琊榜）