Hamsini H

I'll never have the China dream that I once wanted. And that's okay. Going back to Beijing has let me make peace with some of the choices I made in my career and life. Now, I can look foward to work and let this experience shape the way I show up: with drive, patience and kindness.

n/n

In 5 years, the world politics has changed as have Sino-Indian relations. It's not been the easiest of journeys to be a China watcher in India. But I'm learning that it's not that easy wherever you are in the world.

Of course my luck issued an orange alert for the heavy winds or 大风. Being a coastal Indian girl, I thought the hype was overblown (pardon the pun lol). But a pandemic takeaway has been to not worry much about out of control things. So I spent restful days shopping and even going to the theatre.

...ate food I dreamt about, strolled around old haunts, and rejoiced with old friends and new.

Being back at Beida was warm, and nostalgic and intellectually stimulating as always!

This spring, five years after I left Beijing abruptly, I came back to make peace with this part of my life. I climbed the Great Wall (though not in a graduation gown), went to temples Tagore had written about...

Story time: Since I left Beijing in the middle of the pandemic, I grieved the what-ifs, and a life I so desperately wanted for myself. Through this, I was unsure of how to make sense of my time in China, and my professional journey that was so closely tied to it.

I feel like OSINT folks out there are munching popcorn as they watch signalgate unfold because this is just another day at work, isn't it? 😂

For years now, I've been listening to @jordanschneider.bsky.social's Chinatalk, @economist.com's Drum Tower, The History of China and @kaiserkuo.bsky.social's Sinica. Pretty much part of my weekly routine now to catch up on policy stuff.

Question for those of you who also read newsletters excessively. 5 years ago, I started a separate inbox for them and it gets updates from think tanks, media houses, substacks and individuals. None of the new tools (Meco/Mailbrew/newsblur) capture all my sources in a nice enough UX. Any reccos?

Don't Get Your Hopes Up by Gobi65 Games An interactive comic about housing shortage and horror in architecture.

I made a short game about trying to find an apartment in Amsterdam, and the horror of architecture in a city that mistakes freedom for abundance.

It draws on my own desperate housing crisis in 2022 and 2024. There's a demo, and I'd love to hear what you think: krishraghav.itch.io/dont-get-you...

There are no flights between capital cities yet but apparently Indian and Chinese authorities are discussing flights from Delhi/Lucknow/Kolkata to Lhasa.

Not complaining, I'd personally love to be able to fly into Lhasa.

www.moneycontrol.com/news/busines...

So new and so late to learn about this but FLN is doing stellar work! If you want to engage with some pretty cool people and support free libraries at the same time, look at their list of artists, writers and others donating time to raise funds. The fundraiser ends on 28 Feb so check it out ASAP!

Adani Green withdraws from controversial renewable energy project in Sri Lanka Adani Green withdraws from controversial renewable energy project in Sri Lanka amid legal battle and environmental concerns.

Adani Green is finally pulling out of the wind farms it was supposed to set up at Mannar and Pooneryn in Northern Sri Lanka. This fairly dramatic deal, saw environmental opposition, allegations of corruption and pressure from the Indian PM himself. www.thehindu.com/business/ada...

Yes! I have lots of thoughts. Emotional yes but also found it frustrating haha. How did you find it? How did your sons like it?

Meme from The Adventures of Tintin. The Captain says: "What a year, huh?" Tintin replies: "Captain, it's Jan 3rd."

Bridge 4!

Cancel my goals for the rest of December because I'm only now wtarting on the book that I've been waiting for over 2 years! The local indie bookstore is shipping me a physical copy on 14th Dec when it hits the shelves in India but I'm getting a head start now.

Uproar in Parliament over Hindi names for Bills Opposition MPs criticize 'The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024' bill's Hindi title imposition, sparking debate in Rajya Sabha.

A reminder that English is necessary as the majority of #India does not have Hindi as their mother tongue!

#SouthAsiaSky

www.thehindu.com/news/nationa...

The full text of Jaishankar's statement to Parliament on China from yesterday (03 Dec) makes for interesting mid-week reading.

'Iron Brothers' for the China Story - China Media Project Launched in Pakistan eight years ago, Huashang Weekly offers an up-close look at how China is telling its story overseas by propping up news outlets that amplify its voice.

Great story by the @chinamediaproject.bsky.social on the how Huashang Weekly is a complex intersection of private, commercial, and Chinese state interests in Pakistan chinamediaproject.org/2024/11/22/i...

only thing I'm gonna miss about Twitter is the mid-tier Chinese cities that followed me.

Hefei, I salute you! I will miss your posts about the "poetic tranquility" of parks! Photographs of robots manufacturing other robots! Announcements about new Sam's Club franchises! Million mu fields!

Exports hit as India wants ‘no Chinese component’ in Nepali goods Cement exports by multiple Nepali manufacturers have completely stopped for nearly two months now.

"The rules worry Adhikari, who owns the AG Health Industries Private Limited that produces sanitary pads and diapers in Bhairahawa. “India seems intent to halt imports from Nepal,” said Adhikari."

Doesnt matter what the intentions are, the optics are just bad....

kathmandupost.com/money/2024/1...

Global China Lab Global China Lab is a non-profit organisation established by researchers and practitioners with the aim of advancing knowledge of contemporary China.

With lots of new people joining Bluesky, we thought it would be a good idea to introduce the projects falling under the umbrella of the Global China Lab, a new non-profit we established this year with the aim of advancing open knowledge about China. 1/

Would you have a link for this? Sounds like a wonderful piece.

Women VS Disinfo - inspired by @marie-doha.bsky.social dedicated to the Brave, Bright & Brilliant women fighting Disinfo.

A huge selection of expert researchers, fact checkers, journalists, debunkers, science communicators, academics, vloggers, etc. of all things Disinfo & CT

go.bsky.app/FFCjgks

💡 Tip: You can set your website as your username on Bluesky!

This is one form of self-verification, and we especially encourage official organizations and brands to do this! Examples include @npr.org @react.dev @duolingobrasil.com.br.

Here's our guide for how to do this:

Maybe trial out the paid version? I switched over nearly 5 years ago and I'm too used to it now. I have a big pet peeve with their active vs passive voice recommendations but other than that, it's pretty great

You can buy a grammarly paid subscription on taobao. When I was in grad school, a bunch of friends and I bought it and split the subscription by device. Came up to 50kuai each hehe.

Walnut cracker?

Thank you for putting this together. You're doing God's work. :D