Much of China and many Chinese have become wealthy. But just a few decades ago, remembers author Zhang Lijia of “Socialism Is Great!”: A Worker’s Memoir of the New China Spring Festival was the only moment in the year where food was abundant. At her website, she looks with a nostalgic view at those poorer times.Read More →
Traditionally Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou were benchmark cities when looking at the housing market in China. But when you want to know where global wealth is growing fastest, you might have to look at a few unfamiliar names, including Wuxi, overtaking Hong Kong as the most expensive city, says Rupert Hoogewerf, chief researcher of the latest Hurun Report, according to the South China Morning Post.Read More →
Author Zhang Lijia of Lotus: A Novel on prostitution in China discusses Buddhism, freedom and fun as part of the background for her book with Radii China. “Without the inhibition of writing in my mother tongue, I can take an adventure in my adopted language” .Read More →
In China most women enter the prostitution on their own free will. The government is criminalizing them, forcing them into a submissive position. What can be done? Author Zhang Lijia of Lotus: A Novel on prostitution researched the sex trade in China, and possible solutions and discusses government approaches.Read More →
China´s first tier cities seem to be getting out of breath, while second and third-tier cities blossom. Business analyst Shaun Rein has been predicting the shift already for a long time, he tells the South China Morning Post. The rising prosperity of lower-tier cities may boost tourism to cheaper destinations like the Philippines and Thailand, he adds.Read More →
Author Zhang Lijia of the recently published Lotus: A Novel is a native from Nanjing, but writes in English. Writing in her chosen language makes her feel more free, she explains in an interview with Mengfei Chen of the LA Review of Books.Read More →
The world looked with surprise when Nanjing dress-maker V-Grass Fashion bought South-Korean Teenie Weenie for double its own market value. But moving ahead in such a drastic way, seems to be the only way forward for China´s fragmented apparel market, tells retail analyst Ben Cavender to Bloomberg.Read More →
Author Zhang Lijia of “Socialism Is Great!”: A Worker’s Memoir of the New China taught herself English while working at a rocket factory in Nanjing. For World English she recalls how she managed that job and discovered the advantages of being a non-native English speaker.Read More →
The movie ´Blind Massage´ (Tui Na) by the director Lou Ye has been winning a range of awards, including a nomination for the Golden Bear in Berlin. Author Zhang Lijia visited the movie with her friend Elke, and was impressed, despite some flaws, she writes on her weblog.Read More →
Taking care of her aging father, author Zhang Lijia realized China is not ready to deal with its rapidly aging population. On for 1.6 percent care facilities are available. China became old before it got rich, unlike its neighbor Japan.Read More →
Three generations of Chinese women, her grandmother, mother and herself used author Zhang Lijia to illustrate the changing position of women in China. “We benefited from the revolution led by Mao,” she said in a speech, published at her weblog. Read More →
Author Zhang Lijia and her female class mates were the victim of sexual abuse when she studied in Nanjing, she recalls in the New York Times. Scandals have put sexual abuse on the official agenda, but that might not be enough, she fears.Read More →