Category: 2024 Entries
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βWondrous Challenges of Translation: Eric Reinders’s Reading Tolkien in Chineseβ by Raymond K. Nakamura Eric Reinders, Reading Tolkien in Chinese: Religion, Fantasy and Translation, Bloomsbury, 2024. 200 pgs. The availability…
![[REVIEW] βWondrous Challenges of Translation: Eric Reinders’s π
ππππππ πππππππ ππ πΆβππππ πβ by Raymond K. Nakamura](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/eric-reinders-reading-tolkien-in-chinese.jpg?w=1000)
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πRETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπRETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Violets. Kyung-sook Shin (author), Anton Hur (translator), Violets, The Feminist Press, 2022. 218 pgs. I fell in love with Kyung-sook Shinβs writing after reading the…
![[REVIEW] βKeeping You Captivated: Kyung-sook Shinβs ππππππ‘π β by Dorina Tataran](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/violets.jpg?w=932)
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It is difficult, at best, to take a leisurely walk in Hong Kong. The streets are congested with cars and trucks and buses, and the sidewalks are jam-packed with people. It is said that Hong Kong is a study in…
![[EXCLUSIVE] βHe Wrote Onβ by Jeff BeylΒ Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cha-an-asian-literary-journal.jpg?w=1024)
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πRETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπRETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Natsume SΕseki. Natsume SΕseki (author), Matt Treyvaud (translator), Ten Nights Dreaming and The Catβs Grave, Dover Publications, 2015. 96 pgs. Natsume SΕsekiβs Ten Nights Dreaming…
![[REVIEW] βA Dreamlike Book: Natsume SΕsekiβs πππ πππβπ‘π π·πππππππ πππ πβπ πΆππ‘’π πΊπππ£πβ by Marsha McDonald](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ten-nights-dreaming-and-the-cats-grave.jpg?w=647)
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πRETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS πRETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Alexandra A. Chan, In the Garden Behind the Moon, Flashpoint, 2024. 432 pgs. On paper, Alexandra A. Chan seems to have it all. A doctor of archaeology, a professor,…
![[REVIEW] βRemembering Through Memoir: Alexandra A. Chanβs πΌπ π‘βπ πΊπππππ π΅πβπππ π‘βπ ππππβ by Susan Blumberg-Kason](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/in-the-garden-behind-the-moon.jpg?w=1000)
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πRETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS πRETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Pat Boonnitipat (director), How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, 2024. 127 min. This review may contain spoilers. Dare I say it, Pat Boonnitipatβs How to Make Millions Before…
![[REVIEW] βAmah, Youβre My First Place: Pat Boonnitipatβs π»ππ€ π‘π ππππ ππππππππ π΅πππππ πΊππππππ π·πππ ” By Rhanydell Bien Baysa](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/before-grandma-dies.png?w=936)
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πRETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS πRETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS ThuαΊn (author), Nguyα» n An LΓ½ (translator), Chinatown, New Directions, 2022. 160 pgs. A train in the Paris Metro is brought to a halt by a potential bomb threat. Her commute disrupted, the unnamed narrator of Chinatown begins…
![[REVIEW] βOn the Primal and Final Mystery: Her Mind Unravels in ThuαΊnβs πΆβππππ‘ππ€πβ by Kammy Lee](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/chinatown.jpg?w=800)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on The Woman in the Purple Skirt. Natsuko Imamura (author), Lucy North (translator), The Woman in the Purple Skirt, Penguin Random House, 2021. 224…
![[REVIEW] βObsessed: On Natsuko Imamuraβs πβπ πππππ ππ π‘βπ ππ’ππππ πππππ‘β by Nirris Nagendrarajah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/the-woman-in-the-purple-skirt.jpg?w=925)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Jopy Arnaldo (director), Gitling, 2023. 105 min. The world’s noise fades into the background when youβre with the right person. Gitling (or Hyphen in English) (2023) is…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βLove In Translation: Decoding Jopy Arnaldoβs πΊππ‘ππππβ by Richard MuΓ±iz](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/gitling_film-still-3-1.jpg?w=1000)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Kumar Shahani (director) Maya Darpan, 1972. 107 min. Kumar Shahani (1940-2024), one of the doyens of Indian parallel cinema breathed his last on 24 February this year.…
![[REVIEW] βAn Aesthetic Exploration of the Trials and Tribulations of a Woman: Kumar Shahaniβs πππ¦π π·πππππβ by M S Murali Krishna](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/maya-darpan-the-illusory-mirror-1972.jpeg?w=1024)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Life Ceremony. Sayaka Murata (author), Ginny Tapley Takemori (translator), Life Ceremony, Granta Books, 2022. 266 pgs. Dubbed βCrazy Sayakaβ (γ―γ¬γ€γΈγΌζ²θΆι¦) by her readers,…
![[REVIEW] βFeasting on Futuristic Melancholia: Sayaka Murataβs Life πΏπππ πΆπππππππ¦β by Zifei Wang](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/life-ceremony-sayaka-murata.jpg?w=977)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “A Sobering Read: Mahasweta Devi’s The Murderer’s Mother” by Jack Greenberg Mahasweta Devi (author), Arunava Sinha (translator), The Murdererβs Mother, Seagull Books, 2023. 248 pgs. The Murdererβs Mother (Murderer Er…
![[REVIEW] “A Sobering Read: Mahasweta Devi’s πβπ ππ’ππππππβπ πππ‘βππ” by Jack Greenberg](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/mahasweta_murderers_mother__15926.jpg?w=1024)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Qiu Jiongjiong (director), A New Old Play, 2021. 179 min. After watching this film you will briefly be aphasic, with equal amounts of excitement and despondency, and…
![[REVIEW] βPoetics of Cinema Under Jestersβ Spirits: Qiu Jiongjiongβs π΄ πππ€ πππ ππππ¦β by Octavia Chen](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/a-new-old-play.jpg?w=687)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Ryo Takebayashi (director), Mondays: See You “This” Week!, 2022. 102 min. Ryo Takebayashiβs time-loop film Mondays: See You “This” Week!βs most obvious film of comparison is Groundhog…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Over and OverβRyo Takebayashi’s ππππππ¦π : πππ πππ’ ‘πβππ ’ ππππ” by Oliver Farry](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/the-pigeon.png?w=1024)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βLiving On: Xi Xiβs Mourning a Breastβ by Susan Blumberg-Kason Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Mourning a Breast. Xi Xi (author), Jennifer Feeley (translator), Mourning a Breast, New York Review Books, 2024.…
![[REVIEW] βLiving On: Xi Xiβs πππ’πππππ π π΅ππππ π‘β by Susan Blumberg-Kason](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/mourning-a-breast_xi-xi_jennifer-feeley.jpg?w=938)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS John Saeki, The Last Tigers of Hong Kong: True Stories of Big Cats that Stalked Britainβs Chinese Colony (with pen-and-ink illustrations by Gary Yeung), Blacksmith Books, 2022.…
![[REVIEW] βThe Forgotten Hunters: John Saekiβs πβπ πΏππ π‘ ππππππ ππ π»πππ πΎπππβ by Radha Shah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/the-last-tigers-of-hong-kong-true-stories-of-big-cats-that-stalked-britains-chinese-colony.jpg?w=968)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Hiroko Oyamada. Hiroko Oyamada (author), David Boyd (translator), The Hole, New Directions Publishing, 2020. 112 pgs. Hiroko Oyamadaβs…
![[REVIEW] “Trapped in The Uncanny Valley: Hiroko Oyamadaβs πβπ π»πππ” by Maria Cohut](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/hiroko-oyamada_the-hole.jpg?w=778)
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My wifeβs family keep asking me if I βlike Chinese thingsβ. We recently went back to Hong Kong to visit them. We have been back to Hong Kong many times and although they know me quite well by now, they…
![[EXCLUSIVE] βDo You Like Chinese Things?β by Jeff Beyl](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cha-an-asian-literary-journal-1.jpg?w=1024)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βLiving Life to the Fullest: Xi Xiβs Mourning a Breastβ by Lydia Kwa Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Mourning a Breast. Xi Xi (author), Jennifer Feeley (translator), Mourning a Breast, New York…
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Hongwei Bao, The Passion of the Rabbit God, Valley Press, 2024. 81 pgs. There is this book on intimacy, belonging, histories, and motorcycles and leather jackets. It…
![[REVIEW] βSubverting Otherness from Within: Hongwei Baoβs πβπ πππ π πππ ππ π‘βπ π
πππππ‘ πΊππβ by Kika W. L. Van Robays](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/the-passion-of-the-rabbit-god_hongwei-bao.jpg?w=973)
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[TRANSLATION] βThe Singing of the Bluebirdβ by Yuan Jinmei, translated by Kevin McGeary About the story: A Chinese man who grew up in poverty on a riverboat studies hard and becomes wealthy. After moving abroad, he marries a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Western…
![[TRANSLATION] βThe Singing of the Bluebirdβ by Yuan Jinmei, translated by Kevin McGeary](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/yuan-jinmei_kevin-mcgeary.png?w=1024)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Touring the Land of the Dead. Maki Kashimada (author), Haydn Trowell (translator), Touring the Land of the Dead (and Ninety-Nine Kisses), Europa Editions, 2021.…
![[REVIEW] βA Profound Exploration of RealityβMaki Kashimadaβs πππ’ππππ π‘βπ πΏπππ ππ π‘βπ π·πππ: ππ€π πππ£πππππ β by James Kin Pong Au](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/touring-the-land-of-the-dead-and-ninety-nine-kiss.jpg?w=890)
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Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β I found a small glass bottle lying in the street in Hong Kong. The bottle had no label, no embossing, no top. There was no indication of what it had originally been used for. It was just a small,…
![[EXCLUSIVE] “The Small Glass Bottle of Feathers” by Jeff BeylΒ Β Β](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/feathers.jpg?w=1024)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Sati Mookherjee, Eye, Ravenna Press, 2022. 67 pgs. Sati Mookherjeeβs lyrical Eye is a moving testament to her grandfather, Sri Anil Hari Chatterjee, who was exiled from…
![[REVIEW] “Under Mother Durgaβs Watchful Eyes: Sati Mookherjee’s πΈπ¦π” by Al Lim](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/sati-mookherjee_eye.jpg?w=986)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Navigating the Fault Lines of Travel: Yun Ko-eun’s The Disaster Tourist” by Jack Greenberg Yun Ko-eun (author), Lizzie Buehler (translator), The Disaster Tourist, Serpentβs Tail, 2020. 186 pgs. After reviewing…
![[REVIEW] “Navigating the Fault Lines of Travel: Yun Ko-eun’s πβπ π·ππ ππ π‘ππ πππ’πππ π‘” by Jack Greenberg](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/the-disaster-tourist.jpg?w=1000)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Andreas von Buddenbrock, The Ink Trail Hong Kong, Blacksmith Books, 2024. 96 pgs. When I moved to Hong Kong in 1990, I arrived with a long list…
![[REVIEW] “Intricate Sketches: Andreas von Buddenbrock’s πβπ πΌππ πππππ π»πππ πΎπππ” by Susan Blumberg-Kason](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/the-ink-trail.jpg?w=1024)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Jonathan D. Spence, The Gate of Heavenly Peace: The Chinese and Their Revolution, Penguin, 1982. 560 pgs. Contrary to what the title might suggest, Jonathan D. Spenceβs…
![[REVIEW] βAn Illuminating Journey: Jonathan D. Spenceβs πβπ πΊππ‘π ππ π»πππ£ππππ¦ πππππβ by Alessia Marini](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/the-gate-of-heavenly-peace.jpg?w=979)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Leslie Shimotakahara, Sisters of the Spruce, Caitlin Press, 2024, 234 pp. Set in the backdrop of World War One, Leslie Shimotakahara‘s Sisters of the Spruce is…
![[REVIEW] “Powerful Storytelling: Leslie Shimotakahara’s πππ π‘πππ ππ π‘βπ ππππ’ππ” by Namrata](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/leslie-shimotakahara.jpg?w=900)
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No more the acrobats, singers and dancers,Prostitutes and pimps, criminals and chancers. …………..A green veil is drawn over all. …………..Rain drips down in an empty hall. The sound of hammers shovels and picks,Drowned out by the river of traffic,Flowing east…
![[EXCLUSIVE] “A Great World: Poem and Introduction” by Paul Bevan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/shanghai-2012-architecture-pingwang-jie.jpg?w=1024)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βRich Complexity: Mouly Suryaβs Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blueβ by Jonathan Chan Mouly Surya (director), Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blue, 2019. 4 min. Mouly Suryaβs short filmΒ Something Old,…
![[REVIEW] βRich Complexity: Mouly Suryaβs πππππ‘βπππ πππ, πππ€, π΅πππππ€ππ πππ π΅ππ’πβ by Jonathan Chan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/images-original.png?w=1024)
Cha 