Category: Cha Review of Books and Films
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “A Landmark in Environmental Science: Ma Tianjie’s In Search of Green China“ by Laurence Westwood Ma Tianjie. In Search of Green China, Polity Books, 2025. 272 pgs. Beginning in the…
![[ESSAY] “A Landmark in Environmental Science: Ma Tianjie’s πΌπ πππππβ ππ πΊππππ πΆβπππ” by Laurence Westwood](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/in-search-of-green-china-tianjie-ma-livres.jpg?w=575)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “We Are Ugly but We Have the Words: Tammy Lai-Ming Ho’s Love Poetry” by Jonathan Han Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on If I Do Not Reply. Tammy Lai-Ming Ho, If I…
![[REVIEW] “We Are Ugly but We Have the Words: Tammy Lai-Ming Ho’s Love Poetry” by Jonathan Han](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/if-i-do-not-reply_tammy-ho.jpg?w=907)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] βSimmering, Steaming, Spilling: On Hongwei Baoβs Queer Playtext Hot Potβ by Ronny Chan ClickΒ HERE to readΒ all entries inΒ ChaonΒ Hot Pot. Hongwei Bao. Hot Pot, Poetic Edge Publishers, 2026. 112 pgs. “To…
![[ESSAY] βSimmering, Steaming, Spilling: On Hongwei Baoβs Queer Playtext π»ππ‘ πππ‘β by Ronny Chan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/hongwei-bao.-hot-pot-poetic-edge-publishers-2026.-112-pgs.png?w=1024)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βNow and Now and Now and Now: Abyssal Form in Yiyun Liβs Things in Nature Merely Growβ by Ronny Chan Yiyun Li. Things in Nature Merely Grow, Farrar, Straus and…
![[REVIEW] βNow and Now and Now and Now: Abyssal Form in Yiyun Liβs πβππππ ππ πππ‘π’ππ ππππππ¦ πΊπππ€β by Ronny Chan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/things-in-nature-merely-grow-by-yiyun-li-farrar-straus-and-giroux-2025.jpg?w=961)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Bodies and Landscapes in Flux: Displacement, Placemaking, and Agency in Mai-Linh Hongβs Continental Drift” by Shui-yin Sharon Yam Mai-Linh Hong. Continental Drift, Trio House Press, 2026. 108 pgs. Mai-Linh Hong’s…
![[REVIEW] “Bodies and Landscapes in Flux: Displacement, Placemaking, and Agency in Mai-Linh Hongβs πΆπππ‘πππππ‘ππ π·ππππ‘” by Shui-yin Sharon Yam](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mai-linh-hong.-continental-drift.webp?w=1024)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “One Script, Many Languages: The Journey of Chinese Writing Across Asia” by Gabriel Corsetti Zev Handel. Chinese Characters across Asia: How the Chinese Script Came to Write Japanese, Korean, and…
![[REVIEW] “One Script, Many Languages: The Journey of Chinese Writing Across Asia” by Gabriel Corsetti](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/chinese-characters-across-asia-how-the-chinese-script-came-to-write-japanese-korean-and-vietnamese-1.jpg?w=667)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Pot Noodles and Power: Junko Takase’s May You Have Delicious Meals” by Anna Nguyen Junko Takase (author), Morgan Giles (translator). May You Have Delicious Meals, Penguin Random House, 2025. 133…
![[REVIEW] “Pot Noodles and Power: Junko Takase’s πππ¦ πππ’ π»ππ£π π·πππππππ’π πππππ ” by Anna Nguyen](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/the-politics-of-the-packed-lunch-junko-takases-may-you-have-delicious-meals.jpg?w=977)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “The Silence Between Metaphors: IldikΓ³ Enyedi’s Silent Friend” by Anna Nguyen IldikΓ³ Enyedi (director), Silent Friend, 2026. 147 min. In Marburg, Germany, a neurologist named Dr Tony Wong is giving…
![[REVIEW] “The Silence Between Metaphors: IldikΓ³ Enyedi’s ππππππ‘ πΉπππππ” by Anna Nguyen](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/screenshot-2026-06-02-at-10.42.17.png?w=824)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Every Puddle a Reflection: On Dorothy Tse’s City Like Water” by Jennifer Eagleton ClickΒ HERE to readΒ all entries inΒ ChaonΒ City Like Water. Dorothy Tse (author), Natascha Bruce (translator). City Like Water, Graywolf…
![[REVIEW] “Every Puddle a Reflection: On Dorothy Tse’s πΆππ‘π¦ πΏπππ πππ‘ππ” by Jennifer Eagleton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/city-like-water-dorothy-tse-cha-an-asian-literary-journal.jpg?w=1000)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery: On Angie Kim’s Happiness Falls” by Raymond K. Nakamura Angie Kim, Happiness Falls, Hogarth Press, 2023. 336 pgs. The novel Happiness Falls by Korean-American…
![[REVIEW] “A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery: On Angie Kim’s π»πππππππ π πΉππππ ” by Raymond K. Nakamura](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/happiness-falls-by-korean-american-writer-angie-kim-.jpg?w=987)
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FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Yi-Ling Liuβs Portrait of Chinaβs Digital Dissidents in The Wall Dancers” by Johanna M. Costigan Yi-Ling Liu. The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet, Knopf, 2026,…
![[ESSAY] “Yi-Ling Liuβs Portrait of Chinaβs Digital Dissidents in πβπ ππππ π·ππππππ ” by Johanna M. Costigan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/wall-dancers.jpg?w=987)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βNo Useless Poems: Tsering Woeserβs Greater Tibetβ by Angus Stewart Tsering Woeser (author), edited and translated by Fiona Sze-LorrainΒ with Dechen Pemba. Ocean, as Much as Rain: Stories, Lyrical Prose, and…
![[REVIEW] βNo Useless Poems: Tsering Woeserβs Greater Tibetβ by Angus Stewart](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ocean-as-much-as-rain-stories-lyrical-prose-and-poems-from-tibet.jpg?w=1000)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βFamily, Failure, and Historical Memory in Sagisawa Megumuβs The Running Boy and Other Storiesβ by James Kin Pong Au Sagisawa Megumu (author), Tyran Grillo (translator). The Running Boy and Other…
![[REVIEW] βFamily, Failure, and Historical Memory in Sagisawa Megumuβs πβπ π
π’πππππ π΅ππ¦ πππ ππ‘βππ ππ‘πππππ β by James Au Kin-Pong](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/cornellpress.cornell.edubook9781501749896the-running-boy-and-other-stories.jpg?w=880)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] βThe Forgotten Chapter of Indian History: A Study of Abbas Panakkalβs Hindu Amir of Muslimsβ by Kabir Deb Abbas Panakkal, Hindu Amir of Muslims: Indigenized Islam from the Indian Ocean…
![[ESSAY] βThe Forgotten Chapter of Indian History: A Study of Abbas Panakkalβs π»ππππ’ π΄πππ ππ ππ’π ππππ β by Kabir Deb](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/hindu-amir-of-muslims-indigenized-islam-from-the-indian-ocean-littoral-of-malabar-bloomsbury-academic.jpg?w=929)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Influence, Fandom, and Platform Power: On Asian Celebrity Cultures in the Digital Age” by Jennifer Junwa Lau Jian Xu, Glen Donnar, and Divya Garg (editors). Asian Celebrity Cultures in the…
![[REVIEW] “Influence, Fandom, and Platform Power: On π΄π πππ πΆπππππππ‘π¦ πΆπ’ππ‘π’πππ ππ π‘βπ π·ππππ‘ππ π΄ππ” by Jennifer Junwa Lau](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/jennifer-lau-influence-fandom-and-platform-power-asian-celebrity-cultures.png?w=1024)
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[REVIEW] “A City in Panorama: Hong Kong Through Keith Macgregorβs Lens” by Simon Patton Keith Macgregor. An Eye on Hong Kong, Odyssey Publications, 1999. 196 pgs. It was Martin Booth who once observed that the view of Victoria Harbour regularly…
![[REVIEW] “A City in Panorama: Hong Kong Through Keith Macgregorβs Lens” by Simon Patton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/an-eye-on-hong-kong-keith-macgregor.jpeg?w=582)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βFood as Violence, Food as Salvation: Ramya Chamalie Jirasingheβs Father Cabraalβs Recipe for Love Cakeβ by Rituparna Mukherjee Ramya Chamalie Jirasinghe. Father Cabraalβs Recipe for Love Cake, Penguin Random House…
![[REVIEW] βFood as Violence, Food as Salvation: Ramya Chamalie Jirasingheβs πΉππ‘βππ πΆππππππβπ π
πππππ πππ πΏππ£π πΆπππβ by Rituparna Mukherjee](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/ramya-chamalie-jarasinghe.-father-cabraals-recipe-for-love-cake.jpg?w=940)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “A Librarianβs Take on Zheng Liuβs Cultural Mavericks: The Business and Politics of Independent Bookselling in China” by Raymond Pun Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Cultural Mavericks. Zheng Liu, Cultural…
![[REVIEW] “A Librarianβs Take on Zheng Liuβs πΆπ’ππ‘π’πππ πππ£ππππππ : πβπ π΅π’π ππππ π πππ πππππ‘πππ ππ πΌππππππππππ‘ π΅ππππ ππππππ ππ πΆβπππ” by Raymond Pun](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cultural-mavericks-the-business-and-politics-of-independent-bookselling-in-china.jpg?w=971)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βMoshin Hamidβs Moth Smoke: What Binds and What Breaks Usβ by Abhinav Tulachan Moshin Hamid, Moth Smoke, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000. 256 pgs. I was, much to my own…
![[REVIEW] βMoshin Hamidβs πππ‘β πππππ: What Binds and What Breaks Usβ by Abhinav Tulachan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/moth-smoke-moshin-hamid.jpg?w=977)
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[REVIEW] “Collecting the Dead, Preserving the Lives: On Vinu P and Niyas Kareem’s The Corpse Collector” by Kabir Deb Vinu P and Niyas Kareem (authors), Ministhy S. (translator). The Corpse Collector: A True Story. Juggernaut Books, 2023. 237 pgs. Death,…
![[REVIEW] “Collecting the Dead, Preserving the Lives: On Vinu P and Niyas Kareem’s πβπ πΆππππ π πΆππππππ‘ππ” by Kabir Deb](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-corpse-collector-a-true-story-niyas-kareem-author-vinu-p-author-ministhy-s.-translator.jpg?w=686)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βA Messy Magnum Opus: Mai Jiaβs The Colonel and the Eunuchβ by Kevin McGeary Mai Jia (author), Dylan Levi King (translator). The Colonel and the Eunuch, Apollo, 2024. 400 pgs.…
![[REVIEW] βA Messy Magnum Opus: Mai Jiaβs πβπ πΆππππππ πππ π‘βπ πΈπ’ππ’πββ by Kevin McGeary](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/mai-jia-author-dylan-levi-king-translator.-the-colonel-and-the-eunuch.jpg?w=977)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS Editor’s note: Qinxian Bonnie Ran’s essay examines Amitav Ghosh’s incorporation of Cantonese into English in River of Smoke. She argues that the novel’s multilingual Fanqui City creates a space where economic…
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] βSleep, Baby, Oh Donβt You Sleep: Thailandβs Northeast in Apichatpong Weerasethakulβs Cemetery of Splendour and Thunska Pansittivorakulβs Isan Odysseyβ by Peixuan Xie β Apichatpong Weerasethakul (director), Cemetery of Splendour, 2015.…
![[ESSAY] βSleep, Baby, Oh Donβt You Sleep: Thailandβs Northeast in Apichatpong Weerasethakulβs πΆππππ‘πππ¦ ππ ππππππππ’π and Thunska Pansittivorakulβs πΌπ ππ πππ¦π π ππ¦β by Peixuan Xie](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/apichatpong-weerasethakuls-cemetery-of-splendour-and-thunska-pansittivorakuls-isan-odyssey.png?w=1024)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] βWe Are What We Read: Reading Zheng Liuβs Cultural Mavericksβ by X. H. Collins Click HERE to readΒ all entries inΒ ChaΒ onΒ Cultural Mavericks. Zheng Liu, Cultural Mavericks: The Business and Politics of…
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Poetry as Archive: Creativity, Political Commitment, and the Everyday in Tammy Lai-Ming Ho’s If I Do Not Reply” by Hannah Steurer Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on If I Do Not Reply.…
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Ghostly Formations and Queer Futures: On Queer Southeast Asia” by Charlotte Marie Chadwick Shawna Tang and Hendri Yulius Wijaya (editors). Queer Southeast Asia, Routledge. 2022. 296 pgs. Queer Southeast Asia,…
![[ESSAY] “Ghostly Formations and Queer Futures: On ππ’πππ πππ’π‘βπππ π‘ π΄π ππ” by Charlotte Marie Chadwick](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/queer-southeast-asia-edited-by-shawna-tang-hendri-yulius-wijaya-copyright-2023.jpg?w=1000)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS Editor’s note: Jason S Polley opens his review essay by recounting his fond and fervent championing of Kit Fanβs first novel, Diamond Hill (2021), whose Cantonese-inflected language enabled rare intergenerational and…
![[ESSAY] βπππ πΊππ Canton: Reading Kit Fanβs πΊπππππ¦π πΆβππππ‘ππ€πβ by Jason S Polley](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/goodbye-chinatown-kit-fan-cha.jpg?w=938)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βMordant Wit and Material Imagination in Huang Fan’s flower ashβ by Nicholas Y. H. Wong Huang Fan (author), Josh Stenberg (translator). flower ash, Flying Island Books, 2025. 120 pgs. I…
![[REVIEW] βMordant Wit and Material Imagination in Huang Fan’s ππππ€ππ ππ ββ by Nicholas Y. H. Wong](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/huang-fan-author-josh-stenberg-translator.-flower-ash-flying-island-books.jpg?w=600)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Shelves, Stories, and Silence: Reading Zheng Liu’s Cultural Mavericks” by Laurence Westwood ClickΒ HERE to readΒ all entries inΒ ChaΒ onΒ Cultural Mavericks. Zheng Liu, Cultural Mavericks: The Business and Politics of Independent Bookselling in…
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Editor’s note: Julien Pieronβs essay examines Sophie Houdartβs Ce territoire qui, comme une pulsationβ¦ (Γditions des mondes Γ faire, 2026), an ethnographic study of post-Fukushima life in TΕwa that portrays a world where catastrophe persists as an unclosed present. Through…
![[ESSAY] βLife in the Persistence of Fukushima: Sophie Houdartβs πΆπ π‘πππππ‘ππππ ππ’π, πππππ π’ππ ππ’ππ ππ‘πππβ¦β by Julien PieronΒ](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/maf_houdart_scan_01-resp2880.jpg?w=1024)
Cha 