Category: Exclusive
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[ESSAY] “Dead Cat Bounce: The Graphic Novel Boom in Singapore That Wasn’t” by Felix Cheong I became a graphic novelist by accident. Or perhaps by the necessity of reinvention. Whichever is the more charitable view, it was probably as good a…
![[ESSAY] “Dead Cat Bounce: The Graphic Novel Boom in Singapore That Wasn’t” by Felix Cheong](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/oddballs-screwballs-and-other-eccentrics-and-in-the-year-of-the-virus-1.png?w=859)
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[ESSAY] “Between Two Names” by Wayne Mok “Wayne could be a Vietnamese name too.” I clutched my copy of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer and waited while he chatted with the couple ahead. It was my first time attending a book…
![[ESSAY] “Between Two Names” by Wayne Mok](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/wayne-mok-cha.jpg?w=1024)
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[ESSAY] “One Poet, Two Translators: Preserving the Essence of Voice” by Yvette Neisser All entries in Cha on Madame Mao. María Teresa Ogliastri (author), Yvette Neisser and Patricia Bejarano Fisher (translators). From the Diary of Madame Mao. Carnegie Mellon University…
![[ESSAY] “One Poet, Two Translators: Preserving the Essence of Voice” by Yvette Neisser](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/yvette-neisser-and-patricia-bejarano-fisher.png?w=823)
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[ESSAY] “One Child, Three Lives” by Lina Ma HeyTea, High Salaries, and Family Money A HeyTea store in New York Inside a rooftop lounge in Manhattan, Scarlette sits in a cute pink T-shirt and wire-rimmed glasses, a cup of HeyTea’s…
![[ESSAY] “One Child, Three Lives” by Lina Ma](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gettyimages-524755818.jpg?w=1024)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “What’s Queer about Hong Kong Comics?” by Ronny Chan What’s queer about comics? I’ve been grappling with this question ever since I took a stab at crafting my first queer…
![[ESSAY] “What’s Queer about Hong Kong Comics?” by Ronny Chan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/combsisters_008.jpg?w=1024)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Asian Pirates? In a Musical?” by Shanon Shah Zhui Ning Chang (director). Asian Pirate Musical, Upstairs at the Gatehouse, 28 July—2 August 2026. I have always been drawn to people…
![[ESSAY] “Asian 𝑃𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠? In a 𝑀𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙?” by Shanon Shah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/asian-pirate-musical-2.png?w=1024)
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[FICTION] “Detergence” by Jonathan Han Photograph © Oliver Farry The pantry was getting dirty. A wisp of tissue had fallen on the linoleum floor. Coffee grounds speckled the steel of the machine. A damp cloth, used earlier to wipe the…
![[FICTION] “Detergence” by Jonathan Han](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/detergence-by-jonathan-han.png?w=533)
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[ESSAY] “The Unstuck City: Dorothy Tse’s City Like Water” by Luca Griseri Click HERE to read all entries in Chaon City Like Water. Dorothy Tse (author), Natascha Bruce (translator). City Like Water, Graywolf Press, 2026. 112 pgs. The novel resembles a décollage precisely because…
![[ESSAY] “The Unstuck City: Dorothy Tse’s 𝐶𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟” by Luca Griseri](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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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Singing in Hiragana: On The Chronicles of Japan” by Mario Rustan All entries in Chaon The Chronicles of Japan Matthieu Felt (translator). The Chronicles of Japan—Volume I: Age of the…
![[ESSAY] “Singing in Hiragana: On 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐽𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑛” by Mario Rustan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/71mw8p3wrll._sl1500_.jpg?w=993)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “(En)Gendering Japanese Literature and Translation: Joan E. Ericson’s Be a Woman” by Catherine Regina Borlaza Click here to read all entries in Chaon Be a Woman Joan E. Ericson. Be…
![[ESSAY] “(En)Gendering Japanese Literature and Translation: Joan E. Ericson’s 𝐵𝑒 𝑎 𝑊𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛” by Catherine Regina Borlaza](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/joan-e.-ericson-be-a-woman-hayashi-fumiko-and-modern-japanese-womens-literature-.jpg?w=907)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Tony Leung in the Cinema: Between Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur” by Liew KH Tony Leung WKW went to Bangkok to film In the Mood for Love because there was…
![[ESSAY] “Tony Leung in the Cinema: Between Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur” by Liew KH](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/images-1.jpeg?w=387)
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[Artist Statement] “Shanghai Flower: A Tribute to Eileen Chang” by Antzu Huang 2025 marked the centenary of the legendary author Eileen Chang, one of the great figures of modern Chinese literature. In her honour, I wrote an electronic ballad, “Shanghai…
![[Artist Statement] “Shanghai Flower: A Tribute to Eileen Chang” by Antzu Huang](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/28181042-eileen-chang_cover_1444x2000.jpg?w=1024)
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[ESSAY] “To Belong: Impressions of Hong Kong” by Raimondo Vanitelli Photograph © Raimondo Vanitelli You take in the city and the city accepts you, even if momentarily. 1 The intersection feels timeless. Red cabs with white roofs honk at each other,…
![[ESSAY] “To Belong: Impressions of Hong Kong” by Raimondo Vanitelli](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/raimondo-vanitelli-2.jpg?w=1024)
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[ESSAY] “The Switzerland She Waited For” by Shiwani Dhiman Author’s Note: This story is personal, based on conversations I had with my mother-in-law, Dahlia Chaudhuri, as she spoke about her memories of marriage, her younger self, and her long-awaited trip…
![[ESSAY] “The Switzerland She Waited For” by Shiwani Dhiman](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/screenshot-2026-08-31-at-16.05.30.png?w=1024)
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[ESSAY] “The Chinese Girl in Paris: An Unfinished Portrait of China” by William Grice “Je te souhaite une vie heureuse”, a final dispatch from Paris before the correspondence fell silent. Letters from Rue de la Sourdière, a full moon over…
![[ESSAY] “The Chinese Girl in Paris: An Unfinished Portrait of China” by William Grice](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/william-grice-1.jpg?w=1024)
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[ESSAY] “A Look Back on Anime: Memoir, Poetics, and Literary Hedonism” by Franz Austin V. De Mesa Filipinos wave a One Piece flag as they take part in a protest against corruption at Rizal Park. Photograph: Ezra Acayan/Getty Image On 21…
![[ESSAY] “A Look Back on Anime: Memoir, Poetics, and Literary Hedonism” by Franz Austin V. De Mesa](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/e28098a-symbol-of-liberation-how-the-one-piece-manga-flag-became-the-symbol-of-asias-gen-z-protest-movement.jpeg?w=399)
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[ESSAY] “Shades of Huế” by Cheryl Chong The heat has a strange way of blurring things in Huế. We glimpse rust-coloured shophouses and dusk-toned homes, most of them melding into a haze as our chartered car nears the city centre.…
![[ESSAY] “Shades of Huế” by Cheryl Chong](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/view-from-the-melia-vinpearl-hue-otherwise-known-as-the-hotel.jpg?w=1024)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “The Ecstasy of Love: The Precarious Line Between Reality and Illusion in Kiwi Chow’s Beyond the Dream” by Hilda Wong Kiwi Chow (director). Beyond the Dream, 2019. 120 min. Is…
![[ESSAY] “The Ecstasy of Love: The Precarious Line Between Reality and Illusion in Kiwi Chow’s 𝐵𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚” by Hilda Wong](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/beyond-the-dream.webp?w=750)
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[ESSAY] “Home” by Daniel Cheng Right: A photograph taken by the author in NewfoundlandLeft: A photograph taken by the author during his first semester in Waterloo I’m flying home to Newfoundland for Christmas, for the first time since leaving home.…
![[ESSAY] “Home” by Daniel Cheng](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/22home22-by-daniel-cheng-.png?w=937)
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[FICTION] “Three Travelling Portraits: India” by Matt Reeck Also read “No Moral at Its End”, Matt Reeck’s essayon “Three Travelling Portraits: India” Preeti (Delhi) I FLEW INTO INDIA on December ninth. I was going to stay at the Fulbright House…
![[FICTION] “Three Travelling Portraits: India” by Matt Reeck](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/screenshot-2026-07-10-at-18.33.52.png?w=827)
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[ESSAY] “No Moral at Its End” by Matt Reeck Also read Matt Reeck’s story “Three Travelling Portraits: India”. When I wrote “Three Travelling Portraits,” I was interested in depicting some of the sexual tension that I had experienced and witnessed…
![[ESSAY] “No Moral at Its End” by Matt Reeck](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/screenshot-2026-07-10-at-19.06.38.png?w=850)
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[ESSAY] “The Internet Cafe That Died During The Pandemic” by Laurehl Onyx B. Cabiles There was a well-known internet café in our municipality. Like all other small businesses, it was located at our public terminal since there were no complex…
![[ESSAY] “The Internet Cafe That Died During The Pandemic” by Laurehl Onyx B. Cabiles](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/screenshot-2026-07-11-at-11.40.29.png?w=824)
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[FICTION] “The Room After the Typhoon” by Christian Wilken Christian Wilken on “The Room After the Typhoon”: “The Room After the Typhoon” began with a memory from my year as an exchange student in Okinawa, from 2013 to 2014: the…
![[FICTION] “The Room After the Typhoon” by Christian Wilken](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/christian-wilken.png?w=864)
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[INCIDENTAL] “Bear, Boar, Monkey, Mouse, and Cat” by Marsha McDonald Bear © Dima Solomin and Marsha McDonald I am returning this year to Japan for a month mid-November, staying near Osaka, and visiting friends, doing my creative work. I will…
![[INCIDENTAL] “Bear, Boar, Monkey, Mouse, and Cat” by Marsha McDonald](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/screenshot-2026-07-11-at-14.09.19.png?w=1024)
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[ESSAY] “Saigon, in a Previous Life” by Yun Li Yun Li’s note on “Saigon, in a Previous Life”: “Saigon, in a Previous Life” was originally written in Chinese and published as “西贡的前世今生” in the Night Light Cup section of Xinmin…
![[ESSAY] “Saigon, in a Previous Life” by Yun Li](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/screenshot-2026-07-09-at-16.04.22.png?w=849)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Into the Heart of Darkness in Rudraneil Sengupta’s The Beast Within and Nilanjana S. Roy’s Black River” by Rituparna Mukherjee 🌸 Rudraneil Sengupta. The Beast Within, Context, 2025. 352 pgs.🌸…
![[ESSAY] “Into the Heart of Darkness in Rudraneil Sengupta’s 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛 and Nilanjana S. Roy’s 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑅𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟” by Rituparna Mukherjee](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/rudraneil-sengupta.-the-beast-within-context-2025.-352-pgs.-nilanjana-s.-roy.-black-river-pushkin-vertigo-2024.-368-pgs.png?w=1024)
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[ESSAY] “Liner Notes” by Jeremiah Dutch Also read Jeremiah Dutch’s story “Cool Jazz at the Dragonfly Club”. “Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can’t understand it. It’s too complicated. That’s what’s so simple about it.” —Attributed to Yogi Berra…
![[ESSAY] “Liner Notes” by Jeremiah Dutch](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/liner-notes-jeremiah-dutch.png?w=864)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Finding My Own Silent Friends: From the Botanical Garden to Hong Kong’s Streets” by Jennifer Eagleton Click HERE to read all entries in Chaon SILENT FRIEND. Ildikó Enyedi (director), Silent…
![[ESSAY] “Finding My Own Silent Friends: From the Botanical Garden to Hong Kong’s Streets” by Jennifer Eagleton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/screenshot-2026-06-02-at-10.42.17.png?w=824)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “What Lingers: On Babitha Marina Justin’s The Way Madmen Smell” by Ankush Banerjee Babitha Marina Justin. The Way Madmen Smell, Red River Press, 2026. 149 pgs. Noted Trivandrum-based academic, poet,…
![[ESSAY] “What Lingers: On Babitha Marina Justin’s 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑎𝑦 𝑀𝑎𝑑𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑆𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑙” by Ankush Banerjee](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/the-way-madmen-smell-by-babitha-marina-justin-.jpg?w=868)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Simmering, Steaming, Spilling: On Hongwei Bao’s Queer Playtext Hot Pot” by Ronny Chan Click HERE to read all entries in Chaon Hot Pot. Hongwei Bao. Hot Pot, Poetic Edge Publishers, 2026. 112 pgs. “To…
![[ESSAY] “Simmering, Steaming, Spilling: On Hongwei Bao’s Queer Playtext 𝐻𝑜𝑡 𝑃𝑜𝑡” by Ronny Chan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/hongwei-bao.-hot-pot-poetic-edge-publishers-2026.-112-pgs.png?w=1024)
Cha 