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Those interested in contemporary China would do well to read River Town, Peter Hessler's book about two years spent teaching English in SW China's Sichuan province. He's got a new book out, Oracle Bones and Jonathan Spence's review of it makes it sound as a good choice for the plane. See the attached review. If anyone cares to read it, please contribute your own review of it to the Asia in My Classroom forum.

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APA talks to Zatoichi's Tadanobu Asano and discovers the art behind the swordsman, uncovering the details behind the actor we love for his brooding, mysterious characters.

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nomination for academy award

Interview with the star of Twilight Samurai

Another recent samurai flick

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More web resources on the Visualizing Cultures debate.

Boston Globe article

Chinese discussion forum - English posting

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In this morning's session, I mentioned the controversy surrounding a valuable web resource developed by two outstanding MIT scholars.

Here are some links to investigate the story.

Visualizing Courses - hidden site

Christian Science Monitor report from 2004

MIT statement on "Visualizing Cultures" project

I will try to make a saved version of the site available to you. The site is currently not available from the MIT site.

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The LA Times (4/29/06) offers the attached article on China's richest families and individuals.

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The LA Times (4/29/06) offered this article on China's richest individuals and families. It focuses on the increasing polarization of Chinese society.

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Hi Courtney,

Thanks for sharing these observations of Not One Less. I agree with your husband that students here can't begin to understand how fortunate they (and their teachers) are to be here in California rather than rural North China.

Please add your comments to the Asia in My Classroom forum's film festival thread. I think many would appreciate reading your views on this film.

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Those interested in Spring... may wish to read or watch the interview Asia Pacific Arts conducted with its director Kim Ki-duk. You can access it at:

http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=9820

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You've seen the Ikea picture and you saw furniture shops and more in China. But did you see a Home Dept? The attached article explains the giant retailer's go slow approach and also provides information about buying a new home in China -- no "turn key" jobs, as we explained during the visit, one buys a shell and then needs to finish everything.

The article is from the 5/1/06 issue of BusinessWeek.[Edit by="Clay Dube on Apr 29, 7:51:51 AM"][/Edit]

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The State Department's China travel guide has some info on medical insurance along with other advice:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/regional/regional_1173.html

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Some teachers have received grants from their school's booster club or their PTSA to a) purchase a book or two to be donated, or b) to purchase items in East Asia for use in lessons later. It's worth asking.

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Hi Nicole,
I was amazed by the 700 seat restaurant. We don't generally think of Ikea as a dining destination, but clearly many Chinese shoppers do.

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I thought my fellow travellers might be interested in this article from BusinessWeek (5/1/06). Its focus is on Home Depot's hesitation to enter the China market, but it also includes information on home ownership and the need to finish a new purchase.

Click on the icon below (file in a vise) to open the file.

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Asia Pacific Arts biweekly magazine

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