New on the site this time:

“The Beijing Cultural Review on the rise of Trump and the End of American Hegemony.”  Here I translate the editorial introductions to five cover stories in the Beijing Cultural Review between 2020 and 2023 on the topic in question, as part of a chapter I am writing for my book on how Chinese intellectuals view the United States.  I look both at the issues involved and at the way the editors and authors shape these issues.

In addition, a fascinating and well-done interview with the scholar-entrepreneur Liang Jianzhang on “Why are Today’s Young People Not Having Children?”  Here, Liang is speaking as a demographer and talking about China’s imminent demographic disaster, the result of rapidly declining birth rates.  Whether Liang is right or wrong, he is refreshingly frank, a reminder that not everyone in China is thinking only about Xi Jinping Thought.

I have two book projects on which I need to make major progress over the next couple of months, so my contributions to my blog may be a bit less frequent.  My impression is that people read less in the summer anyway, so it may make little difference.
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For those who are reading, enjoy!  And for those who want to contribute to the blog or the project, click here.  Thanks!

​New on the site this week:
 
The big news is that as of July 1, 2023, I have retired from the Université de Montréal.  This was my choice; I am in great health and very excited about the future.  I absolutely plan to continue the website and thought that this might be an appropriate moment to ask for contributions from readers to defray the costs of running it.  So I added a contribution button to the site.  This button is more easily accessed from the website than from your phone, although if you feel that you must contribute while driving to work or crossing the street, you can click on the three buttons in the top right of your cell and choose “desktop site,” from which you can see the button.  I stress that this contribution is voluntary and that I will not bombard you with messages about it.  Thanks.  More about my retirement plans in future updates.
 
New translations this time include:
 
An interview with Wu Xinbo on Secretary of State Blinken’s visit to China, a moderately hopeful if realistic view that I think resonates with a good number of Chinese;
 
A talk by Jiang Shigong on the decline of the American empire, the rise of “civilizational states” (Russia, Turkey, India) and how Chinese socialism will save the 20th century from a coming clash of civilizations;
 
An interview with Japanese feminist Chizuko Ueno and Chinese sexologist Li Yinhe.  This is part of a huge “Ueno moment” in China – in the past few months, 9 of her books have been published in Chinese and some 1 million copies purchased.  This is surely Chinese feminism finding a way to make its voice heard even as the movement’s leaders are silenced or exiled.
 
If you missed me on Kaiser Kuo’s Sinica podcast on June 8, you can give a belated listen here.  That interview earned me another with Kalavinka Advisors which is available here (a written interview, so the vibe is a bit different).
 
Enjoy!  More soon!