The 798 Art District, born out of the repurposing of abandoned factory buildings in northeastern Beijing, became a symbol of China’s booming contemporary art scene in the early twenty-first century. Initiatives such as “Reconstruction 798” spurred the development of the art district, creating a public, market-driven hub of contemporary art that reached its zenith around the time of 2008 Beijing Olympics. This book documents 798’s remarkable pioneering decade between 2002 and 2012,capturing the art district’s heyday, as well as its subsequent decline following the global financial crisis and the resulting downturn in the Chinese art market. Presenting his personal collection of nearly one thousand event posters and firsthand interviews with sixteen eminent artists, curators, and gallery owners, Xu Yong provides an invaluable record of contemporary Chinese art during this transformative period.

In this book, Professor Fanny Cheung shares her inspiring journey as a psychologist, academic leader, and champion of gender equality. Growing up in a traditional Hong Kong family, she recognized early injustices against women and dedicated her life to change.
Pioneering gender studies in Asia and leading the Equal Opportunities Commission, she fought discrimination, domestic violence, and gender bias in policy and research. Her leadership reshaped academia and public policy through consensus-building and quiet determination, leaving a legacy of empowerment.
Blending personal memoir with social history, Cheung’s story is one of resilience, intellect, and unwavering commitment to justice. Her groundbreaking work in psychology and gender studies not only transformed Hong Kong but also resonated globally, inspiring future generations of women leaders. This memoir is a testament to the power of advocacy and the quiet strength of those who dare to make a difference.

This book is an unusual excursion into Chinese cultural history. In a sweeping narrative spanning over five thousand years, Professor Cho-yun Hsu moves beyond accounts that focus solely on the internal evolution of Chinese culture. He revisits early Chinese civilization, integrating recent archaeological discoveries to reshape our understanding of its development. Employing a big history perspective, Hsu reconstructs the dynamic interplay of diverse ethnic groups and cultures within and beyond China, highlighting the constant friction and fusion that shaped its trajectory.This insightful work reveals why Chinese civilization has endured despite numerous internal and external hardships and turmoils. It offers a nuanced and thought-provoking perspective on China’s past and its relevance to the present.

Over a span of 260 years, from 630 to 894, Japanese embassies to Tang China (ken-Tō shi) played a vital role in importing Tang governance and culture to Japan, significantly shaping the political and cultural landscape of an emerging Japanese state with codes of law (ritsuryō). However, the seventeenth embassy during the Jōwa period, fraught with turmoil, marked the final mission to Tang China. Alongside disasters and significant loss of life during the voyage, mysteries persist around Vice-ambassador Ono no Takamura’s refusal to board the ship, the government's insistence on the mission, and the objectives behind dispatching this mission to China.

In this volume, Professor Saeki Arikiyo traces the journey from departure to return, focusing on the individuals involved and the prevailing trends of the era. Drawing upon a rich tapestry of historical sources, including records from Shoku Nihon kōki and the accompanying monk Ennin’s Nit-Tō guhō junrei kōki, Arikiyo delves into the arduous journey of this final mission and unravels the intricate motives of the embassy personnel and their encounters in Tang China, offering a comprehensive examination of a transformative chapter in ancient Japanese diplomatic history.

How have the sounds of China crossed borders, shaped by cultural, political, and technological forces? This volume traces Chinese music’s journey from 19th-century diasporas—driven by trade, migration, and imperialism—to today’s hyper-connected digital age, spanning locales from Japan and Jamaica to Italy and San Francisco. It examines how sound constructs identities, contests colonial and national power, and redefines cultural belonging across global contexts.
Structured into five sections (Asia, Maritime Worlds, Diaspora, Film, Media) and 17 case studies, the book explores the sonic dimension of China’s modern history and global presence. From Cantonese opera and Buddhist chants to propaganda records and classical repertoires, it analyzes how technologies like phonographs, radio, and cinema amplified sonic circulation, shaping social and cultural impacts of music worldwide. By weaving historical depth with global perspectives, the volume offers a comparative lens to understand the dynamic role of sound in China’s transnational interactions and cultural negotiation.

Escaping the End of Times invites readers to explore the intricate relationships between dreams, politics, and the Chinese writing system in early modern China. Thoroughly researched and written in an accessible manner, this book presents a series of historical encounters that reveal how scholars countered dramatic instability by compiling and editing dream texts. Readers learn how these scholars translated their dreams into action, used the past to bolster their status, reaffirmed their preferred societal order, merged myth and history, and interpreted their dreams and the dreams of others through creative techniques grounded in scholarly tradition. By combining detailed research with captivating storytelling, this book not only brings the world of late Ming dream analysis to life but also demonstrates the relevance of the past to the stories we tell now about ourselves and our own dreams.