Lijia Zhang's Blog, page 27
July 2, 2019
gender pay gap
I am happy to see that the gender pay gap within the BBC is narrowing, thanks to the fight by courageous people such as my old friend Carrie Gracie. Way to go!
June 26, 2019
June 21, 2019
June 20, 2019
June 16, 2019
See Jaipur literature festival
I felt thrilled and honoured when I shared a stage yesterday with famed British/Sri Lankan writer Romesh Guneseker, who was my guest tutor when I worked on my MA on Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London back in 2004. Thank you Romesh for all your support and advice. The other panellist is the award-winning writer Anjali Joseph, and the session was brilliantly moderated by the Times Literary Supplement editor Catharine Morris. My other session was on the relationship between China and India, which I would say went very well, although I personally think it was a bit of squeeze to place four panellists onto one hour session, discussing such a big topic.
June 10, 2019
June 7, 2019
Literary festival at the British Library
The Zee Jaipur Literature Festival, famed as the ‘greatest literary show on earth’, is coming to London. I am taking part in this year’s festival held at the British Library in mid June. I’ll have a session on Saturday the 15th, the details as below, followed by another session about China and India. I’d be thrilled to see you there.
12:30 – 13.30 Mughal Courtyard
Words Are All We Have
Anjali Joseph, Lijia Zhang and Romesh Gunesekera in conversation with Catharine Morris
Three writers speak about ways of seeing and recording, and how they navigate words across countries and cultures. Romesh Gunesekera is the acclaimed Sri Lankan-born British author and finalist for the Man Booker Prize. Award-winning author Anjali Joseph has written three novels including her recent The Living. China-born writer and journalist Lijia Zhang has written memorable books that include China Remembers, Socialism Is Great! and Lotus. In conversation with editor and writer Catharine Morris.
https://www.bl.uk/events/zee-jaipur-literature-festival-2019
May 4, 2019
My oped in today’s scmp on the legacy of May 4 movement and democracy
See below the link to my piece on the legacy of May 4 movement and democracy. A sensitive topic but deserves discussion. thanks. https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3008612/xi-jinping-would-rather-chinese-forgot-true-legacy-may
March 25, 2019
February 24, 2019
Oxford China forum
At Oxford this weekend, attending the annual Oxford China Forum. My literature panel yesterday afternoon went very well indeed. I shared a stage with well-known writer Sheng Keyi, the author of the Northern Girls, among other things, and veteran Swedish translator Anna. G. Chen, who has translated works of Mo Yan, Yu Hua and so on, into Swedish. The session was skilfully moderated by Xiaoning Liu from SOAS. And it was so well organized. It was a full house at Oxford Union. How satisfying to see the young people keenly filing away so many questions! (Well, there was always one of two of them who were interested in making comments instead of asking questions.)
