Shanghai Bishop Jin Luxian’s Legacy

This mostly dormant blog was started in 2007 with almost no agenda beyond plans to expand on my just-published profile of Shanghai’s Catholic bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian in the July/August 2007 issue of the Atlantic. I did that, and over the years I kept up with Jin – though I didn’t publish anything much beyond…

In China, you’re more likely to beat the hell out of your doctor, than sue him.

On Thursday China Daily reported that 17,000 violent incidents took place in Chinese hospital in 2010, affecting roughly 70 percent of all public hospitals in China. What’s a “violent incident?” By and large, it’s an act of aggression by a patient, or a patient’s family, against a medical practitioner. This week I take a deeper look…

Appearing with Mara Hvistendahl at Shanghai Lit Festival – SUNDAY the 18th

On Sunday I’m going to have the distinct honor of moderating my friend Mara Hvistendahl‘s appearance at the Shanghai International Literary Festival. The hour-long session will start at 15:00 at M on the Bund. My understanding is that it’s been sold out, but apparently mypiao has a few tickets available for those who show up…

Unnatural Selection: Missing Girls, Abortion, and the Perversion of Choice

A few years ago, while visiting a small, prosperous city a few hours from Changsha, in China’s Hunan Province, I paused outside of a primary school to snap a photo of grandparents eagerly awaiting the afternoon bell and the grandchildren who would emerge from the school gate. A few minutes later, when that bell rang,…