Issue No. 186 | Feb. 14, 2020
Dedicated to the development of the future stewards of U.S.-China relations
Recording Life in Wuhan
Efforts to discern what exactly is happening in Wuhan have resulted in some interesting articles by foreigners living in in the city, as well as a new effort to translate local stories of those affected by the COVIT-19 outbreak.

If you want to get into what it's like on a daily basis in Wuhan, you can read this blog by 方方 ( pen name), former chairwoman of the Hubei Writers Association. Besides her recognition as an "一级作家," she is the great-granddaughter of a KMT veteran who served as secretary general in the Second Revolution.

Her latest post begins, "中午开窗，看到太阳又出来了。今天是李文亮的头七吧？头七是远行者回望的日子。李文亮在天有灵，重返故地，他会看到什么呢？"
俗语 from Xi Jinping's Speeches
山川异域, 风月同天
shān chuān yì yù, fēng yuè tóng tiān

Meaning : We are not in the same place and we do not share the same mountains and rivers. But when we look up, we see the same bright moon.

Original : This is an ancient quote from 长屋王 (Prince Nagaya) of Japan. Coronavirus donations from Japan (pictured above) were covered with words of encouragement and solidarity, including this phrase.

Source : In the absence of recent Xi speeches, this 偈语 garnered public praise in China, but was then criticized in the Wuhan government newspaper (article since deleted, see Twitter image posted by @tony_zy)
Upcoming Event:
Free Speech and Publication Censorship
Please join us next  Wednesday, February 19 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM  at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace for the next installment of the AMS Chinese Lecture Series.

Bilingual author Zhu Xiao Di will speak, in Chinese , about free speech and publication censorship in mainland China.

Free speech and censorship in China have long been issues of concern in the U.S.-China relationship, as exemplified by recent events at home and abroad. On February 10, Congress moved to stop China's censoring of Americans . In the hours after Dr. Li Wenliang's death, the hashtag meaning "I want freedom of speech" went viral before it was finally deleted by censors.

Our guest speaker Zhu Xiao Di will examine these issues through the lens of the publishing industry in China, drawing from historical trends and from his own experiences as a Chinese-American author.
Leftover Women Documentary
Documentary feature Leftover Women premiered on PBS on February 10. The film follows three single women as they search for "Mr. Right" and "struggle to stay true to their personal and professional ambitions, while dealing with pressure from their families, friends, and a government that launched a state-sponsored campaign to stigmatize unwed women."

According to SupChina :" the film has been gaining a great deal of traction   (in Chinese) on the Chinese internet, with many praising its intimate portrayal of single women in China."

The documentary is 1 hour and 25 minutes, in Mandarin with English subtitles.
Support the American Mandarin Society!

If you appreciate the effort we put into organizing Chinese-language policy events, providing robust language and policy resources on our website, and the kind of content you see in this newsletter, please consider  supporting us with a tax-deductible contribution --every bit helps!

The American Mandarin Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
https://www.mandarinsociety.org
Copyright © 2019 All Rights Reserved