Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee

Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (Dee Goong An) (Detective Stories) trans. Robert Van Gulik

Judge Dee is a classic character in Chinese lit. Based on a real magistrate, the cases he solved and the legend surround him grew over the years. Think Sherlock Holmes, Perry Mason, and Law and Order all rolled into one guy.

In this book, Robert Van Gulik takes some Judge Dee stories that he thinks are the most accessible to Western audiences (so, no calling household objects as witnesses, which does happen in Chinese mysteries) and translates them. There's extensive introductory notes and footnotes, too. Van Gulik did this translation during WWII, when the war prevented him from doing his more academic research. I like that he found a way to

Van Gulik really wanted Judge Dee to find a Western audience. The original Chinese tales didn't take off as well as he hoped, so he wrote a bunch of new ones with Judge Dee as the main character. This, however, is an original Chinese one.

There are three murder mysteries in this book. I like how when he's working on one, another one pops up, so even though the mysteries aren't related, he's solving all of them at once.

In addition to the glimpses of Tang Dynasty life, and the traditional Chinese court system (detectives are judges, torturing a confession out is totally legit, etc) they're just intriguing mysteries with ingenious solutions.

Highly recommended to fans of Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and other older, classic mysteries.

I own most of the Judge Dee mysteries and can't wait to work my way through them.


Book Provided by... my bookshelf. Somewhere along the line I acquired used copies of most of Van Gulik's Judge Dee books.

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Books for Adults

So, for about half an hour today, there was a picture of a ball of yarn posted to the blog that might have made it into your blog reader. I did not mean to post that to this blog, but rather to my knitting blog, so if you want to read the post that picture went to, head over to my knitting roundup...

Anyway, this weekend I read a lot of books for grownups (shocking!) so I thought I'd share a review of a book for grownups that I read this spring.

The Moon Opera Bi Feiyu

The Moon Opera has been thought to be cursed ever since the first production closed before it opened, for political reasons. But now, a rich cigarette factory owner wants it restaged and is willing to put up the capital to do so, but only under the condition that the star from the more successful second run returns to the stage. Xiao Yanqiu hasn't been onstage in 20 years, since the last time she sang the Moon Opera and scalded her understudy with a cup of boiling water.

It's a short novel, almost a novella, that gets straight to the point, with a few meditations on Beijing Opera. A little background in Beijing Opera might be helpful, but the main thing you should know is that there are some stock characters in Beijing Opera--Strong Guy, Seductress, Dutiful Woman, etc. You can tell immediately what type of character you're dealing with based on their movements, costume, and makeup. Actually, makeup alone will tell you.

Anyway... this is a story of warring divas, a character study of an aging one. It's quiet, but sucks you in. I had a few problems with some general statements the narrator makes about women, but overall, I did really like this one.

I hope we see more of Bi's works being translated.

Poetry Mini-Challenge

Ok! Another Mini Challenge, this one from 1330V again!

Keeping with this weeks Poetry Friday theme, I'm going to go with more Classical Chinese poetry, because I love it.

I Leave Town to See a Friend Off and, Missing Him, Stroll by the Stream

by Su Shi (1037-1101)

The friend I came to see off has already gone,
The flowers I hoped to find have not yet bloomed;
But rather than return to town
I stroll beside the stream,
Till an old man greets me
And asks where I have been.
After a good rain and snow this year,
They look forward to a thousand stacks of wheat.

Poetry Friday!

Welcome to Poetry Friday! It's my first time hosting, but I think after some initial scufflawing in the sandbox, Mr. Linky and I are now friends...

So... first some poetry and then the round-up!

There's this story that says during the Ming Dynasty, the scholar-official Zhao Mengfu wanted to take a concubine and wrote a poem to gauge his wife's reaction:

I'm a scholar-official
and you are the official wife.
Haven't you ever heard that scholar-official Wang had Peach Leaf and Peach Root,
Scholar-official Su had Morning Clouds and Evening Clouds?
Even if I marry a few beauties from Wu and Yue--it wouldn't be too much
since you're already over forty.
You'll still control Spring in the Jade Hall.

Zhao's wife, Guan Daosheng, wrote this poem in response:

You and I
have too much passion.
Where the passion is, is hot like fire
I knead a piece of clay into a you
and a me
then smash them
and mix them with water.
Again I knead it into a you
then a me.
There is you in my clay,
and me in your clay.
I'll share your quilt while we live
and your coffin after death.

He didn't take a concubine.

Both poems are from The Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry: From Ancient to Contemporary, The Full 3000-Year Tradition ed. Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping

Leave your Poetry Friday links below!

Hello, Ginger Beef? I'd like to make an order for delivery please...

First things first-- did you hear these guys on Morning Edition yesterday? Yes, I am that dorky that I get music recs from NPR. SHUT UP. I want that CD. Well, it's cheaper if I buy it in MP3 form... anyway...

ALSO! Reasons it is hard to be at work today:
1. It is sunny and nice out. Not too hot. We may even turn off the AC and open the windows tonight!
2. Fables Vol. 10: The Good Prince is on my doorstep. RIGHT NOW. Too bad my doorstep is a federal district and 1 state away.

And now, a story.

Setting: A dorm room in Nanjing, December 2000

Lauren, an American college student has just gotten a package of Christmas presents from her parents. Several American and Chinese students have just finished decorating the mini-Christmas tree that was included. Lauren is now opening her presents. She opens up a Chinese take out box full of colored fortune cookies from a Van Gogh exhibit at the Philadelphia Art Museum.

Xiao Mao: Oooo! These are really tasty! Wait! There's paper in here! What is this?
Jennie: Oh. It's a quotation from Van Gogh. Usually they're kinda brown and they have a fortune or a quotation from Confucius.
Xiao Mao: Why on earth are your desserts quoting Confucius?!
Jennie: Well, you get them for dessert at Chinese restaurants.
Xiao Mao: THESE AREN'T CHINESE!!!
Jennie: They were invented in Chinatown. That box [the goldfish takeaway box] is what you get Chinese or other Asian food in.
Xiao Mao: Really?! What does Italian food come in?
Jennie: Um... a styrofoam container like you get from Aiye's [what we called the restaurant next door]

What's really cool is, at the time, that conversation took place in Chinese, which I couldn't do now.

Anyway, that's all windup to my review of the most wonderful

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food Jennifer 8. Lee

Before you read this book, make sure you have the phone number of your local Chinese delivery place handy. TRUST ME.

In this book, Lee explores 3 major things: the history of fortune cookies (actually, they're Japanese and internment had a big role in making them a Chinese restaurant favorite), the phenomenon that is Chinese-American food (as opposed to authentic Chinese food), and how Chinese-American food shapes the Chinese immigrant experience and vice versa.

Very readable and fascinating, Lee's journey starts with what happened when an unexpectedly large amount of people got 5 out of 6 numbers right on the Powerball lottery. Turns out they were playing fortune cookie numbers.

Lee traces Chinese restaurants around the world, sometimes following the cookies, sometimes the workers, sometimes the food. She has essays on the evolution of Chop Suey and General Tso's chicken (both very American dishes, while Kung Pao chicken is "authentic" Chinese.) She talks about the advent of delivery and the quest to find the greatest Chinese restaurant in the WORLD. She delves into crimes committed on Chinese deliverymen in New York, and how most Chinese restaurants in the states are staffed from an agency under the Manhattan Bridge. Plus, a great examination on why Jewish people love Chinese food and the story of the Great Kosher Duck Scandal in 1989.

Random things I learned:

There are 2 Chinese restaurants for every McDonald's in the US
Almost all fortunes are written by just 2 guys
Cheap Chinese restaurants in South America are called chifa (chee-fah) which is derived from the Chinese words chi fan (chir fan) which means "to eat food"
Almost all of those little soy sauce packets are made by 1 company and don't have soy in them.

The writing is engaging and accessible, but well-researched. I highly recommend it, but just plan on having Chinese for dinner.

Written for adults, but teens will like it too. As long as you feed them.

In the Shadow of History

I like the idea of blogging with music, so we're going to start doing that. Now, when I link to a song, it's through Napster, which is now 100% legit. The song is free and you don't need to log into anything to listen to it. The way it's legit is that you can only listen 3 times (to each song) before it asks you to buy that particular track.

Today's song is... We Didn't Start The Fire by Billy Joel.

Also, I'm now allowed to officially announce that I'm part of the Cybils awesomeness that is once again happening this year. I'm helping with the Middle Grade/ Young Adult non-fiction. Nominations start on October 1st, so start thinking and then get over there!!!!

Also, I'm hanging out at Geek Buffet today blogging about the morals of Communist Kitsch Chic.

And now, a book. It's one of those ones for grown-up type people.

Big Breasts & Wide Hips: A Novel by Mo Yan

Now, to preface this, I have to say that Mo Yan is my favorite author. Hands down. His depictions of Modern China are wonderful and his language is lush. So lush, especially when compared to most other Chinese prose. I almost puked Red Sorghum reading the scenes in when the Japanese invaded. I could taste the garlic while reading The Garlic Ballads.

Not everything he writes gets translated, so a new Mo Yan novel is to be savored. To the point where I've owned this for a few years now and never read it. It just sat on the shelf, waiting. Waiting for a time when I could pick it up and read it slowly and fully enjoy it.

Now, it was a perfectly fine book. But not one of his best, leaving it a bit of a disappointment.

The story is of the Shangguan family, who live in Northeast Gaomi Country in Shandong Province (almost all of Mo Yan's works take place here).

Shangguan Jintong is the only boy in a family of 9 sisters. He's obsessed with breasts, particularly those of his mother-- he isn't fully weaned until around the age of 17. This novel tracks the family through the 20th century-- a pretty tumultuous time in Chinese history. Unlike most historical novels, history isn't a main character--it's just a small part of the background noise, with a few exceptions. Because of this, I'm wondering how much sense parts of it will make to people not acquainted in modern Chinese history. The section leading up to WWII and going through the success of the Communist Revolution is confusing at best. Now, it was confusing to those who lived through it, too, but...

According to the introduction, Mo Yan wanted to write a story feauturing strong female characters. Now, most of his work features strong female characters and, outside the character of Mother, I'm not entirely sure this one does. Many of the sisters are introduced and then disappear. Many are not well fleshed out and I wouldn't call all of them strong by any means.

Now, if this had been by anyone else besides Mo Yan, I'd be much more enthusiastic about it, but I expected more of him.

Now, to eagerly await the March release of Life and Death are Wearing Me Out. In the meantime, if you haven't read his work yet, pick up a copy of Red Sorghum-- you won't be disappointed.

Poetry Friday

It's Poetry Friday!

It's also homework day. Ergh. You know my challenge to read everything I had borrowed and I wasn't allowed to check anything else out? Not going so good. I mean, I've been better, but not great.

Anyway, here's TWO poems (I couldn't decide):

If along the highroad
I caught hold of your sleeve,
Do not hate me;
Old ways take time to overcome.

If along the highroad
I caught hold of your hand,
Do not be angry with me;
Friendship takes time to overcome.

From The Book of Songs: The Ancient Chinese Classic of Poetry, translated by Arthur Waley

Here's another, from the same collection:

By the willows of the Eastern Gate,
Whose leaves are so thick,
At dusk we were to meet;
And now the morning star is bright.

By the willows of the Eastern Gate,
Whose leaves are so close,
At dusk we were to meet;
And now the morning star is pale.

The Book of Songs, also called The Classic of Poetry is one of the 5 Confucian classics (it's believed he edited this classic, not write it). I prefer the Ezra Pound Translation, which isn't the most accurate, but retains a lot of the structure and poetry of the original. The Waley translation is acurate, but a can be a bit dry.

Shaken and Stirred has the roundup!

Qing ni fanyi ma?

Currently Reading The Opposite of Fate Amy Tan

Major pet peeve time:
I have noticed that Chinese-American authors, whom I assume haven't studied Chinese on an academic level, but picked up bits and pieces from their Chinese-speaking relatives, make up their own transliteration system, so those of us who actually speak Chinese need to translate the transliteration. Grrrrrrr.

I can understand that the author hasn't studied Chinese, so how would they know proper transliteration methods, but surely, someone in the editing department can figure it out! If not, they should hire me.

Examples:
In her essay arrival banquet Amy Tan talks about her mother teaching her cousin English.

" 'Bu-shr har!" my mother says to him. 'Don't say "har." How. How, how, how--like hau, hau, hau.' Good, good, good."

Except in the pinyin system, the first word (which translates as a general negative, in this case, "no" or "wrong") is bu-shi if you want to put a Beijing accent onto it (which you don't, because Tan's mother is Shanghainese) you can write bu-shir. And good is hao.

Further on in the essay:
"Meigwo-ren... Jyou jin-shan" (American... San Francisco)

Should be Meiguo ren... jiu jin-shan and it wasn't until she directly translated the Chinese name for San Francisco as "old gold mountain" that I realized what she meant by jyou.

The Dim Sum of All Things by Kim Wong Keltner did the same thing. A lot.

I know it's stupid, but it gets to me, which is why it's a pet peeve, no?