Stories from a Burning House

October 2024

Song Dingbo Catches a Ghost

Quick thinking, sharp dealing, and the only thing ghosts are afraid of.

Oct 11, 2024

29

10

July 2024

The Heat

Critical support for Comrade The Scoffing Scholar of Lanling

Jul 16, 2024

42

3

May 2024

Tao Yuanming Reads on a Summer Evening

Rest and quiet contentment, with monsters.

May 17, 2024

17

10

Too Much Party

13th-century retirement parties, 9th-century ragers, and late 16th-century obscenities for early third-millennium eyes.

May 5, 2024

15

9

April 2024

Su Shi Discovers the Secret Ingredient

It turns out to be "having nothing better to do."

Apr 19, 2024

30

25

The Emperor's So-Called Cats and the Manjurist Bat-Signal

Spoiler: The Qianlong Emperor's cats are (probably) fakety fake-fake-fake.

Apr 7, 2024

19

3

Yo Man, Mo Yan

When's the last time you wondered about Alice Munro's political stances?

Apr 4, 2024

29

2

March 2024

Li Bai to Du Fu: Wish You Were Here

On the friendship between Li Bai and Du Fu, the two greatest Tang poets

Mar 29, 2024

17

7

Babble and Cant and Flummery

Why settle for bullshit artists when you could have bullshit artistes?

Mar 26, 2024

15

8

Spring and Stone and the Total Perspective Vortex

Nice flowers you’ve got there. Be a shame if they turned out to symbolize the ephemerality of all things.

Mar 22, 2024

17

14

January 2024

Chen Cao'an Has Advice for Being Online in an Election Year

It's two words — one, if you use a contraction.

Jan 11, 2024

17

4