Episodes

Minnesotan Sarah Coomber discusses life in small-town Japan in the 1990s, the subject of her beautiful memoir. She arrived there as a recently divorced twenty-four-year-old hoping to spend a quiet, reflective year teaching English on the JET Program. But before long, she wouldbefriend a local salaryman and…

New Zealand writer Frank Beyer (who goes under the name F.E. Beyer) talks to John about novels featuring a much maligned creature: the Western English teacher in East Asia. Frank is something of a connoisseur of these stories, and his latest novel, The Crushed Can, adds to the canon. This fun page-turner is set in Shanghai in 2002, where a young protagonist called Kurt has just made his life more complicated by taking in his friend’s former girlfriend, a Chinese woman called Ronghua. Exploring ...

John chats with Jenna Cody about some of her favorite works of Taiwan fiction. Jenna, an American based in Taipei, is the author of the long-running blog Lao Ren Cha (now on Substack). Lao Ren Cha (“Old Man Tea”) is the most popular English-language blog on Taiwan; it focuses on Taiwan culture, politics, and books. In this Bookish Asia episode, the four main works discussed are Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan (2016), The Butcher’s Wife by Li Ang (Chinese 1983; English edition 1986), Migrante by...

The first emperor of China dispatched a Taoist priest named Xu Fu to bring back the elixir of immortality. Xu Fu and his fleet vanished. Some legends say he settled in Japan. In Tim McGirk's novel, Xu Fu goes beyond Japan, traversing the Pacific Ocean and landing upon the shores of the land of the Maya. In this fun conversation, John Ross and Tim McGirk discuss Xu Fu, Tim's novel and his work as a foreign correspondent for Time magazine. Note: John also talked with Tim on the Books on Asia podca...

Busan-based author Chris Tharp chats with John about The Cuttlefish, his hilarious novel set in the fictional East Asian island nation of Sukhan. The protagonist, an American called Zach, finds himself in Sukhan’s toughest prison: National Correctional Facility Number 4, nicknamed “the Cuttlefish.” That might sound bleak but this story is a huge amount of fun. Listen and learn what the the author and the main character have in common – and whether the miraculous gayabonga is an actual Korean del...

China Running Dog by Mark Kitto Controversial China figure and author Mark Kitto chats with John about his new novel, China Running Dog, set in the days of peak Shanghai Fever. It’s a brilliant novel and arguably more revealing than Kitto’s excellent memoirs; China Cuckoo and That’s China.

Taiwanese Feet: My walk around Taiwan by John Groot (Almas Books, 2020) Canadian John Groot first came to Taiwan in 2001, fell in love with the island and its friendly people, and decided to stay. Years later, looking for a big adventure and a way to forge deeper bonds with his adopted home, he decided to walk around the entire coastline of Taiwan. He set off on foot from his home in Tamsui in the far north of the country, traveling clockwise around the island on weekends and holidays. It would...

Sam Baldwin chats about his life-changing two years as an English teacher on the JET Programme in the Japanese town of Ono, Fukui Prefecture. Snow-loving Sam made the most of his time in this backwoods location, especially during the winters, one of which was a record-breaker. For Fukui’s Sake is a standout among the books written by JET participants, which is why John asked Sam to contribute to an anthology, Inaka: Portraits of Life in Rural Japan. This Bookish Asia episode also touches on Sam’...

John talks with Taipei-based photographer Chris Stowers about his new book, “Shoot, Ask ... and Run!,” an account of his journalistic travels and life in Asia in the early 1990s. On this episode adventures are discussed, the romance of pre-Internet travel fondly recalled, and favorite books given praise. If you want to hear about Chris’s first travelogue, “⁠Bugis Nights,” you can listen to the three-part “Free China Junk” story told on Formosa Files: the History of Taiwan podcast. Chris also di...

Veteran East Asia journalist Ralph Jennings discusses his guide to understanding Chinese people and culture. His “Useful Tips” are better described as “insights,” as these are not your usual “Never stick chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice” or “Never give a clock as a gift” kind of advice. Among the 50 chapters in Ralph’s book are: Why It’s Always So Noisy in China; Family as an Economic, Social and Religious Unit; Who to Impress if Marrying a Chinese Person; Why Hands Don’t Get Raised at Meeti...

Zhou Youguang (周有光) was one of the creators of Hanyu Pinyin, a system of romanization for Chinese characters. Introduced to PRC elementary schools in the late 1950s, it was instrumental in improving China’s literacy rates. Zhou had an extraordinary life and a long one, living to the age of 111. Prolific Hong Kong-based author Mark O’Neill shares his knowledge and admiration for this underappreciated scholar. (Apologies for the audio quality.) Book featured: The Man Who Made China a Literate Na...

Robert Norris has been in Japan since 1983, mostly in Dazaifu (near Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu). He retired from university teaching in 2016, returning once more to his passion of writing. The result is a memoir of his and his mother’s life. In this episode we look at Robert’s life in Japan, from his early days learning Japanese by being in a softball team to his busy university years as a dean. For more information on his writing, visit his website: https://robertwnorris.com//about.html ...

Chris Ruffle returns to Bookish Asia (we covered his memoir A Decent Bottle of Wine in China in Episode 2) to discuss his autobiographical novel, which is set in Beijing in 1983. After decades of Cold War tensions, China is starting to reopen to the West. In the story, a young Englishman, working at a trading company, finds himself in a budding romance. But there’s a problem; the father of the Chinese woman he likes is asking for access to forbidden foreign technology. The Barter Trade: a Novel...

American Kim Liao describes unraveling her family’s mysterious history. Her grandfather was Taiwanese independence movement leader Thomas Liao (1910–1986); Kim, who grew up with family members and relatives silent on this remarkable man, set out to investigate. The resulting book covers multiple stories; that of her family and also Taiwan’s fight for freedom in the White Terror years. (Note: John also recorded another episode with Kim focusing on Thomas Liao – see Formosa Files S4-E23) Where E...

John Ross talks with John Saeki about tigers in Hong Kong. The big cats once made frequent and sometimes deadly forays into the territory, even reaching islands such as Lamma and Lantau. Listen and learn about the 1911 Stanley Tiger, the Sheung Shui Tiger of 1915 which left two British policemen dead, and the Shing Mun Rambler of 1965, possibly the last tiger to stalk the hills of Hong Kong. They also discuss the fabled “Blue Tiger” of Fujian Province. The Last Tigers of Hong Kong: True Storie...

Thomas Bird was living in Southern China when he decided to explore the country by train and write a book about it. A great idea – and long overdue; the last notable railway-flavored China travelogue was Paul Theroux’s “Riding the Iron Rooster” (1988). Taking advantage of China’s rapidly expanding high-speed train network, Thomas journeyed far and wide. He also sought out the old lines and trains. Although framed around trains, “Harmony Express” is above all an account of the people he meets alo...

John talks with Chris Bates about one of Taiwan’s greatest ever martial artists, Hong Yixiang 洪懿祥 (1925–1993). He was Taiwan’s foremost master of the Chinese internal martial arts (which consist of baguazhang 八卦掌, xingyiquan 形意拳 and taijiquan 太極拳.) The Hong family learnt these fighting forms from exiled Mainlanders who fled the communists in the late 1940s. These skills were put to good use in dealing with local gangsters in the turbulent post-WWII years in Taipei. Chris, who trained with Hong ...

Ever dream of owning a vineyard? Yorkshireman Chris Ruffle did, and to make things even more interesting he decided to do it from scratch in the countryside of Shandong Province. And don’t forget the castle, a Scottish castle, which he built at the site. Chris’ adventure was often more nightmare than rural idyll, but it certainly gave him lots of stories and great insights into the country and people. It’s one thing to live and work in a country, but investing all your savings in a business give...

Veteran Hong Kong-based journalist and prolific author Mark O'Neill tells us what Taiwan was like in the early 1980s, when he first came to study Chinese. Despite a mysterious knife attack and various authoritarian elements (such as “mail boxes” for reporting spies and subversives), he loved the country. Over the next four decades, he made numerous trips back, witnessing and reporting on Taiwan’s transformation from one party rule to an admirable democracy. “The Island” is not Mark’s first Taiwa...