Literature

A man rides a bike while sheltering from the rain in Beijing, China, on 31 July 2023. (Pedro Pardo/AFP)

Did Mongolians mistreat the Han Chinese during the Yuan dynasty?

It is commonly believed that the Mongol-ruled Yuan dynasty instituted a “four-class system” comprising the Mongols, the Semu, the Han people and the Southerners; they may even have categorised people into ten classes for which Confucian scholars were at the bottom rungs. Taken as truth for centuries, what is the “historical reality” of the matter? Cultural historian Cheng Pei-kai examines the issue.
Taiwanese writer Lung Ying-tai loves living in the mountains, physically and metaphorically. (SPH Media)

Taiwanese author Lung Ying-tai: Everyone needs a mountain in our heart

During an interview about her life in the mountains, Taiwanese author and former minister of culture Lung Ying-tai said that even a metropolis like Singapore which does not have a mountain within its borders is linked to “mountains” in the sense that all of us need a spiritual mountain, a shelter from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. She feels that literature and reading can help us cultivate this mental reserve. Zaobao correspondent Wang Yiming tells us more.
Cheng Pei-kai's “姹紫嫣红” on tea foam.

China's 'latte art' from a thousand years back

As cultural historian Cheng Pei-kai continues on his Changzhou intangible cultural heritage extravaganza, he retraces the steps of ancient literati like Song dynasty poet Su and Qing dynasty scholar Lü Gong who spent days of idyll in artistic pursuits. There was even an artist-monk who could write poetry with tea foam. This is the second article of a four-part series on Changzhou food and drink.
William Shakespeare's First Folio on display at Christies in London, England, 24 April 2023. (Anna Gordon/Reuters)

Shakespeare was the object of envy and slander, just as Li Bai was

Back in the days of Elizabethan theatre, there was competition among the playwrights, many of whom had gone to university. Shakespeare was the exception, the happy-go-lucky actor and playwright whose plays were well-loved. While he was despised and criticised by his fellow playwrights, he perhaps knew that this was out of jealousy, not so much spite.
The Forbidden City shrouded in smog during a sandstorm in Beijing, China, on 22 March 2023. (Bloomberg)

Criticising the emperor: Ancient Chinese have their ways

Cheng Pei-kai recalls the admirable literati of ancient times, who took risks to make veiled criticisms of emperor excesses. While they tried not to attack the throne directly, sometimes their earnestness led them to wear their heart on their sleeves.
The eight "aquatic immortals". (Photo taken by Jin and provided by Chiang Hsun)

Heavenly dishes in a little Shanghai restaurant

Chiang Hsun ruminates on a myriad of ingredients, marvelling most at the eight vegetable ‘aquatic immortals’ in Chinese cuisine, which showcase the pure and delicious flavours of the season. Best of all, he enjoyed the heavenly dishes during autumn, in a little Shanghai restaurant that feels like home.
People tour the Jinxi Ancient Town in Kunshan, Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China, on 4 March 2023. (CNS)

Song dynasty poet Su Shi's appetite for exotic foods

While he is credited for creating the famed Dongpo pork dish, Song dynasty poet Su Shi actually savoured several exotic feasts while he was exiled in Huangzhou, Hubei. Chinese bamboo partridge, masked palm civet — you name it, he’s tried it.
An illustration projected on a screen shows a robot hand and a human one moving towards each others during the "AI for Good" Global Summit at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland, 7 June 2017. (Denis Balibouse/File Photo/Reuters)

AI is us, we are AI

Malaysian academic Goh Chun Sheng ponders the weighty issues thrown up by artificial intelligence, seeking a little assistance from none other than OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Everything is a blur and makes no sense... (Photo: Candice Chan)

When these eyes of mine can no longer read

Hua Language Centre director Chew Wee Kai ruminates on ageing and what goes on inside and out as one inevitably moves into the twilight of life, not least the obvious signs of failing eyesight. Where once it was a joy to read The Water Margin and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, now the spirit is willing but the eyes are weak.