This Is Not China

Journey to the West dir. Tsai Mingliang. 2014. 

Journey to the West is a testament to Malaysian-Chinese filmmaker Tsai Mingliang’s appreciation of the avant-garde; it is a twenty-five minute work consisting of twenty-one sequences of the Walker, a monk garbed in brilliant crimson robes, moving slowly through different locations in Hong Kong over the course of a day. The Walker is always juxtaposed with the vibrant clamor of human activity, standing out amongst the crowds with his nearly imperceptible barefoot steps. The Walker gains an unexpected acolyte, French actor Denis Lavant, who follows him and mimics his slow, measured pace. 

Absent Without Leave  (2016). dir. Lau Kek Huat

The tracing of personal anecdotes becomes an act of mining collective history in Lau Kek-Huat’s debut feature documentary in which he attempts to reconnect with his absent father. What follows is the gradual unraveling of his grandfather’s forgotten story: an absent father to the filmmaker’s own absent father, but also a guerrilla Communist soldier, a protector, a martyr of Malaya during WWII.   Intensely heartfelt without being overly sentimental, Absent Without Leave navigates the murky waters of Malayan history that appears far removed from the present. It reminds us not only of Malaya’s tragic past, but also our collective amnesia, of how quickly and seamlessly these narratives are thrown into physical and psychological exile. In this journey into forgotten consciousness, we are offered a glimpse of reconciliation and a possible redemption for those who have been absent.“ [X]

These amazing vertical forests located in n Nanjing, China will produce around It’s a good job that these vertical forests in Nanjing, China are going to produce 132 pounds (60kg) of oxygen daily. Called Nanjing Towers, they will be Asia’s first vertical forests.

RED for sickymag.com

A SIDE OF RICE is now accepting submissions for Issue #02 – The Folktale Issue!

A SIDE OF RICE is a zine created by Asian Americans for Asian Americans. We want to celebrate and investigate the people we are, and the things we do. Our goal is to build a creative space where people feel encouraged to grow and innovate, both individually and within their communities.

We’re looking for contributions that critically explore what it is to live out radical Asian American politics. We encourage you to submit

art (photography, painting, drawing, etc.)

DIY guides

prose

poetry

travel guides

recipes

playlists

articles

op-eds

that reflect on this issue’s theme: folktales. Specifically, we’re looking for explorations of folktales, myths, and religious scenes that illuminate possibilities for becoming. How do our peoples’ stories help us envision futures for ourselves? How do they transform the ways we see our pasts? If a story has traditionally been used against us to prescribe our relationships and roles in society, how can we find rebellious and redemptive possibilities in it? If you had a say, how would this story be told? How does retelling make us who we are?

For this issue, we would prefer that you have a personal connection with the tradition from which you draw the material for your submission. Submissions close March 8th.

We accept submissions that are not written in English and will not require you to translate for publication. For more details, look at our submission guidelines or contact us directly.

lol i’m not spending my money on that

This explanation is problematic. First, Danny is not an outsider in any meaningful sense—which the hackneyed railer makes painfully clear. Danny is a billionaire white guy with superpowers, a tragic backstory, and a destiny.

Rich white dudes saving the world—that’s Iron Man, Arrow, Batman, Dr. Strange, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and, for that matter, Bill Gates. Yes, those rich white guys are often presented as lonely or isolated. But it’s an awfully crowded white savior island. As far as American pop culture goes, Iron Fist’s origin story is about as insider-y as you can get.