Festival Schedule
All events cost 50RMB unless otherwise stated and include a glass of wine, beer or soft drink. Please see the reverse of each ticket for our full ticket policy.
Click on each day to see full schedule*
*Please note that not all events are listed in the calendar overview. Click More to see full listing.
Friday6th |
Saturday7th |
Sunday8th |
Monday9th |
Tuesday10th |
Wednesday11th |
Thursday12th |
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Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper, an evening with Fuchsia Dunlop |
The Shadow of the Past: how China's modern history influences its present, with Jonathon Fenby |
In Celebration of Literature, with Blake Morrison, Jonathon Fenby and Eliot Weinberger |
And When Did You Last See Your Father? In Conversation with Blake Morrison |
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Friday13th |
Saturday14th |
Sunday15th |
Monday16th |
Tuesday17th |
Wednesday18th |
Thursday19th |
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Leaving Mother Lake, a Childhood at the Edge of the World, with Namu |
Crossing Cultural Fault Lines and Writing Styles, with Ian Buruma |
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To beguile and confront - in print and in canvas, meet storyteller Rabih Alameddine |
Friday20th |
Saturday21th |
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Language for a New Century: Tina Chang and Nathalie Handal, with Aku Wuwu |
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Friday 6th March 7:30pm Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper, an evening with Fuchsia Dunlop Fuchsia Dunlop was the first foreigner to train as a chef at the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine and has become Britain’s foremost writer on Chinese cuisine. Her cookery books, all three of which are infused with a deep love for the food and culture of China, were followed in 2008 with Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: a sweet-sour memoir of eating in China, which Fuchsia discusses today.
Saturday 7th March 1pm A lunch-talk with Fuchsia Dunlop (300RMB) Join Fuchsia Dunlop for lunch in the delightful surrounds of Yu Jia Chu Fang, one of her favourite Sichuanese restaurants. Over a famously spicy meal, Fuchsia will discuss how she developed a passion for this cuisine, and how the twenty-three distinct combinations of flavour, applied to a wide variety of ingredients, create such an extraordinary range of foods.
Saturday 7th March 7.30pm The Art of The Essay, with Eliot Weinberger Eliot Weinberger has taken the essay form into unexplored territories, on the borders of poetry and narrative, where the only rule is that all the information must be verifiable. Eliot’s commentary ranges from thoughts on American contemporary politics, to the occasions throughout history on which rhinos were presented as royal gifts, to second century Taoist texts. It is always fascinating, beautifully articulate and deeply thought provoking. Tonight, we explore this unsung art, in the hands of a master craftsman.
Sunday 8th March 1pm Bookbinding workshop with Jen Hyde (250RMB) Multi-disciplinary artist Jen Hyde leads this highly unusual, fun and practical workshop on traditional bookbinding methods and techniques. Using awls and bone folders, learn how to craft exquisite hand made books and journals. Absolutely no experience necessary!
Sunday 8th March 7.30pm Humour and Heartbreak, with Todd Zuniga Todd Zuniga is the founding editor of Opium Magazine and a co-founder of the Literary Death Match, the most popular reading series in New York. With two novels under his belt, he's now at work on a non-fiction collection about memory and home that covers 18 countries. Tonight he will present some of his ‘literary humour that’s full of heartache’, and explain how he has made reading parties a big hit in the Big Apple.
Monday 9th March 7.30pm The Shadow of the Past: how China's modern history influences its present, with Jonathon Fenby Jonathon Fenby will look at how the course of China’s history since 1850 influences the People’s Republic of China today. He will examine the shift from poverty and instability to growing prosperity and stability, and how that has benefitted the regime in recent years. But with the recent economic downturn and social protests, is this sustainable? Will history repeat itself in dynastic difficulties?
Tuesday 10th March 7.30pm In Celebration of Literature, with Blake Morrison, Jonathon Fenby and Eliot Weinberger Come join us as three very diverse writers take on a broader perspective and talk about the importance and influence of the written word. Join Jonathan Fenby, Blake Morrison, and Eliot Weinberger as they discuss their writing roots and relationship with their crafts -- hear their stories, their passions and the books that inspired them to become the writers they are today.
Wednesday 11th March 6pm An evening of poetry and inspiration, with Liz Niven Stuck for poetic inspiration? Join Scottish poet Liz Niven as she introduces her award-winning work and explores how classical and contemporary poetry can be used to kick-start your own writing. Learn how by examining the form, voices and themes of other poets, you can reveal a different wealth of poetic talent - your own.
Wednesday 11th March 8pm Book Launch: China Underground with Zachary Mexico Zachary Mexico started studying Chinese at age fifteen and first travelled to China a year later. He plays in rock group The Octagon and the electronic duo Gates of Heaven. He lives in Chinatown, in New York City. In China Underground, Mexico takes a look at China’s up and coming generation. Characters ranging from a wannabe rockstar from Xinjiang to a Chinese mafia kingpin, Mexico’s first book breaks down a generation to it’s seemingly unrelated parts and begs the question where is New China headed.
Thursday 12th March 7.30pm And When Did You Last See Your Father? In Conversation with Blake Morrison Poet, novelist, critic, playwright, essayist, editor, memoirist – Blake Morrison’s forms are as numerous as the subjects from which he draws his inspiration. From the horrors of some of the UK’s most shocking news stories, to the fragility and power of our most private relationships, Blake Morrison’s writing distils experiences common to us all into the sort of writing very few of us can achieve.
Friday 13th March 7.30pm Leaving Mother Lake, a Childhood at the Edge of the World, with Namu Leaving Mother Lake is the extraordinary story of Yang Erche Namu – a girl growing up on the border of Tibet, who left her remarkable childhood behind for the bright lights of Shanghai and singing stardom. Namu’s home is an extremely poor area know as the ‘Country of Daughters’ because of its matriarchal society: there is no word for father; property is passed on from mother to daughter; women choose lovers for as long as they like; and men mostly sleep in the stables. Come and hear the lyrical story of a girl who grew out of her rural beginnings, battling against the odds to become a star.
Saturday 14th March 7.30pm Crossing Cultural Fault Lines and Writing Styles, with Ian Buruma Ian Buruma is a rare breed of writer whose prolific and diverse body of work has combined the clarity of a columnist, the insight of an historian, and the fantasy of a fiction writer. For more than three decades he has incited debate by dissecting the defining issues of our time – sometimes via academic tomes, on other occasions through newspaper columns, while for others the novel has been his vehicle of choice. Tonight he talks about how he makes the writing form fit the question marks, statements and cultural fault lines of the day.
Sunday 15th March 1pm A lunch discussion with Rabih Alameddine and Ian Buruma: Correlating conflict, politics, truth and fiction (150RMB) There are a good many tales told in the setting of politics and conflict. But in what ways does a fictional account of modern history alter the perspectives of its readers? What responsibilities does a writer take when fictionalising modern conflict?
Sunday 15th March 7.30pm To beguile and confront - in print and in canvas, meet storyteller Rabih Alameddine Listen. Allow me to be your god. Let me take you on a journey beyond imagining. Let me tell you a story.
So begins Rabih Alameddine’s stunning new novel, The Hakawati an ‘Arabian Nights’ for modern times, a breathtaking book which interweaves bewitching stories with classic tales of the Middle East. Rabih, a Lebanese-American, is a true ‘hakawati’ – a storyteller – in the classic sense, through his award-winning novels and critically-acclaimed paintings.
Monday 16th March 7.30pm Travel Writing workshop with Victor Borg (80RMB) What makes good travel writing? What are editors looking to publish these days? This workshop run by veteran travel writer Victor Borg looks at magazine articles in-depth with principles for longer narrative pieces. This workshop will look at the different genres of stories, developing story ideas, the trends in travel magazines, the current state of the market for freelancers, researching stories, the question of taking pictures or not, work strategies, and discuss how to pitch your work.
Tuesday 17th March 7.30pm Beijing Blur, with James West James West is a young Australian writer and radio personality. His first book, Beijing Blur, is a raucous tour through James’ year as a Foreign Expert working for the Chinese state run media, CRI. Chock-full of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, Beijing Blur takes an in-depth look at China’s youth and offers insight as to where this all might be headed.
Wednesday 18th March 5pm Memoir workshop, with James West (80RMB) What makes a memoir? We all have stories to tell and experiences to share, but how do you make yours leap off the page? James West will talk about how to find your voice, develop your story, craft your work, and get it published.
Wednesday 18th March 7.30pm Mr. China, in conversation with Tim Clissold Tim Clissold rode the first investment wave deep into China. With hundreds of millions of investors dollars, Clissold, along with his partners, bought up factories all over China and poised himself to tackle the investment opportunity of a life time. He discovered, perhaps a little too late, that the Chinese don’t play by western business rules, and watched an ever-growing whirl pool pull his money down the drain. Join us for a discussion with Clissold about his book, Mr. China -- the account of his fiscal adventure in the middle kingdom -- and hear about the failures and ultimate success from the man himself.
Thursday 19th March 7:30pm China Cuckoo, with Mark Kitto Mark Kitto was the founder of ‘That’s’, China’s most recognisable brand of expat magazines. However, his story of doing business in China serves now as more of a warning call for would-be entrepreneurs than an inspiring tale for aspiring publishers. Since retreating to a renovated cottage on a mountain in Moganshan, Mark has written an honest, funny and touching account of his amazing and sometimes disastrous adventures in the world of Chinese printed publications.
Friday 20th March 7:30pm True Histories? With Mara Moustafine and Kate Grenville Memoirist Mara Moustafine and novelist Kate Grenville discuss the different approaches in tackling historical writing. How do characters, truths and research combine to make a cracking yarn and when does a personal story become a public one and how does it intersect with capital H history.
Saturday 21th March 5pm Language for a New Century: Tina Chang and Nathalie Handal, with Aku Wuwu Tina and Nathalie present their groundbreaking anthology of poetry collected from across Asia and the Middle East. Poets themselves, the writers present the fascinating story behind collecting the work of over 200 poets from 20 countries. Tonight we’re also joined by Aku Wuwu, a local Yi minority poet who is featured in Language for a New Century.
Saturday 21th March 7.30pm Down to The Wire, in conversation with William F. Zorzi Social critique has rarely come in sharper form in recent years than from the biting HBO series, The Wire. Set among the housing estates, political offices and police stations of Baltimore, The Wire has been described as “TV as great modern literature” (Matt Roush, TV Guide), and has been endorsed by US President Barack Obama. Tonight, Bill Zorzi, screenwriter for the show, discusses the fine line between fiction and hard-hitting reality, which the show so successfully captured.
Click here to see 2009 festival author biographies >>
