Monthly Archives: November 2010

In my dream I was with my in-laws and we had decided to visit a house that had been mentioned briefly in some guide book. I thought the place was at the edge of our district, but the cab was … Continue reading →

In the beginning, the women ruled. Six thousand years ago is not quite the beginning, but it is the time of the village called Banpo, not far from Xi’an, the ancient capital of China, about two hours west of here … Continue reading →

My personal phrasebook, which is not large, begins and ends with “Ting bu dong,” “Don’t understand.” Literally it means, “hear, not understand,” which is my state of being in this polyphonic, cacophonous, single-languaged land. Ting bu dong can also be … Continue reading →