The enduring appeal of a 400-year-old Chinese story
For the return of Drum Tower's film club, Jiehao Chen, The Economist 's China researcher, and Rosie Blau, host of 'The Intelligence' and former China correspondent, analyse their pick of the adaptations. More than 400 years after 'Journey to the West' was written, why is the story still so popular? And what does it reveal about China today?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
an hour ago
- Time Out
Chinatown August Moon Festival
The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England returns with the 55 th Chinatown August Moon Festival (aka the Harvest Festival) on Aug. 10 from 10 am-5pm. Known as one of the greatest Chinese Festivals, second only to the Chinese New Year, the celebration is a festival of joy and health and pays homage to the arrival of autumn's prosperous harvest. The full day event will host Asian folk dance, lion dances, and Chinese opera, along with vendor tables with food, gifts, and souvenirs.
Time Out
12 hours ago
- Time Out
New cafes in Sheung Wan and Central that you should try
The pint-sized No Title doesn't have much space for seats, so they're mainly a takeaway spot but they're pet-friendly for those who do want to sit in. The proprietors Wing and Man are a young couple from Guizhou who love nostalgic Hong Kong vibes, so their cafe is full of Easter egg references, such as a goldfish tank that's a nod to Wong Kar-wai's films, a milk cake inspired by the long staircase at the end of Gough Street, and a playlist of Cantopop classics. Their coffee blend is from the Chinese person who won the world's best pour-over coffee, and No Title is the only place in Hong Kong where you can savour this. The nutty blend carries hints of dark chocolate and buttery caramel, while the fruity option has white floral notes. There are plenty of options on their sizeable list of signatures and non-coffee sips that come with their own stories, such as the Tiny Goldfish, the Moulin Rouge, and the Opacarophile (it means someone who loves sunsets, fyi). If you're not quite sure what to choose, have a chat with the baristas who can pick something based on your current mood and what you're sensing in that moment, which is a really cute touch. Apart from homemade Lamington cake, No Title also offers Guizhou sticky rice, featuring lard and soy sauce mixed rice topped with pork crackling – an interesting pairing for coffee, to be sure!
Time Out
13 hours ago
- Time Out
Shanghai Me
If you want to get a sense of the sort of person you'll see at Shanghai Me, the new Chinese-Japanese fusion restaurant on the top floor of the London Hilton on Park Lane, then consider this: there was a 12-year-old boy behind me wearing a Maison Margiela t-shirt. It will come as no surprise that this high rise Mayfair restaurant is chock-a-block with Loro Piana-clad, facially reconstructed wealthy elite whose means is of questionable provenance. If they get bored with Sexy Fish or Novikov or the ironically charred embers of Chiltern Firehouse, they can come here. In fact, they have come here, because the 28th floor is full on a Wednesday night a mere week after opening. There was a desire to be cynical about Shanghai Me. But it's actually fun Shanghai Me has two other outposts in Doha and Dubai, with another set to open in Monaco. I'm not sure how I feel about our beautiful capital being lumped in with these gaudy Gomorrahs but perhaps that's just where we are. The interiors are surprisingly tasteful, art deco everything and 1990s Wall Street expressionist paintings on the wall. The menu at Shanghai Me is extensive and unsurprising. All the stars are here; wagyu dim sum, cod and miso, black truffle yellowtail. At their suggestion we order a couple of dim sum, a couple of starters, a smattering of mains. First out is the tuna tataki, lightly dressed in ponzu with mini shiso leaves, and it's as good as anything you'll get in a high end omakase. Chicken xiao long bao is soft and oozing with salty, peppery broth, and wagyu beef and shiitake mushroom fried dumplings taste, slightly incongruously, like the best steak and ale pie you've ever had, with a touch of sticky red Chinese ribs. Less good was the shrimp tempura, which was drenched in an admittedly good and elevated, sweet chilli sauce, thus saturating what should be crunchy, softly fried prawns. When you order tempura you want tempura, you know? An ensemble of mains included braised beef which, while a little dry, was accompanied by a viscous and tangy sukiyaki sauce. The cod with miso seemed a no-brainer in a place like this, and while it was immaculately cooked, the miso dip took on a sweetness that overbore the fish. Just the lemon it was served with would have been more than fine. But the broccoli in oyster sauce? The prawn fried rice? Sensational. Familiar dishes that have been seasoned so deftly, and prepared so delicately and with such care that you forget about the teething issues. And that's what they feel like here: teething issues. Our dessert of a strangely deconstructed matcha tiramisu, which resembled almost nothing of an actual tiramisu, but still hits with the sugary force of a spring-loaded boxing glove, came with an erroneous 'Happy Birthday' on-plate chocolate calligraphy. It was sweet in both senses of the word. There was a desire to be cynical about Shanghai Me. But it's actually fun. The dishes are enjoyable, the people watching is second to none, the view is stunning, the mainly Italian serving staff were jovial and had character. If you're going for a silly, opulent date night to rub shoulders with London's anonymous elite, you could do a hell of a lot worse than this. The vibe Plush Asian fusion in an actual Ivory Tower. The food All-of-the-above Chinese food, elevated and carefully done. The drink They have a good selection of both baiju and sake, as well as cocktails tailored to your zodiac sign. And, shockingly for Mayfair, you can get a bottle of wine here for £40.
