TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 Editor's Letter

4 translation "On the Road" by Bei Dao, trans. Jonathan Chan

5 poem "Grandma's String" by Meiting Chen

11 translation "I Walk Toward the Rain and Mist" by Bei Dao, trans. Jonathan Chan

12 translation "Colours of the Non-Essential" by Zhu Haoyue, trans. Jessica Yu

15 article "Flying Tigers" by Matt Kirschner

18 review "XIAOWU: The Cacophony of Alienation" by Aurelia Dochnal

19 translation "To the Tune of ‘Dotting Red Lips" by Li Qingzhao, trans. Jonathan Chan

21 article "Approaches to Erudition: ‘wen’ in Song China and ‘Adab’ in the Abbasid Caliphate" by Jonathan Chan

23 article "Paid to Cry: Chinese Professional Mourners at Funeral" by Ziling Chen

28 translation "The Letters of Wang Xiaobo: A New Translation" by Xinning Shao

34 translation "Love" by Eileen Chang, trans. Isabelle Qian

Cover photograph: Meiting Chen

Back cover photograph: Aurelia Dochnal

ear Reader,

I eagerly welcome you into this new issue of China

Hands, filled with poetry, essays, photography, and more, all in some way related to China. Our hope here is always to inspire cross-border engagement and contribute to thoughtful intercultural exchange. Now more than ever it is time to bring the revolutionary power of art into our lives and our understanding of the world.

Yours,

Aurelia Dochnal (Editor in Chief)