All things old China - books, anecdotes, stories, podcasts, factoids & ramblings from the author Paul French

Advent Calendars with a Chinese Literary Twist

Posted: December 2nd, 2014 | No Comments »

Opened December 1st on our Bodleian Library Advent Calendar (I know, I know…) and got Chiang Yee’s The Silent Traveller in Oxford (1944) – the calendar has an Oxford theme rather than a China theme (I think, anyway). Nice start to the month anyway – it is a lovely book. For those not in the know – Chiang Yee spent 1933-1955 in England as a poet, author, painter and calligrapher. His silent traveller series is both a wonderful record of England at that time and during the War, as well as being a fascinating look at England and the English through Chinese eyes. Later Chiang Yee centured further, to America and Japan but his series of books on England are by far the best known. The cover design (first edition below) is by Chiang.

 

IMG_0026

yee



Leave a Reply