Tag Archives: China

Immortal Body at Rest in an Ancient Chinese Techno Case

Posted on June 2, 2017 by zjb

Undoing the mortal coil, here’s a little something for the Transhumanists. Lying as if suspended in the inside darkness of a tomb, the intricate layering of encasing jade plaques has the power to protect and to transform the body and … Continue reading →

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Signs of Empire & Buddha Fashionistas (China: Through The Looking Glass)

Posted on June 23, 2015 by zjb

A society of spectacle –Chinese and Chinese inspired fashion illuminated brightly by film, art, sculpture, and religion. Turning up my nose, I had no intention to see China: Through the Looking Glass, this summer’s blockbuster at the Metropolitan Museum of … Continue reading →

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Artificial Mountain Rock (Zhan Wang)

Posted on August 23, 2014 by zjb

A couple of weeks back, I ran across these these two Fake Mountain Rocks enclosed in the glass atrium space at Madison Avenue. By Zhan Wang, they riff off the traditional, decorative rocks placed in scholars’ gardens. An excellent article, … Continue reading →

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Cosmopolitanism (Confucius)

Posted on June 20, 2014 by zjb

Confucius said, “By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice (habit), they get to be wide apart.” 「性相近也，習相遠也。」The English is Legge’s translation. I’m told that a more literal translation reads: “By nature men are close to each other, by practice(habit) they are far from … Continue reading →

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Half Submerged Half Emerged (Q Confucius No.2) (Zhang Huan)

Posted on May 17, 2014 by zjb

Searching around online for paintings of Confucius and expecting to find something classical, I found this contemporary image, completely de-idealized. Not for the ages, he belongs to our own place and time. He’s a stressed out silicon and steel colossus. … Continue reading →

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Together At the Margins — Chinese Philosophy & Jewish Philosophy

Posted on May 16, 2014 by zjb

Apparently Jewish philosophy is in the same boat with Chinese philosophy. Apparently too size and mass have nothing to do with marginality and marginilizaition; or maybe the problem is with western philosophy today. At any rate, it seems clear that … Continue reading →

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Modern Confucian Jewish Thought

Posted on May 15, 2014 by zjb

Let’s assume that the difference between Confucianism and Judaism in their classical articulations is deep indeed. For his part, Youde Fu of Shandong University identifies theological anthropomorphism and ethical heteronomy as distinctive features that distinguish the two traditions. Let’s also … Continue reading →

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Jewish Philosophy in China

Posted on May 14, 2014 by zjb

Sponsored by The Center for Judaic and Inter-Religious Studies at Shandong University, the “Translation Series of Classics of the Jewish Culture” speaks to director and editor-in-chief Professor Fu Youde’s interest in Jewish philosophy and thought and how that interest shapes his understanding … Continue reading →

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(Modern) Jewish Studies in China

Posted on May 13, 2014 by zjb

Cousin Joseph Burman stumbled across my letter to Aaron Hughes in the Chronicle of Higher Education about the state of Jewish Studies. Since I think this is relevant to the place of Jewish Studies in the university, I want to mention … Continue reading →

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Book from The Sky (Xu Bing)

Posted on February 1, 2014 by zjb

Walk into its space. You are not supposed to be able to read Xu Bing’s “Book from the Sky.” I thought it was the most amazing thing, like Torah from heaven, transforming the place of the installation space. The Chinese … Continue reading →

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