Xu Xi, novelist Xu Xi is in the habit of dividing her time between New York, Hong Kong and, well, the world, and has long advocated a "transnational approach" to literature. Sequestered in upstate New York during the pandemic, she hasn't found adapting to sedentary life easy. And, she says, she longs for Southeast Asia. "Although I was born in Hong Kong, I travelled for years on an Indonesian passport, which was funny because I couldn't speak.
Cost: Free Event Description It’s hard to imagine Chinese cuisine without the chile pepper. Yet there weren’t any chiles at all in China before the 1570s. Introduced from the Americas, chile peppers initially struggled to gain a foothold in China. Now they are so common that many Chinese assume that they are native. Brian Dott will discuss how the chile pepper arrived in China and how this drastic transition from obscurity to ubiquity took place. Part of the chile s success in China is due to its versatility, and it eventually was integrated into traditional Chinese medicine, garden aesthetics, and literature in addition to cuisine. This incredible versatility also allowed for different regions to emphasize or deemphasize its different aspects, leading to an impressive diversity of cuisines and combinations. The humble chile has come to influence many aspects of Chinese culture, even changing the meaning of the Chinese word