Ink & Quill

null

null

null

null

British writer Jane Austen once said: novels are "some work in which the

greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge

of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest

effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen

language. "Hailed by many as the most popular form of contemporary

literature, novels not only "heighten our sense and sensibility to the

complexities of life and individuals," but also examine the greater truth of

humanity with made-up tales. So in today's Ink&Quill, we will take

you to explore some extraordinary novels: some of which challenge the

conventional norm of fictional writing, whereas some showcase the infinite

possibilities in narrative details.

As the internet usage becomes ubiquitous,

we tend to interact with others more frequently online than offline. Therefore,

cyber-slangs such as snatched, YOLO, and Netflix n'chill have been widely

spread and used in the English-speaking world.

 

But how fluent are you in Chinese online expressions?

 

If you find these terms rather

head-scratching or unable to find a satisfying explanation on the Urban

Dictionary, in this small segment of Ink&Quill, we will introduce to you a

book, which may help you become a connoisseur in Chinese online patois.

 

Please note that, in this edition, Wu

Manling is sitting in for our host Yang Yong.

We all establish an image of our parents.For British osteopath Mary Monro, her late father John Monro was "a Shropshire farmer, horseman, watcher of the TV news."It was until 2007, at the birthday party of her mother, she found out her father was not the man she once thought he was:"An old friend of the family was talking to me and she said: 'Your father was a 20th century great.' And I was really shocked. I didn't know what she meant. "Some diaries and letters stashed in a drawer led her to discover the answer. It turned out that her father Major John Monro was once a prisoner of war in Japanese-occupied Hong Kong during World War Two and managed to escape to the then Chinese wartime capital Chongqing with two fellow British officers. The man had kept all those experiences in secrecy throughout his life. Almost thirty years after her father's death, Mary Monro published a book that uncovers her father's heroics, titled "Stranger in My Heart."In this episode of Ink&Quill, she shares with our reporter Shiyu her father's unusual story and how she learns much about who she is by retracing her father's escape route.

When asked about the reality of human existence, French philosopher Rene Descartes answered by coining his famous dictum--"I think, therefore I am"; yet in the eyes of British cook and food writer Fuchsia Dunlop, for Chinese people, there is always this long-hold philosophy: I eat, therefore I am. Namely "Britain's greatest authority on Chinese food" by The Guardian, Fuchsia Dunlop has written passionately about Chinese culinary culture for over two decades and offered hands-on recipes for her readers to make authentic Chinese food at home. Recently, this celebrated author and Sinophile's memoir, Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper, was translated into Chinese. In this episode of Ink&Quill, she joins the conversation with our reporter Shiyu via a phone call to retrace her apprenticeship at a Chinese cooking school, discuss her fondness for Sichuanese cuisine, and how she, a British cook, becomes a true convert to the Chinese way of eating.

As the temperature rises, nothing can beat the joy of staying in an

air-conditioned room, watching TV, and giving your brain some downtime.

So in this episode, our book critic Shiyu will be joined by Ningjing and

Sirui, both hosts of our daily talk show Studio Plus and moviegoers. The three

of them will offer some of their favourite TV shows and movies that are based on

books for you to binge on during these sultry summer months.

The long, sweltering summer days are nothing but the perfect time for

recreational reading. So in this episode, we will introduce some books that

may enrich your holiday reading list, ranging from non-fiction, novel, to comic

book and science fiction.