Of the Earth 本土

In this episode, Cortney & Ellen interview Dr. Yiwen Liu a research assistant at the Cleveland Museum of Art about the special exhibition China's Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta (open till January 7, 2024). If you are in the Cleveland area, be sure to check out this extraordinary exhibition!

The exhibition catalogue is currently available online and in the museum store.  

Thanks for listening to our podcast!

Part 2 of our conversation with award-winning director and producer Violet Du Feng. We talk about her recent documentary film Hidden Letters, which follows the stories of two millennial Chinese women connected by their love of Nushu, a secret language of sisterhood that dates back hundreds of years. 
 
For more on Feng's film see: www.hiddenlettersfilm.com.  Hidden Letters  is available for viewing on Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play and Amazon Prime Video. Follow Hidden Letters on instagram @hiddenlettersfilm.

Shout out to J.M. and J.O. for supporting Of the Earth! Thank you!

If you'd like to support our podcast, please subscribe at Patreon! 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Buzzsprout.

In part 1 of this two-part conversation, we sit down with award-winning director and producer Violet Du Feng to talk about her most recent film Hidden Letters, a documentary that follows the stories of two millennial Chinese women connected by their love of Nushu, a secret language of sisterhood that dates back hundreds of years. 

For more on Feng's film, which is currently shortlisted for an Oscar, see: www.hiddenlettersfilm.com.  Hidden Letters  is available for viewing on Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play and Amazon Prime Video. Follow Hidden Letters on instagram @hiddenlettersfilm.

Shout out to J.M. and J.O. for supporting Of the Earth! Thank you!

If you'd like to support our podcast, please subscribe at Patreon! 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Buzzsprout.

What does Bodhidharma (founder of Zen Buddhism) have to do with Van Gogh? In this episode Cortney & Ellen sat down to talk about NYC-based artist Zhang Hongtu, political pop, and a series of ink paintings where Zhang Hongtu merges Bodhidharma and Van Gogh to challenge "East" and "West" dualities.  

The question "Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?" is a koan, or a thought riddle, used in Chan/Zen Buddhist practice to help practitioners break through rational patterns of thinking and bring about a greater awareness. 

Many thanks to all our listeners. For more Of the Earth content (including videos!), follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Buzzsprout. Interested in supporting our podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon! 

In this episode of Of the Earth we chat about one our all time favorites, contemporary artist Xu Bing 徐冰. We share our experiences co-curating his 2012 exhibition at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, along with the artist's many Wisconsin connections. Considering works like Book from the Sky (1987-1991) and Background Story: A New Approach to Traditional Landscape Painting (2004-ongoing), we explore the relationship of Xu's works to the Chinese concept of Wu (non-being, emptiness).

For more on Xu Bing's art works visit his website here.

Read about Huang Gongwang's famous handscroll Wandering in the Fuchun Mountains at Smarthistory.

Interested in supporting our podcast, subscribe to our Patreon! 

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Just in time for Halloween,  Cortney & Ellen sit down with New York Times Bestselling author Yangsze Choo to talk about her debut novel The Ghost Bride. We dig deep into the origins of this ghostly murder mystery that takes us on a journey from late 19th century Malaya into the Plains of the Dead and beyond. How would you feel if you received a proposition to marry a ghost? Why are offerings to the dead so important in Chinese culture and Chinese diaspora cultures? How do modern death rituals relate to those of the past? Tune in to find out!

This episode was produced in collaboration with Bound to Happen Books in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Bound to Happen Books was founded in April of 2021 when Nicole, Rachel, and Lyn recognized a need in the Stevens Point community. A few, actually: a need for a bookstore to provide new releases and popular titles; a need for a store that prioritizes authors, experiences, and stories not represented in the community; and a need for a rad space for folks to come together and do more together than each of us could do as individuals.

Through a partnership with Process General Store, Bound to Happen Books was able to open the collective doors of 1008 Main Street in Stevens Point in June of this year, and they are continuing to grow and add new chapters to their story. 

You can support Bound to Happen Books at the following website: https://boundtohappenbooks.com/. Check out the Of the Earth curated list of must read books by AAPI authors here: https://bookshop.org/lists/of-the-earth-curated-list-must-read-books-by-aapi-authors. Thanks for supporting independent bookstores!

If you enjoy this episode, please don't forget to subscribe to our podcast, share with your friends, and leave us a review! You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at @ofthearthpodcast. We'd love to hear from you!  www.facebook.com/oftheearthpodcast

Recently, Cortney & Ellen sat down with Shanny Luft, host of podcast No Cure for Curiosity and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, to talk about contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang and the Netflix documentary Sky Ladder. We discussed the impact and scale of Cai's explosion events, the collaborative nature of his work, and the precarious line between art and propaganda.

Check out No Cure for Curiosity for an alternate cut of our conversation with Shanny!

In this episode, Cortney & Ellen dig into one of the earliest existing records of writing found anywhere in the world. Once believed to be dragon bones, these objects have evoked fascinating, even controversial links between the past and the present. So settle in as we discuss prophetic tortoises.

Show notes:

Curious about King Wu Ding's favorite wife General Fu Hao? Check out Cortney's essay on Smarthistory.org to learn about Fu Hao's many roles in Shang society and the discovery of her tomb at the last Shang dynasty capital at Anyang, in Henan Province.

Want to hang out with Little Li and his flying turtles in  your backyard? Experience Cao Fei's AR works for yourself. Download the app at Acute Art.

Finally, a special announcement for our followers! Between now and the end of September, we are accepting pre-orders for a limited run of super exclusive T-Shirts. Here’s your chance to show off your love for everyone’s favorite mercury sipping immortalized mummy! (Check out Episode 2 if you have no idea what we’re talking about.) These shirts feature the text “Ride or Lady Dai,” printed over a dragon included on Lady Dai’s original funeral banner! Proceeds from T-Shirt sales will be donated to the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund, an organization that supports civic participation and protections within AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) communities. Visit the link in our @oftheearthpodcast Instagram bio for more information about ordering and payment procedures. Check out our grid for pictures of this adorable shirt!

If you enjoy this episode, please don't forget to subscribe to our podcast, share with your friends, and leave us a review! You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at @ofthearthpodcast. We'd love to hear from you!  www.facebook.com/oftheearthpodcast

In this episode, Cortney & Ellen discuss everyone's favorite 2,000 year old Chinese mummy who dreamed of immortality. How was this ancient Han dynasty woman's body so well preserved? Why did she drink mercury regularly and how do we know? What do objects in her tomb have to do with lunar exploration and Netflix? Tune in to find out!

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe to our podcast, share with your friends, and leave us a review! You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at @ofthearthpodcast. We'd love to hear from you!  www.facebook.com/oftheearthpodcast

Shout out to Cortney's local Wisconsin self-care faves: Siren Shrubs and Tapped Maple Syrup (links below!). Try Siren Shrubs Tart Cherry Shrub and Tapped Whiskey Barrel Aged syrup. You won't regret it. ;) 

https://sirenshrubs.com/
https://www.tappedmaplesyrup.com/our-syrup

Ever felt overwhelmed by how many Chinese dynasties there are to learn?! In this bonus episode, Cortney & Ellen introduce the "Chinese Dynasties Song," an incredible tool for learning the names of the Chinese dynasties. Impress your friends at the next cocktail party! Fair warning--this tune is an earworm. Before you know it, everyone will be singing along with you!

We want to hear from you! Send us your own video performing the Chinese Dynasties Song and tag us @oftheearthpodcast on Instagram and we'll send you official Of the Earth 本土 merch! 

Shang (the a in Shang has a short o sound /a/)
Zhou (sounds like the name Joe)
Qin (sounds like "Cheen")
Han (the a in Han has a short o sound /a/)
Sui (sounds like "sway")
Tang (short a in Tang has a short o sound /a/)
Song (long o sound)
Yuan (sounds like "you an")
Ming (sounds like "me" and "ing" combined)
Qing (sounds like "chi" and "ing" combined)
Republic
Mao Zedong 

If you enjoy our podcast, follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts! You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram @oftheearthpodcast.

Stay tuned for our next episode!