[.ca] The Lure of the Modern: Writing Modernism in ... (ISBN 0520220641)

helps understanding today's China:
When 'Shanghai fever' spreads not only in the US but also in Asia, Professor Shumei Shih's solid book comes out in time. One third of this beefy book is on Shanghai writers in early 20th century, such as the Taiwanese/Japanese Liou Na'ou and Shi Zhecun, who is arguably the first writer in China who manifestly shows traces of Freudian sexology in writing. In addition to Shanghai scenes/sins, Professor Shih also gives another one third of the book to Beijing writers. The tension between the Shanghai writers and the Beijing ones is as intriguing as that between the two cities, even today. The most fascinating part of the book is its critical stance of modernity. Modernity in China, as well as in other countries in outside the US and European maps, has been a double-sided sword: people in China have been eager to be empowered by the (Westernized) modernity, but they fear its colonial implication at the same time. The history has proven that so many countries are strengthened and deprived by the Western modernity at once, in terms of politics, economics, cultural scenes/sins and so forth. Today's China is again eager to be modernized. Prof. Shih argues, by re-reading China's attempts to modernize/colonize itself in the past in the early 20th century, we might be able to consider today's motivation with a more critical mind. Pay attention to the word choice 'Semi-colonial' throughout the book. When we have paid so much attention to the more formal colonialisms, we should think over the diverse variations of colonialisms as well. At the moment when the US and China are tense with each other again (owing to the SPY event etc), the book also offers a window to the reason why the Chinese have felt so poignant and traumatized. Well, modernity always haunts.

Some Bio to offer:
Shih Shumei is a very active participant in the academic circle. The other reviewer has said a lot about her book, so I think I can offer something about Professor Shih herself. She teaches at UCLA, in the departments of EALC (Modern Chinese Lit), Comparative Literature (tough!) and the center of Asian American Studies (UCLA's Asian American studies center is REAL famous). She also chairs 2 academic programs, something about transnationalism and/or globalization. Well, man, she is busy. Meanwhile, I expect that she can publish some books on other issues, such as the comparative literature (not only Chinese lit) at large, and globalization.