books

In the 1980s and 1990s, London art dealer James Birch built quite a reputation selling works by British surrealists and emerging young British artists (YBAs) from his Chelsea gallery. Then the globally renowned Francis Bacon agreed to let him arrange an exhibition for him in Moscow in 1988. His memoir of that adventure, Bacon in Moscow (Cheerio Publishing, 2022), is both funny and frustrating by turn, and many who did …

Moving goods around has been one of the great challenges for domestic and foreign business in China since the beginning of the country’s reform and opening up in 1979. Getting your product inland, down to consumers in lower tiers, into the countryside, to the far west or the south has been a process that had to begin virtually from scratch. Refrigerated trucks, air and rail freight, and just-in-time delivery are …

This year at FOCUS, Paul French has interviewed the author of a different new book on China. From history to economics, business case studies to geo-politics – the successful business person in China needs to grasp all these elements. So as the year comes to a close, here’s our round-up of those books, ranging in topic from Chinese urbanism to Deng Xiaoping’s legendary Southern Tour. Click the book titles to …

These days, male Idols are a standard part of the advertising toolkit across Asia and in China – in fashion magazines, shopping channels, adverts, and online sales channels. It may be a rarely seen phenomenon in the West, but rest assured that it is huge in China. Put simply, male idols are able to sell more magazines and more product than female idols – largely because of their enormous and …

The British Library recently hosted a landmark event to inaugurate the collaboration, which exemplifies a commitment to bridging the UK and China through innovative cultural exchange. The event was supported by the China-Britain Business Council. This special gathering brought together authors, scholars, publishers and digital innovators to celebrate the transformative power of literature in a globalised, technology-driven world. Setting the Stage The event, held in the British Library’s iconic conference …

It’s safe to say that many are amazed (and rather jealous) of the apparent success of China’s e-commerce market and the internet businesses that thrive within it. But how did they do it? New book From Click to Boom (Princeton University Press, 2024) asks that very question – how did the world’s largest e-commerce market highlight a digital path to development? Paul French caught up with its author, Lizhi Liu, …

In a groundbreaking cultural collaboration, the British Library and Chinese online publishing company Yuewen are launching a three-year partnership to explore and celebrate the rise of internet literature in the digital age The British Library x Yuewen partnership reflects the dynamic and growing world of Chinese internet literature, which has redefined the relationship between authors and readers, attracted hundreds of millions of devotees, and produced countless adaptations across various media. …

As internet literature in China becomes an integral part of the country’s mainstream culture, British brands in China should take note Internet literature in China has attracted over 500 million readers and created a rapidly expanding and lucrative commercial market both within China and beyond its borders. Through IP commercialisation, some of the most successful titles are gaining huge popularity and growing fanbases in their adaptions in different segments of …

Originally from Oxford, Alec Ash is a writer and editor focused on China, where he lived from 2008-2022. His first book, Wish Lanterns: Young Lives in New China, was published in 2017. Feeling burnt out, he decided to move to the more peaceful province of Dali in Yunnan to experience life there. And it was where he found himself living through the Covid-19 pandemic, too. Ash now lives in New …

Former diplomat and prolific author Kerry Brown, currently Professor of Chinese Studies at Kings College London’s Lau Institute, has just published The Great Reversal (Yale University Press). The book takes as its starting point that while modern China has a narrative of its relationship with Britain, Britons don’t have a similar understanding of our relationship with China. If they are taught any history at all, children at schools in the United Kingdom today are more likely …