China Visual Festival 2016

The China Visual Festival is in full swing at the moment and there are still some great films to catch.

For all the details go to: http://chinesevisualfestival.org

The closing gala film is Panay (Wawa No Cidal) - a drama following the struggle of an indigenous community in Taiwan with urban development and gentrification.


Singer songwriter and TV host Ado’ Kaliting Pacidal stars in Panay and will also be giving a Q&A after the film.  Ado'Kaliting hails from an Amis background - a Taiwanese ethnic minority group, much like the community portrayed in the film. Check out her Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyuhZzjr5k9oaKZdO-K-WJQ

 

Lucky cat S11 E14 - Sino-grime Special

Here's last week's show which was a Sino-grime special!  To be honest I got a bit confused - is it Grime or is it Dub Step? Digital bass driven music...Whatever the genre I was surprised to really enjoy it (well it is not lovely scratchy old vinyl after all) - especially stand out track Frozen Pagoda!  
Swimful's PM2.5 (named after a pollution particle) will be released on 1st Feb on SBVKVLT label:
https://soundcloud.com/svbkvlt

Lucky Cat - 16th January 2016 by Resonance Fm on Mixcloud

Lucky Cat S11 E05 - Gareth Rees 'Written in the Dust'

Here's yesterday's show in which I chat to Gareth Rees, director of the contemporary silent film Written in the Dust.  An enjoyable show, great guest!

Lucky Cat  - 24th October 2015 by Resonance Fm on Mixcloud

The Dim Sum Lunchbox: Vietnamese style pork patties (makes 18)

Melt 2 tablespoons of muscovado sugar in a heavy bottomed pan with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce.  This makes a very pungent caramelised syrup (i.e. you might want to open a window)!  Let it cool before mixing it into your pattie mix which you make by blending:

2 large cloves garlic
10 shallots 
1 stalk lemon grass (bash the bottom bit before blending and discard the thin top end - probably about half of the stalk)
3cm cube ginger
dash fish sauce
pinch of pepper

Use a little blender if possible as ingredients need to be finely chopped together then mix into the 900g minced pork (not too fatty) using your hands and also mix in the cooled syrup.  Cover and leave to rest for 2/3 hours.

Heat the grill and lightly brush your grill rack with oil so the patties don't stick. Shape the patties in your hands into balls then flatten so they are approx 3cm in diameter.  Grill until golden brown on both sides.  Serve with fresh mint leaves and fresh chilli and fish sauce dip.  

I served the patties with a Thai green papaya salad made with physallis as well as baby tomatoes and mixed nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds) instead of peanuts.

Today's Show - The Lucky Cat Jukebox GOLD selection!

Ni hao. On today's show I'll be playing some tracks from the Lucky Cat GOLD selection .... Earlier this year I was asked to curate 30 tracks for the Duck and Rice jukebox. The Duck and Rice is a new Chinese gastro pub opening in Soho (previously The Endurance pub). This is an Alan Yau project (Hakkasan, Yautacha etc) and promises to be amazing! Downstairs will be for drinking and bar snacking and upstairs will be fine dining. I was so excited and honoured to be asked to be a part of this wonderful project. Hope to see you at the bar or by the jukebox in 2014! Ganbei! More news as I get it.... 

Tune in to 104.4FM or via the player at resonancefm.com at 3.30pm today (UK time).  Thanks for listening.

Track listing for today's show, which is sample of the jukebox tracks + 2 brilliant Japanese surf guitar numbers:

• Taiyo Yaro - The Bunnys
• Let's Go Shake - The Bunnys
• Why Should I Remember - Poon Sow Keng
• Couple and Pairs - Unknown Chinese Singer
• Bramble Bush - Rita and Sakura
• Theme from King of Chinatown - Hong Kong in the 60's
• Wrap You Up - Long Shen Dao
• I Love Boh Boh Cha Cha - The Stylers
• Season of Wind - Anita Mui Yim Fong (the Sour Beauty RIP, pictured above)
• Broke - The Marshmallow Kisses
• One Day You'll Know - Cha Cha and Ranking Joe
• Always Together - Stephen Cheng
• Sixteen Tons - Chang Loo
• 神经末梢 (Shen Jing Mo Shao) - AM444
• Seemingly and Old Friend Comes - Anita Mui Yim Fong (from the movie Rouge
• Where Have All the Flowers Gone? - Poon Sow Keng

Tibetan Dumplings

A while back I decided to try making Tibetan Momo dumplings from scratch!  I'd never made dumpling dough before and it turned out to be very difficult to work with.  The air was blue!  It was quite a hard and frustrating process as the consistency was tricky to get right - rolling out sticky dough and trying to clean the work top after was fun.  I swore I'd never make them again.   When it came to the eating though they really were quite marvellous and it was satisfying in the end. The taste was very authentic and the flavours were lovely.  I have to admit that I've since stocked up on frozen pre-made dumpling skins though!

This is the recipe I used:

http://www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-food/momos.html

After making 20 or so dumplings I got tired out and there was plenty of mixture left, which I friend up with rice the next day - yum.

I also made a cucumber salad on the side - the recipe was from the Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang book Exploring China (see the BBC TV series of the same name).  The coolness of the cucumber perfectly matched the fiery chilli and sesame oil dressing.

Beef Ma Pao Dofu

Beef Ma Pao Dofu

I love the dish Ma Pao Dofu (Pock Marked Old Mother's Tofu) but have never attempted to cook it myself.  I've read many recipes over the years, including Fuschia Dunlop's great version.  However I wanted to try something from one of the many recipe books on my shelf at home that was a little different and perhaps more Western-based (i.e. emphasis not on authenticity of ingredients but on the ease cooking and more readily available ingredients).  I was given the Exploring China cookbook for a Christmas gift 2 years ago and thought I'd see if there was a recipe in there.  The book is written by Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang and accompanied the fantastic BBC TV series of the same name.  The recipe featured is a beef version (the dish is normally made with pork) with an addition of soya beans and is devised by Ching-He Huang.  As per usual all the work is in the mis-en-place and the freshness of ingredients make the dish sing out.  I had to improvise a couple of things but I was pleased to find we had facing heaven chillies in our store cupboard that gave a lovely warming and citrus flavour heat to the dish.

Here is my amended version of Ching-He Huang's recipe:

2 tablespoons ground nut / veg oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed and finely chopped

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 facing heaven chilli (dried), de-seeded and cut into strips

2 small chillies, de-seeded and chopped finely

(recipe called for 1 medium fresh red chilli, de-seeded and chopped)

2 teaspoons of toasted Sichuan pepper corns, ground up in a pestle and mortar

2 tablespoons Shaxing rice wine (recipe says 1 but I like it boozy!)

2 teaspoons of chilli oil with shrimp paste in (recipe says chilli bean paste but I had run out)

300g minced beef (I used steak mince)

300g fresh tofu (pref. firm - recipe said 400g but I thought that was too much), cut into 1" cubes

3-4 handfuls of fresh soya bean sprouts (recipe says 75g frozen edamame beans but I didn't have any)

250ml hot beef stock (recipe says 200ml)

1 tablespoon light soya sauce

1 tablespoon cornflour mixed with 2 tablespoons of cold water

Sea salt and white pepper

2 smallish leeks cut into quarters then cut diagonally, discard tougher outer bits.  (Recipe says Sian Miao - Chinese leeks - or spring onions but the leeks were on offer at my local shop)

1. Prepare all the ingredients (see mis-en-place picture)

2. Heat wok over high heat and add oil, then garlic, ginger and fresh chilli and fry for a few seconds

Add ground Sichuan pepper corns and minced beef and mix well

3. Add the Shaoxing then chilli oil

4. Add tofu and 3/4 of the soya bean sprouts (hold some back to toss in at the end for a crunchy texture) 

5. Pour in the hot beef stock (I used a very authentic Bisto!).  Stir but be careful not to damage the tofu cubes, they are delicate little things.

6. Bring to the boil then mix in the leeks (use judgement, leave some out if needed, you don't want them to overpower). 

7. Season with the soya sauce (taste it to make sure you have enough in there)

8. Stir in the cornflour mixture to thicken and season with salt and white pepper

9. Garnish with the remaining soya bean sprouts and serve (I chose to serve with fresh noodles and choi sum greens).

I would recommend the recipe book Exploring China by Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang as it is easy to follow and has beautiful photography.  This is the third recipe I've tried from the book (the others being quite simply, but very tasty, salads).

Teaser Trailer for Aowen Jin's Factory Girls documentary

Lucky Cat Special Edition: Zoë Meets Artist Aowen Kitaika Jin

I am pleased to announce that I will return to the ariwaves for a special edition of Lucky Cat on Friday 6th September 8-9pm on Resonance 104.4FM.

I will be talking to UK based Chinese artist Aowen Kitaika Jin about her upcoming art exhibition Made in China: Factory Girls, which opens at the Brick Lane gallery on 18th September.

The programme will repeated on Monday 9th September at 9am and I will podcast soon after.

Made In China: Factory Girls Exhibition
Brick Lane Gallery, Brick Lane, London, E1 6SA
18/09/2013 to 24/09/2013.
The Factory Girls exhibition uncovers the goals, dreams and ambitions of China's factory girls.

BIG thanks to Josue from Fresh Brewed Illustration for the beautiful artwork pictured here.

Lucky Cat S07 Ep 11 Podcast - Final Show of Series 7

Dr Anne Witchard discusses her new book Lao She in London and the China in Britain project.

Featuring music by:
Li Shuangjiang
Yao Lee
Deng Bai Ying and Friends (Calendar Girl soundtrack)
Hollie Cook and Horseman (Prince Fatty versus the Drunken Gambler LP)
Edine with Lisle Mitnik et son Orchestre with the new song The West Coast

Dr Anne Witchard on Lucky Cat this Saturday

This Saturday I am joined in the studio by Dr Anne Witchard of the University of Westminster. Anne is the author of Thomas Burke's Dark Chinoiserie: Limehouse Nights and the Queer Spell of Chinatown (Ashgate Publishing, 2009) and co-editor with Lawrence Phillips of London Gothic: Place, Space and the Gothic Imagination(Continuum, 2010).

I will be talking to Anne about her latest book >Lao She in London (Hong Kong University Press 2012) which details the time Chinese writer Lao She spent in london in the 1920s. The book reveals Lao She's encounter with British high modernism and literature from Dickens to Conrad to Joyce as well as his tiem spent in the notorious and much sensationalised East End Chinatown of Limehouse.

Along with her colleague Dr Diana Yeh, Anne has headed up the AHRC funded reserach prject Translating China which has hosted a number of workshops, discusssiona and events.

China in Britain #4 Aesthetics: Visual and Literary Cultures is on Saturday Dec 8th 2012 – Time 9:30:AM – 4:00PM. Entrance is free but booking is essential. For more information see: http://translatingchina.info/ This will be the last episode in Series 7 of Lucky Cat on Resonance 104.4FM.

Lucky Cat S7 Ep 3 (29th Sept 12) Podcast & Playlist

In this week's show I review the Ai Wei Wei documentary feature 'Ai Wei Wei Never Sorry' (out on DVD Oct 8th). The dim sum lunch box returns with a review of Haozhan in Chinatown, iced matcha shakes and Burmese chilli sprinkles.

Playlist:

• Kung Fu vs Kung Fu Hustle - Dillinger 45 plus audio from the Stephen Chow movie
• Chinese Charleston - Josephine Siao Fong Fong()
• Sunday Girl - Ourself Beside Me
• Shanghai to Hangzhou - audio from my train journey in 2011
• Slowly Fly - Long Shen Dao
• Wrap You Up - Long Shen Dao
• Ghosts of Bush House pt 1 Cantonese subs - from Ghosts of Bush House LP
• Ghosts of Bush House pt 6 Haunted Handle - as above
• Elenurhan(Missing) - music from the Xinjiang/Uyghur region of China
• Moonlight on the Ching Yang River - The Chinese Cultural Theatre Group
• Pussy, Pussy, Pussy - Light Crust Doughboys

UK DVD Release: Ai Wei Wei's Never Sorry

Released on DVD 8th October. Hope to review this documentary on my show this Saturday. The guy who says "I love the culture but I want something new" is like a caricature! I watched teh BBC piece on Ai Wei Wei with Alan Yentob a few years back (when Ai was exhibiting at the Tate Modern) and really enjoyed that.

Chinese Chippendales

I can't believe that I forgot to post about this! This video was created by UK artist Erika Tan for the Sinopticon project. Erika also created an art installation at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery for part of this project.

Sinopticon - Contemporary chinoiserie in contemporary art and design.

More on Erika here: http://www.sinopticon.org/artists/erika-tan/

and here: http://www.luxonline.org.uk/artists/erika_tan/index.html

Chinese Visual Festival Podcast

Here's the podcast of last week's special edition of Lucky Cat when I was joined live in the studio by Jing Jing Xie, Candy Ma, Ming Qiang Xie (Jeremy) and Zach Dunbar (all pictured above).

A wonderful show to record, featuring live performances of Mandarin versions of songs from the musical Sweet Charity by Boulevard Productions. Music from reknowned pipa player Wang Ting is also featured.

Both Boulevard productions and Wang Ting will be performing at the Chinese Visual Festival.

Please see previous post for details. Enjoy listening!

Zoë interviewing Jing Jing Xie at Resonance FM.

The talented Candy Ma belting out Hey Big Spender, fabulous!

Ming Qiang Xie (Jeremy) and Zach Dunbar of Boulevard Productions.

Thanks to James Mudge for the photos.

Lucky Cat Special - Radio Programme on the 2nd Chinese Visual Festival

Thursday 14th June 5.30pm on Resonance 104.4FM / www.resonancefm.com
I will be broadcasting a special edition of Lucky Cat previewing the Chinese Visual Festival. This is the second festival of Chinese visual culture brought to London by China Culture Connect. I will be joined live in the Resonance FM studio by the Festival's Marketing Manager James Mudge and the show will feature a live musical performance by Boulevard Productions (pianist Dr Zachary Dunbar and actor/singer Ming Qiang (Jeremy) Xie and friends). Boulevard Productions will be performing a Mandarin version of the classic musical Sweet Charity at the Festival's Music Night on 28th June.

The Festival opens on June 22nd, the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival, at the Free Word Centre in central London and will feature the UK premiere of the film Dragon Boat by acclaimed director Cao Dan. Through the ancient Chinese sport of dragon boat racing, the film tells the story of rapid economic development in modern China and the resulting disappearance of rural traditions. Cao Dan will be at the Gala for an audience Q&A session.

The Festival runs from 22nd June to 6th July 2012 across four central London venues and is themed Run, China, Run. The theme ties in with the Olympics; hosting the 2008 Beijing Olympics has affected Chinese society and the festival looks at the ‘aftershock’ of the 2008 Beijing Olympics through a variety of Chinese films and art. The running also refers to China's race for modernisation.


The film section will feature 17 independent documentary films from China. As well as Cao Dan for Dragon Boat, other directors will be present for audience Q&A sessions, including Wang Bang for University City Savages on 27th June and Guo Xiaolou for Once Upon a Time Proletarian on 6th July.

The Chinese Visual Festival will present its first Directorial Retrospective on 30th June, Zhou Hao – The Constant Documentarian, with his two most influential films, Senior Year and Using being shown at the Birkbeck College Cinema.

The Festival also includes an art exhibition by Wu Xiaohai and a music concert by renowned Pipa musician Wang Ting.
The full programme and tickets for all events are available on the Chinese Visual Festival website: www.chinesevisualfestival.org

Do tune in for a preview of the Festival on Thursday 14th June at 5.30pm on Resonance 104.4 FM with me Zoë Baxter.
The radio show will also be repeated on Resonance the day the Festival begins (7pm Friday 22nd June).

China in Britain: Myths and Realities

Dr Anne Witchard at the University of Westminster is curating a number of events for the series China in Britain: Myths and Realities. An AHRC-funded research network project which investigates changing conceptions of China and Chineseness in Britain. The series hopes to connect up the important yet disparate work being done by cultural historians, literary critics, curators, archivists, contemporary artists, film makers and Sino-British organisations. The first event is China in Britain: #1. Film on Thursday May 10th, 2012 @ Brunei Gallery, SOAS, Thornhaugh St., Russell Square, London WC1H OXG Places are free but strictly limited so it is essential to register with the project’s Principal Investigator, Anne Witchard, at: anne@translatingchina.info

The Film programme includes:

• Peking at the Pictures: Early Cinema, the Boxer Rebellion, and Anglo-American Perspectives on China, Ross Forman (University of Warwick). The Chinese presence in British cinema dates from James Williamson's 1900 'documentary' film, Attack on a China Mission, a recreation of that year's “Boxer rebellion” in which nationalist militants attempted to expel Christian missionaries and other foreigners from China. It was actually filmed in Brighton and Williamson had never visited China. Ross Forman’s book China and the Victorian Imagination: Empires Entwined is forthcoming with Cambridge University Press.
• Po-chih Leong, Britain's Forgotten Filmmaker, Felicia Chan (University of Manchester) and Andy Willis (University of Salford). In the early 1980s British Asian filmmakers began to make inroads into the British film industry. The the first truly British Chinese feature, Ping Pong reached the screen in 1986. British-born director Po-Chi Leong (b. 1939) had already directed several features in Hong Kong. A survey of Leong’s career spanning 40 years across different commercial industries, national cinemas and diverse genres.
• Jo Ho’s Spirit Warriors Jo Ho created the hit BBC television show Spirit Warriors, the first British series to star a predominantly East Asian cast. Jo is currently working on several feature films.
• Xiaolu Guo, author and filmmaker will introduce a screening of her film She, A Chinese, followed by a Q and A.

For more detailed info go to translatingchina.info.
I will be giving a talk at China in Britain: #3 Theatre and Music on July 18th. More details soon!

China Culture Connect on Today's Lucky Cat

Today I will be joined by film curator Jingjing Xie and art curator Xuhua 'Sylvia' Zhan from China Culture Connect.
We'll be talking about the upcoming documentaries they are screening at the BFI. Unfortunately this event is now sold out! Hopefully there will be more screenings planned, I will ask about this.

Films showing at the BFI for Unseen China on Feb 25th:

Tide (Chao)
Documenting China's traditional Spring Festival (New Year) in 2008, when millions of people returning home faced the coldest winter in 100 years.

My Four-Fen Land (Wo De Si Fen Di) portrays peasant life oblivious to world turbulence.

Viewpoint (Guan Dian) illustrates the complexities of a labour market.

Water and Land (Shui Shang An Shang) is a dramatic portrait of a young woman struggling to realise her dreams.

Brave Father (Fu Qin) narrates the heart-rending efforts of a parent to support his son's future.

Tune in to Resonance 104.4FM today at 3.30pm (UK). Podcast to follow.

Steampunk Opium Wars

Thursday 16th Feb, 6:30-10pm
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Lates: Anna Chen Presents 'Traders' : Steampunk Opium Wars

A satirical extravaganza about China, Britain, imperialism and drugs in the 19th century in verse & music. See narco-capitalists & Chinese lawmakers slug it out, take part in a poetry slam, and watch the weirdest tea ceremony ever.

I am going to be DJing at this fantastically eclectic evening. I'll be playing Chinese music from the 1920s and 30s (Zhou Hsuan, Bai Guang etc) and a few opium themed tracks.

Hope that you can come and play on 16th Feb. It's free but you do need to reserve tickets:
http://www.rmg.co.uk/visit/events/lates-anna-chen-presents-traders

More info on the event:
Ann Chen's Blog
Facebook Page

Cha Cha's Chinese Bass Culture Music Picks

Happy New Year everyone. Already looking like this is going to be a fantastic year for my favourite Chinese singer Cha Cha!
Check out this fantastic playlist she has compiled for the Red Bull Music Academy web site:

www.redbullmusicacademy.com/magazine/cha-cha-chinese-countdown

Cha Cha and MC Webber's new demo is out now, take a listen to some cool Chinese Hip Hop here:
http://soundcloud.com/chachachina/prod-chacha-webber

Cha Cha and Jay Soul have also been teaming up again so expect some killer beats and soulful singing in your lug holes pretty soon.

I'm still on an Xmas break from Resonance FM, will be back broadcasting Sat 14th Jan. Zaijian!

Exclusive Cha Cha Interview on today's show

On today's show check out my exclusive interview with China's premier Reggae and Soul singer Cha Cha.

Based in Shanghai, Cha Cha has collaborated with a variety of international artists - The Bug, Kode 9, Rankin Joe (for Clive Chin's Randys label), Adrian Sherwood and Vibronics. Earlier this year Cha Cha teamed up with Dutch producer Jay Soul to form AM444 for the excellent funk/soul/dub album Eye Wonder.

Currently Cha Cha is at the Red Bull Music Academy in Madrid - the first ever mainland Chinese participant!

Recent collaborations have been with Chinese Hip Hop MCs and producers.

Earlier this year Cha Cha visited the UK for the first time and I recorded an exclusive interview where Cha Cha talks about her musical roots and the emerging Shanghai bass culture music scene.

Listen Live today at 3.30pm (UK) on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via www.resonancefm.com anywhere.

See also:
Subculture Shanghai
Cha Cha on Red Bull Academy Radio

In Berlin? Cha Cha is performing at the Worldtronics Festival on 1st December with Disrupt - Reach!

Playlist & podcast for today's show uploaded shortly....