Drum Tower | China

Xiaolu Guo on love, art and how the Chinese psyche has changed

Our weekly podcast on China. This week, a chat with the filmmaker and writer, most recently of “Call Me Ishmaelle”, a reimagining of “Moby Dick”

|1 min read

One of the Chinese diaspora’s most celebrated artists grew up poor but surrounded by literature and art. After a string of books in her native language Xiaolu Guo found her creativity constrained. In London she began writing and making films in English—most recently a reworking of “Moby Dick”. After half a life inside China and half outside, she has illuminating views on art, love, youth and womanhood.

Rosie Blau, a former China correspondent for The Economist and a co-host of “The Intelligence”, our daily news podcast, visits Ms Guo at her home. They explore the author’s formative years, her bewildering move to the West and her thoughts on Chinese art and society today.

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