If I could make one claim about the success of the Shanghai Lit Fest, it would be this: we flock to it because the writers speak to our culturally schizophrenic hearts. Over the last three weeks, we've heard from Junot Díaz about 'the eternal quest for home'; Emily Perkins on exile, identity, and the invention of self; Tess Johnston on her 45 years working abroad for the Foreign Service; Alice Pung on migrants who remain voiceless in their new lands; and Fred Wah on bi-racialism and hybrid identities. Being caught between worlds and navigating multiple identities are issues many foreign residents in Shanghai can certainly relate to. more ›

Mediterranean Sandwich and Coffee Bar on Da Gu Lu more ›