From Coding to Clay

Global China stories, global Chinese voices, and the latest community events around the world.

Mar 04, 2026

This is an update from Hǎi 海, a new platform for global Chinese stories from Asia Society’s ChinaFile. This project is still in beta.

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Jiayun Feng, Jeremy Goldkorn, Muyi Xiao, Sara Segal-Williams, and Susie Jakes

An Interview with Ceramic Artist Chang Liu

by Jeremy Goldkorn

Chang Liu used to write code in Silicon Valley. Now she throws pots in San Francisco, creating understated pieces of porcelainware that are both contemporary and recognizably Chinese.

I spoke to her recently about changing careers, and how her exploration of different periods of Chinese art influences her approach to ceramics. Here’s a taste:

“Clay is the opposite of software development in the sense that once the piece is done, you can’t really fix it.”
“But the overlap is . . . both practices allow me to focus on one thing, and only one thing for a while. When I was coding, people would say they entered the flow. You’d zone in and you wouldn’t think about anything. I think it’s the same with clay.
“I’m always really excited about uncertainty and the unknown. I want to bring that spirit to my work.”

Click through to read an excerpt of our conversation.

Hǎi-ly Recommended: Fuzhou Sisters’ Qinghong Wine

By Muyi Xiao

I recently discovered Qinghong wine, rosy-hued rice wine from Fuzhou, and I fell in love with it. Fuzhou Sisters, two friends trying to preserve their Fuzhounese heritage in New York, brew Qinghong wine at their studio. I ordered a few bottles. If you are curious, you can order them here (only if you live in NYC).

Cultural and Community Events

By Jiayun Feng

*The Theater of Wither and Thrive: an exhibition by artist Qiu Xiaofei*, *Hauser & Wirth*

NEW YORK

Stand-up Comedy

NY Chinese Feminist Open Mic 纽约酷儿女权| 三月客厅开放麦 — March 20 and March 27, 女子主意NZZY

Books and Journalism

Charlotte Brooks talks about her book The Moys of New York and Shanghai: One Family’s Extraordinary Journey Through War and Revolution — March 25, Museum of Chinese in America

Art

The Theater of Wither and Thrive: new works by Qiu Xiaofei “inspired by his discovery of previously unknown family photographs” — through April 18, Hauser & Wirth
Contemplation / Meditation: Concepts and Cultures, a co-curated exhibition by Fu Qiumeng and Jeffrey Wechsler — March 5 through April 11, Fu Qiumeng Fine Art
Yu Ji: Origin of the Tiger: Sculptures and multimedia, the results of a three-year peregrination between Shanghai, Cambodia, and New York — March 6 through April 11, P·P·O·W Gallery
Siyan Wong: Mother Warriors: paintings centered on the experiences of immigrant Chinese women — March 12 through April 11, Equity Gallery
The Dancing Goddess: Mei Lanfang in America, a celebration of “one of the most extraordinary and influential talents ever to grace the stage” — March 12 through July 19, China Institute Gallery

AUSTIN

Music

SXSW Festival

Taiwan Beats Day Party — March 13
Taiwan Beats Showcase: Flesh Juicer, Modern City Master, Our Shame, Pei-Yu Hung, someshiit, Sorry Youth — March 13
Friends From Elsewhere Showcase: A Wordless Orange (Wuhan psych band, March 14), Frankfurt Helmet (Shanghai electro duo, March 15),
Lucid Express — March 16

KNOXVILLE

Music

Classically-trained composer, guzheng performer, and singer Wu Fei 吴非 (wife of Hǎi’s Jeremy Goldkorn) has two upcoming Tennessee shows:
- Wu Fei and Shanir Blumenkranz at Big Ears Festival — March 27, St. John’s Cathedral, Knoxville
- Moon Hunter — March 28, First Presbyterian Sanctuary, Knoxville

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Community and Culture

Infinity in Threes : The Third Space Grand Opening Party: the launch of a new independent Chinese cultural space, featuring feminist standup comedy and live music — Silver Spring, Maryland, March 8

Books and Journalism

Speaking events at JF Books, times and details here:

Indigenous Taiwan & Syaman Rapongan’s ‘Eyes of the Sky’: Translator Kyle Shernuk speaks with Lily Wong about this book that “offers a rare Indigenous perspective on the modern world — March 19
Chinese Global Environmentalism: UCLA Law School Professor Alex Wang discusses his book, examining “case studies ranging from green investments in Chile and Kenya to hydropower in Southeast Asia — March 25
Bu Mingbai podcast on the Cultural Revolution【不明白播客季風現場】文革：一代人的失落與一個人的覺醒: 2026 is the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution and the 50th anniversary of its end, Bu Mingbai host Yuan Li talks to author Liu Haiou (劉海鷗，筆名凌之) — March 29

AROUND NORTH AMERICA

Music

Hong Kong band Lucid Express — North America tour — March 3-22
Taiwanese singer-songwriter Joanna Wang 王若琳 2026 North America Tour, March 18-26

AMSTERDAM

Design and Manufacturing

Made in China — the present and past of Chinese craftsmanship: A long-term exhibition at the Wereldmuseum

*Colonial era German postcards from the exhibition “China, Currents – Traces of Colonial Past.” Courtesy of Charlotte Ming.*

BERLIN

Art

Currents – Traces of Colonial Past: an exhibition by Charlotte Ming and Yangkun Shi, whose “collaborative and interdisciplinary work brings to light the obscured history of German colonialism in China” — through March 22, Forschungscampus Dahlem

GHENT

Film, Literature, and Music

Made in China Festival: 7th Edition, featuring a rich lineup of contemporary Chinese cinema, music, literature, and art — through March 29, multiple locations

LONDON

Art

Yin Xiuzhen: Heart to Heart: “renowned for her use of secondhand clothing, concrete, food and household ephemera in her immersive installations and sculptures.” — through May 3, Hayward Gallery
The Mayfly has Untied the Lilac Knot: the first solo show by Hu Xiaoyuan outside of Asia, where she explores “complex family dynamics through the transience of raw silk, and durability of wood and aerospace aluminium” — through April 2, Modern Art

SYDNEY

Art

The Hooligans, a group exhibition exploring how China weaponized “hooliganism” (流氓罪) to suppress dissent and enforce conformity — through May 17, White Rabbit Gallery

TORONTO

Art

Cloudscape: a mesmerizing installation by artist Xiaojing Yan, who “crafts intricate cloud forms using paper and natural reed, evoking the essence of traditional Chinese landscape painting” — currently on view, Royal Ontario Museum
Chinese Zodiac Case: Year of the Horse, featuring “horse-themed objects and cultural artifacts” — through January 31, 2027, Royal Ontario Museum

VANCOUVER

Art

Dream Factory: Cantopop Mandopop 1980s-2000, a multimedia exhibition — through July 19, Chinese Canadian Museum

GLOBAL 五洲四海

We’re looking for information about events in the cities mentioned above and in Auckland, Chiang Mai, Melbourne, Nairobi, Penang, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vancouver, and everywhere there is Chinese cultural life.

Please use this form to submit your event. For questions or additional information, email editors@chinafile.com.

Podcasts

A selection of Chinese- and English-language podcasts from the global Chinese world by Jiayun Feng.

*Renci, interviewed by Disabled Talks podcast, climbs at Joshua Tree, California. Image via Pengpai / QQ.*

忽左忽右 Left Now Then Right

TV Wars: The Past of Chinese-Language Media 电视大战｜话语传媒往事 A six-episode podcast series on the explosive rise of Chinese-language media in the 1990s and that era’s ambitions, rivalries, and larger-than-life personalities.

Into Asia

China-maxxing: Hasan Piker on Why Young Americans are Rethinking China Left-wing political commentator and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker talks to Chang Che about his recent trip to China and how “China-maxxing” is reshaping young Americans’ perceptions of the country.

Sinica

Yi-Ling Liu on The Wall Dancers: China’s Internet, Its Creative Spirits, and the Art of the Possible

Bu Mingbai Podcast 不明白

Chinese People Facing Lowered Incomes, Unemployment, and Debt are Forced to Downgrade their Consumption 收入腰斩、失业、负债，被迫消费降级的中国人

Rose Luqiu Luwei 閭丘露薇

A Chinese Person’s Five Years in Ukraine 一個中國人在烏克蘭的五年

Pixel Perfect 新新人类

Chinamaxxing: 美国年轻人为什么想变成中国人？

CyberPink 疲惫娇娃

Popular Culture in the Age of Scarcity: 匮乏时代的流行文化

Disabled Talks 残言片语

No Such Thing as the Standard Body in Rock Climbing 攀岩没有“标准的身体”

Essays, Articles, and Newsletters

A selection of Chinese- and English-language writing from the global Chinese world by Jiayun Feng

*Screenshot from Chinese director Jiang Zhangke’s AI-generated short film ‘Jia Zhangke’s Dance.’*

Essays, Articles, and Newsletters

Concurrent by Afra Wang

An AI-Maxi New Year: “China’s Spring Festival was drenched in AI—from Jia Zhangke’s short film to robots on the gala stage; Notes from a society embracing the same technology America meets with dread.”

China Literature and Arts