Zha Jianying, highly acclaimed writer, journalist, and cultural commentator, has authored two books in English, Tide Players: The Movers and Shakers of a Rising China (2011)  and China Pop: How Soap Operas, Tabloids and Bestsellers Are Transforming a Culture, and five books of non-fiction and fiction in Chinese. Her work has appeared widely in publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, Dushu, and Wanxiang. Tide Players was selected by The Economist as “One of the Best Books of 2011” and China Pop was selected by The Village Voice as “One of the 25 Best Books of 1995.” In 2006, her Chinese book, Bashiniandai (The Eighties), was selected as the “Best Book of the Year” by numerous mainland Chinese publications. A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, she also has been a regular commentator of current events on Chinese television, and works as the China Representative of the India China Institute at The New School in New York. Born and raised in Beijing, educated in China and the U.S., she lives in Beijing and New York.

Introduction and moderation by Dr. Lena Scheen.