Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Amy Tan Q&A: China Then and Now, and How to Bridge the Gap

Novelist Amy Tan has spent most of her life examining the divide between China and America through novels that examine the emotional minefields of families and the clashes that come from cultural misunderstandings.

Now the writer — whose novels “The Joy Luck Club,” “The Kitchen God’s Wife” and “The Bonesetter’s Daughter” all tackle the conundrum of Chinese-American identity — is applying her perspective on that divide to this week’s U.S.-China Forum on the Arts and Culture.

The four-day event in Beijing, which begins Wednesday, is sponsored by the Asia Society and the Aspen Institute and will bring together cultural luminaries such as cellist Yo Yo Ma, actress Meryl Streep, chef Alice Waters and film director Joel Coen to “advance cultural understanding” between the United States and China through performances, screenings and panel discussions.

The writer sat down with China Real Time Report to reflect on what she hopes will come of the forum, and what it means to be an American with emotional connections to China. Further detail pls read WSJ's report.