Over at Chinese Literature Today‘s web presence is an interview with Chinese poet & painter Che Qianzi 车前子 conducted by my friend the American poet Glenn Mott. It’s a fascinating and involved look at the ways in which ancient China and the contemporary world of internationalized influence flow through the work of cultural workers today. Full of many riches, it’s hard to excerpt, but here’s a passage I liked:

CQ: I am, or I might be, someone who has certain tendencies of mysticism but I am not a mystic. In my opinion, once the mystery becomes a doctrine, it becomes a research object, and when it becomes a research object, especially when it considers itself as the main body of research, mysticism is not mysterious any more. That’s why I think mysticism is not mysterious at all, and that’s also why I feel myself to be someone who has certain tendency of mystery, only this tendency is a more open view of nature and life.

For the full interview, click here.