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Francesca Leiper

Catching the Poetry Bug

Bilingual just isn’t enough. In his latest book, “Bug’s Poetry”, Nanjing artist, Zhu Yingchun, gathers the munching marks and twisting trails of twelve insects from around his studio, arranging them into lines of poetry that are incomprehensibly wonderful and...

Celebrating with Flair @ Nanjing’s Newest Celebrity Hangout

You know it’s business when morsels of pink tuna piled onto a seaweed crisp come carved directly from an entire beast that’s sat chilling at the bar in front of us. Added to that are cubes of sweet mango...

Mythical Beasts that Simply Scream Nanjing

It’s on your metro pass and perhaps your student card too. It greets you at both train stations and is the hallmark of the Nanjing cigarette brand. But what is that mystical four-legged creature and how did it come...

Mao Yan; Out of the Shadows

Thomas came to Nanjing, as did I, and indeed many others, to learn Chinese, an exchange student from Luxembourg. Arriving in the late 90s, who knows what he expected, but perhaps last on his list was becoming the muse...

Red Flags; Driving Home Chinese Style

It's not surprising that China’s first official state car, built during the heart of the Mao era, should be named after the symbol of socialist revolution; the “Hong Qi”, or “Red Flag”. Built in 1958, just in time for the...

Worth a Penny; 
China’s Overlooked Modern Master

While Van Gogh apparently sold only one painting in his lifetime, Picasso resorted to burning his to keep warm. As for Gaughin, he left the world penniless, with all but an inkling of the impact his work would leave...

Not So Negative; Old Photos of Nanjing

You’re about to leave your hometown and move half way across the world to China. Your parents, somewhat reluctant to let you go, send you on your way with a farewell gift; a pistol and an umbrella.  Such were the...

The Ming Tombs You haven’t Heard of

Ming Xiaoling, the tomb of the Zhu Yuanzhang, first emperor of the Ming dynasty, ranks among Nanjing’s top attractions. Perhaps lesser known, however, are a smattering of tombs throughout the city that belong to generals and officials who also...

About Me

Francesca Leiper, from Scotland, was a columnist at the Nanjinger. She studied art history at Nanjing University of the Arts and is fascinated by Nanjing’s Republican-era architecture. Francesca Leiper来自苏格兰,目前是南京人杂志的专栏作家。她就读于南京艺术学院艺术史专业,对南京民国时期的建筑非常着迷。
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