Editing Ginger Post

{{AAType
|Image=Ginger Post Launch.jpg
|Home page=http://www.gingerpost.com
|Location=Toronto
|Type=Group
|Aspects=Chinese Canadian
}}
Ginger Post Inc. publishes popular essays, poems, important documents, hard-to-find non-English essays, scholarly and academic books and produces film narratives and documentaries.

Poems:

"Time Walks Out the Gate with its Hat Pulled Down." by Chunhak Kwon, December 7, 2013.
[http://gingerpost.com/?p=2260]

Books:

''A Blossom Like No Other: Li Qingzhao'' by Wei Djao 
[http://gingerpost.com/?p=806]

''Communications for Everyday Life'' by Danielle Newton, Wilfred W. Fong, and Nancy Van Leuven 
[http://gingerpost.com/?p=1209] 

''Dao of Communication'' by Nancy Van Leuven 
[http://gingerpost.com/?p=725]

Films:

"Chengdu’s Kuanzhai Alley: Fat Alley, Skinny Street & Well Lane" [http://gingerpost.com/?p=2196]

''American Nurse'' Directed by Tony Chan [http://gingerpost.com/?p=1271]

''Cangyan Shan and Princess Nanyang'' Written and edited by Lian Chan 
[http://gingerpost.com/?p=1917]

Ginger Post Inc. publishes scholarly and academic books and produces film narratives and documentaries.

'''A New Direction'''

In June 2009, it launched its online magazine, ''Ginger Post''. At that time it was exclusively for and about Chinese Canadians, Chinese Overseas in other parts of the world, and to a lesser extent, the Asian Canadians. The editors and writers at Ginger Post have long recognized that virtually all media reports on events and issues that might be of interest of the Chinese Canadians are presented in Chinese. 

This is true of print and electronic media: newspapers, magazines, television  channels and radio stations. It means that the media reporting on Chinese Canadians are essentially for the new immigrants who understand the Chinese language. The Chinese language media in Canada serve a necessary and useful function. 

However, there are millions of Canadians, whether they are of Chinese ancestry or not, who do not understand Chinese but are still interested in learning about what Chinese Canadians are doing or about issues that are of particular concern to the Chinese Canadians. Among them are hundreds of thousands of ethnic Chinese who were born and raised, or who grew up outside of China. 

These are the Chinese overseas, known in Chinese as the ''huayi'' (華裔, meaning the descendants of the Chinese). They are ethnically Chinese but their everyday language is for the most part English. They may want to know something about their Chinese heritage or what is happening in the Chinese communities across Canada and around the world. 

In January, 2014, the editorial committee decided that the magazine ought to change its direction: to be more inclusive and to expand its reach by emphasizing topics and subjects covering Asia and the Asian diaspora by various writers, Asians and non-Asians who all had a wealth of knowledge about Asia and the Asian diaspora.

By October, 2013, ''Ginger Post'' was gradually moving in that fresh direction with articles by Allen Wittenborn about his travels in South East Asia, especially Myanmar and Malaysia. D.A. Lam wrote about traveling to Portales, New Mexico and Chunhak Kwon and Terry Watada provided ''Ginger Post'' readers with thought provoking poetry. 

There were also short films about the Gobi Desert, Chengdu's Fat and Skinny Streets, Wang Wei, and Du Fu as well as a tribute to Gordon Hirabayashi. Such archival materials as Anna May Wong's memoirs and her last will and testaments were also re-printed from public domain sources. Likewise, there were also excerpts from ''The Asianadian: An Asian Canadian Magazine'' (1978-1985). 

As a result of its new direction, Ginger Post appointed new editors from Asia (Kuilan Liu and Allen Wittenborn), Canada (Terry Watada and David Lam), the United States (T.H. Moy and D'Ann Grace), and South Africa (Aminur Rahim).

Why the Name ''Ginger Post?''

Initially, there were several reasons behind the choice of “ginger” in our name Ginger Post.  Culturally the Asian/Chinese Canadians, aside from the most recent immigrants, are more Canadian than Asian/Chinese, just as the Asian/Chinese overseas are more acculturated in the local languages, traditions, and customs of whatever countries where they were born or reside. It is likely that most of them may have some elements of Asian/Chinese culture in their everyday life. 

However, there is no common Asian/Chinese culture among all Asian/Chinese Canadians or among all Asians overseas.  Perhaps the only element of Asian/Chinese culture that the Asian/Chinese overseas may have in common is Asian/Chinese food. 

But even then, one is immediately confronted with the vast variety of Asian/Chinese regional cuisine. There is, nonetheless, one small item that is common to all Asian/Chinese food, wherever it is cooked, both inside and outside of Asia/China, and that is ginger.

The Chinese were among the first to use ginger or ginger root as a spice in their cooking. It is the rhizome or the underground stem of the perennial plant Zingiber officinale. It adds a subtle and delicate flavour to the food. But it can be strong and sharp when chewed on. Ginger is also used to alleviate upset stomach. 

In India and Pakistan, ginger is called  adrak  in  Hindi,  Punjabi  and  Urdu, aad  in Maithili, aadi in Bhojpuri, aada in Assamese and Bengali, Adu inGujarati, Allam (అల్లం) in Telugu, hashi shunti (ಹಸಿ ಶುಂಟಿ) in Kannada, inji (இஞ்சி) in  Tamil  and  Malayalam, inguru (ඉඟුරු) in Sinhalese, alay in Marathi, and aduwa (अदुवा ) in  Nepali.  [http://allthingsginger.co.uk/ginger.htm]

One very well known Chinese was fond of ginger long time ago. You may or may not agree with the philosophy of Kong Fuzi (commonly known in the West as Confucius, 551 – 479 BCE) or the ideologies developed in his name, but it is undeniable that he has had a long and profound influence on the Chinese, the Chinese overseas and other Asians. Kong Fuzi did not eat much but he would not eat any food without ginger (Lunyu 10:8)!

It may be a tenuous link, but the humble plant ginger, and Ginger Post named after it, could be the means that connect the Asian/Chinese Canadians to Asia and the Asian diaspora.


''Ginger Post'' has recently engaged in reprinting important essays and documents on the Chinese diaspora.

Anna May Wong's essay in French on Love and Marriage. ''L’Orient, l’amour et le mariage'' Reprinted from La Revue Mondiale, June 1, 1932, 232-234. [http://gingerpost.com/?p=2191]

See also Anna May Wong's memoir and last will and testament.

''Anna May Wong's Memoirs, Part 1'' [http://gingerpost.com/?p=2049]

''ANNA MAY WONG’S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT FILED FEBRUARY 28, 1961" [http://gingerpost.com/?p=2081]

It has also began carrying stories on Myanmar, Malaysia, and reflections of life.

''Back to Myanmar, March 2013'' by Allen Wittenborn [http://gingerpost.com/?p=2124]

'' Bricksfield: Little India'' by Allen Wittenborn [http://gingerpost.com/?p=1966]

''Postcards From China Station: West of the Pecos" by David Lam [http://gingerpost.com/?p=2008]

''Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site" by Tony Chan Film editing by Lian Chan [http://gingerpost.com/?p=1876]