Maxine, Aoki, Beto and Me is a hilarious collection of stories about modern cosmopolitans trying to make the best out of a planet besieged by natural disasters, economic downturns, and political strife. Published in international literary journals in the last two years, these award-winning stories form Wena Poon's third book of globetrotting short fiction. They are published together for the first time with her black and white photography.

"Unfolds in sharply-written, understated scenes." -The Japan Times From 1945-1952, Japan was occupied by America. It was America's most significant experience of being a colonial government. For the Japanese, it was a period of suspicion and humiliation. For the Americans, it was a chance to experience a people they had only known across the battlefield. Despite the brevity of the contact, some Americans left with a lifelong love for the country. This is their story.

Shanghai, 1936. On the eve of World War II, the Jewish, Chinese and Japanese customers of a famous Viennese cafe on Zhoushan Road get together for an international project: to bake the 'king of the cakes', the legendary German baumkuchen. Fully illustrated with modern and vintage photography. This edition includes a Chinese excerpt translated by the author and performed to Chinese audiences."

"Vivid and highly addictive" - the BBC Tired of administering his kingdom ever since he was a child, Taliesin, the Son of Heaven and the 33rd Emperor of Jing, decides to max out his budget. He sets sail with a hundred glorious treasure ships to hunt down the mythical black unicorn. "Shonagon's in charge," he announces to the appalled Ministers of Cabinet. Can the divine swordswoman Sei Shonagon outwit Machiavellian dukes, quell unruly ronin, and fight rebellious Noh ninja on her own? Or does she need help from the handsome but terribly prim priest, Takanoha? Voyage to the Dark Kirin is the...

"Vivid and highly addictive" - the BBC A strange turn of Fate forces Emperor Taliesin to travel incognito in Jing as Scholar Ping: playwright and boy actress, famed for his sexual comedies for the Jing operatic stage. Convinced that she had lost him forever, Sei Shonagon disguises herself as a man and embarks on a mission for a haunted lute that would solve all her problems. Our story takes place nine years after Voyage to the Dark Kirin - enough time for the Barbarian Armies to multiply, Lord Paisley to finish building the Great Wall, and Takanoha's adopted daughters to grow up and start...

"Short, sharp, bang-up-to-date prose, full of irony and wit...unmistakably 21st century, the language of modern western civilization." - Short Fiction in Theory & Practice, UK Critically-acclaimed, humorous, and celebratory, these English-language stories of "Asia in the West; the West in Asia" were previously only available in Asia. Here they are presented, for the first time, in a new international edition with the author's black and white photography. Nominated for both the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and the Singapore Literature Prize.

"My name is Arthur Hayashi. I was born in Manchuria in 1910." When Japan surrendered to the Allies at the end of WWII, more than 6 million of their citizens were left stranded abroad. In China alone there were 2.6 million Japanese, including many women and children, despised by the world and forgotten by their government. Determined to survive, the brilliant and mercurial military doctor Arthur Hayashi hid in Communist China for decades and left his grand-daughter an unforgettable legacy. Named after the ancient Chinese city on which Kyoto was modeled, Chang'an is a refreshingly...

Ramen, also known as chukka soba (Chinese noodles), originated in China and spread to Japan in the 1880's. Japanese troops returning from colonial Manchuria further popularized this dish. During the last days of the Second World War, a Japanese military officer revisits this bittersweet legacy on the streets of Occupied Singapore. This short story is written in English and Chinese (simple script) for English-speaking students of the Chinese language. Illustrated with black and white photographs of Japan and Singapore. Features a photo gallery, with explanations, of noodle dishes in Japan,...