{"product_id":"bapo-by-nicholas-jose-9781922146632","title":"Bapo","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNicholas Jose served as Cultural Counsellor at the Australian Embassy in Beijing from 1987 to 1990, a pivotal period in China's history. Since then, he has played a significant role in fostering artistic relations between the two countries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe title of his new collection of stories, \u003cem\u003eBapo\u003c\/em\u003e, refers to an unusual form of Chinese painting that tricks the eye into seeing a collage of fragments. \"Bapo\" translates to \"eight broken,\" where eight is considered a lucky number in China and \"broken\" implies that fortune has run its course. However, there is another kind of luck in merely surviving and holding things together—perhaps less glorious, but not so bad in the long run.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe stories in \u003cem\u003eBapo\u003c\/em\u003e feature a diverse cast of characters, including artists, diplomats, entrepreneurs, refugees, and families at crossroads. Each is tethered to the past in some way, drawn by its hope, idealism, romance, and adventure, while also recognising its vulnerability to corruption, disappointment, or manipulation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46710925820140,"sku":"9781922146632","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9877443482872.jpg?v=1754168080","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/products\/bapo-by-nicholas-jose-9781922146632","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}