Deep Dive Into Travel Writing With Alexis Perlloni
Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2024 with our calendar of live events, recommendations, and on-demand content!
Discover your newest binge and get to know our staff a little better with Asia Society Texas team's favorite ways to stay entertained! Through our Deep Dive features, we take you on a journey into the interests of individual staff members for an in-depth look at an art form, genre, or pastime.
Meet Alexis
Alexis Perlloni works as a Guest Services Associate at Asia Society Texas, where he enjoys working with people and is always looking to expand his knowledge of different peoples and cultures around the world. He has academic degrees in anthropology, literature, and Asian religions from the University of London (SOAS). As a voracious reader, he is also an obsessive bibliophile and proud owner of a library with books representing a wide range of subjects such as literature, anthropology, philosophy, sicence, and arts. A great selection of his book collection is related to Asia, and he enjoys supporting independent bookstores including Brazos Bookstore and Kaboom Books.
Why I'm focusing on travel writing
I have always considered travel writing to be one of the best ways for me to learn about and expose myself to the outside world. While physical traveling can be enjoyable and interesting, the reading of travel writing triggers my imagination to experience long-lost, past realities and to make an imaginary bridge to the present.
What I am currently enjoying
Visionary Journeys: Travel Writings From Early Medieval and Nineteenth-Century China by Xiaofei Tian is an absorbing book that explores different ways of seeing the outside world at two important periods of Chinese history: the early medieval period and the 19th century.
Two ideas fascinated me from this book: 1) the idea of seeing, visualizing, and image-making in early medieval China, in comparison to the incentive of physical travel during the rise of Buddhism. Also, 2) the concept of dislocation in the context of territory and travel in early medieval China versus Buddhism, and the issues facing 19th-century travelers versus the dramatic changes occurring in premodern China.
Find it on: Harvard University Press
I just started Transpacific Cartographies: Narrating the Contemporary Chinese Diaspora in the United States by Melody Yunzi Li, and one of the things that interests me is the analysis of the ideas of home and homelessness as experienced by the Chinese diaspora. Although this is not precisely travel writing, the inherent subject of what is home in modern times is really challenging to those interested in the ideas of territory, ethnicity, and — quite honestly — traveling.
Find it on: Bookshop
What I find myself returning to again and again
I loved reading about Hsuan Tang's travels from China to India and the Silk Road documentary produced in 1980. I have a cycle of watching all the episodes of that documentary (available on YouTube) every now and again, and I never get tired of it. Indeed, I always find something I haven't explored in-depth... and that's how my library keeps growing!
Another documentary on the subject is Ultimate Journey: Retracing the Path of an Ancient Buddhist Monk Who Crossed Asia in Search of Enlightenment (2001). As the title implies, Richard Bernstein retraced the travels of Hsuan Tang from China to India. If you watch the 1980 documentary and read Bernstein's experience, you can see how the concept of travel is constantly evolving and the challenges that travelers face both while traveling and while recording their journeys.
Find it on: Borg Antiquaran
An author that excites me
Across the years, there are many authors that excite me in many subjects of interest. One that comes to mind is Peter Frankopan, who wrote The Silk Roads: A New History of the World. He is an Oxford historian who is passionate about the historical cultural links between East and West, and I treasure the way he used the historical silk roads as a way to explore eschatological ideas across so many cultures.
Find it on: Penguin Random House
About APAH Month at Asia Society Texas
Beginning in 2021, Asia Society Texas has celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with the Houston community and beyond through a curated calendar of events for 31 ways to celebrate over the 31 days of May. Spotlighting the traditions, talents, and contributions of Asians and Asian Americans, the calendar highlights the month's key Asia Society programming, providing a platform to showcase local artists, performers, educators, and leaders who contribute to the vibrant, multicultural tapestry of Houston while also featuring staff recommendations for our favorite music, books, movies, and more by Asian and Asian American creatives.
At Asia Society Texas, APAH Month is an opportunity to celebrate and honor Asians and Asian Americans and to uplift their stories to a broader audience as part of our goal to inspire our larger community to better understand one another through culture, conversation, and connection. For information about sponsoring APAH Month and other projects like this one, please contact Saleena Jafry at [email protected] or 713.496.9939.
Presenting Sponsor of APAH Month at Asia Society Texas
Sponsors of APAH Month
Comcast
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Media Sponsor
APAH Month 2024 Calendar
Digital Calendar Interactive/Printable PDF
Past APAH Month Calendars
2023: Highlights | Details
2022: Highlights | Details
2021: Details
About Asia Society Texas
Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.