前几天Ｍaria来信说她丈夫的新书《龙与玫瑰园：中国艺术与权利》将在七九八，罗伯特的东八时区举行发布会。于是在发布会上我清楚地看到一摞摆布得曲里拐弯像龙一样的新书前面有一个牌子写着：This book 130 ＲＭＢ.　一本１６开本，一共也就１００多Ｐ的书，竟卖到这么高，我也就只能伸个身子和ＳＵＳ合个影凑个热闹了。 那天买书的人全是参加发布会的外国朋友。

东八时区这么介绍这本书：

In this book, the author investigates the transformation of China and the city of Beijing from 1949 up to the 2008 Olympics and beyond, with a particular focus on the role of artists and architects. The transformation of an urban environment, driven by economic and demographic forces but also by the cultural agenda of the government.

This book asks the question: In the face of globalization and the breakneck changes taking place in China today, to what extent will the new Beijing still be a Chinese city and to what extent will there actually be anything we can call Chinese culture? The author asked architects, urban planners and people at the planning department in Beijing, but above all people who, in his eyes, must also sense this in their own particular way, contemporary artists who live and work in Beijing.
Van Elzen covers a broad array of topics. In addition to a clear and concise history of the development of modern art in China, recent topics include: The memory of the inner city; A chance to strike it rich;What is Chinese identity? Nihilism versus the pursuit of profit; 798, a factory turned arts district in East Beijing; The return of Confucius; Being Chinese in China; and, The harmonious society
About the author: Sus Van Elzen (1945) is a Belgian writer with a special interest in China and the Middle East. He published books of fiction, and of political analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, before taking up Dragon and Rose-Garden about China and Chinese culture and politics, a subject he has been writing about since 1976, when he visited China for the first time.
To purchase a copy of the book, visit www.timezone8.com

东八时区(798)荣幸宣布由苏斯·冯·埃尔岑著作的《龙与玫瑰园，中国艺术与权利》新书首发。在首发式上， 比利时大使阁下，帕特里克·Nijs和本书作者苏斯·冯·埃尔岑先生将耀临致词。
在这本书中，苏斯·冯·埃尔岑以一个特别的关注视角，对艺术家和建筑师在自1949年以来至2008 年，中国和北京城市快速变化过程中所起的角色进行了深入调查：
面对全球化和正在发生极关重要变化的今天的中国，北京在何种程度上能保留其原有的城市和文化的特色？作者遍寻建筑师，城市规划者及当代艺术家寻求答案。
本书涉猎了广泛的话题，清晰、简明讲述中国现代艺术发展史，还包括了最近的话题，如：记忆与历史的关系；什么是中国特性？虚无主义与利益追求； 艺术区，北京东边的798工厂的意义；儒学的回归；等等。
关于作者：苏斯·冯·埃尔岑（1945年生）是一个多年关注中国和中东的比利时作家。在著作这本有关中国和中国文化的书作之前，他出版有小说以及有关巴以冲突的政治分析的书论。本书的著作自1976年他第一次访问中国后便开始了。