It's a novel partly inspired by a Victorian manual called Bicycling For Ladies - although not that much cycling actually happens in it. Its heroine is a devoted cyclist who is part of a Christian mission to China in the 1920s. And yet its author, despite being a young mother living on the very English Sussex coast, has somehow written the hugely enjoyable A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar from harsh, eye-opening and dramatic experience.
"I got a research grant to go to Kashgar in 2009," says Suzanne Joinson - and yes, she is a keen cyclist. "I was reticent to go because I'd just had a baby. And when I got there, the Uyghur Muslim community were clashing with the Han Chinese. There was no internet, my phone was being bugged and I must have looked like some kind of spy, walking around with this notebook."
In the end, Joinson was asked to leave Xinjiang Province, but not before it had opened her eyes to a particular Islamic community in China.
"It was really intense but incredibly useful. In so many senses Kashgar is the same as some of the places I've been to thanks to my work with the British Council, such as Cairo and Damascus. There are mosques and souqs. But walking around the old town, it did feel like it perhaps hadn't changed since the 1920s. And seeing as my character Eva was in a similar uprising in the 1920s, I could certainly try to empathise with how she must have felt."
Eva is the intriguing young woman at the heart of the book who joins her sister Lizzie and the domineering Millicent as a trio of missionaries. But she is less concerned with trying to "root out the hidden wells of ignorance and superstition", and more interested in writing a two-wheeled travelogue "filled with insights about the Muslims". Instead she is caught up in death and intrigue in a turbulent Kashgar.
"I wanted to try to see if I could track some thread between the past and present," says Joinson, and Eva's story is deftly interwoven with that of Frieda, a woman in contemporary London. Freida finds an illegal Yemeni immigrant outside her door, who has drawn a long-tailed bird on the wall alongside a line of Arabic script. Luckily for him, Frieda's research job is what she calls a "thankless, limitless" task: to interview the youth of the Islamic world "to surmise their concerns neatly" for a European-funded think tank. The pair strike up a relationship that eventually provides the neat connection to Eva's travels.
It's not, then, the typical tale of pompous missionaries trying to convert the "natives".
"No, but if you read the amazing archive of diaries and letters from the missionaries in the British Library, it quickly becomes clear that this huge surge of women who applied for service after the First World War didn't do so because of a singular religious impulse," she says.
"Usually there was some trigger, something that made them have a life crisis that impelled them to escape, to see these amazing places - which they could under this guise of being feminine, devoted and respectable. I found it fascinating."
In a similar sort of way, Joinson's role with the British Council, which has taken her to the Middle East, China and North Africa, has the whiff of missionary work about it.
"Well, it's not the same, but I do get your point," she says. "We use different language, terminology and of course it's not based on religion, but some of the assumptions British people make in the way that we negotiate with the world haven't changed that much.
"That's why I was very conscious of the portrayal of the desert in the 1920s, Kashgar, the souqs and so on... it's a very 'exotic' setting to western eyes so I had to make sure I used the contemporary elements of the book to counter that dated idea of orientalism. I felt very comfortable writing about Islam, actually, because I've been so absorbed in working in that part of the world."
To that end, Joinson hopes that her publisher's sister company, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation, might translate the book into Arabic soon - and that she might eventually see it published in Mandarin.
"I know it's a stupid dream, but I hope that maybe one person will read this book, look up Kashgar, maybe even go there and see what an amazing part of the world it is."
Maybe they'll even take their bike.
A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar (Bloomsbury) is out now. Visit www.ladycyclistsguide.com
Company%20profile
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Result
Tottenhan Hotspur 2 Roma 3
Tottenham: Winks 87', Janssen 90 1'
Roma 3
D Perotti 13' (pen), C Under 70', M Tumminello 90 2"
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Results
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EElite%20men%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Amare%20Hailemichael%20Samson%20(ERI)%202%3A07%3A10%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Leornard%20Barsoton%20(KEN)%202%3A09%3A37%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Ilham%20Ozbilan%20(TUR)%202%3A10%3A16%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Gideon%20Chepkonga%20(KEN)%202%3A11%3A17%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Isaac%20Timoi%20(KEN)%202%3A11%3A34%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EElite%20women%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Brigid%20Kosgei%20(KEN)%202%3A19%3A15%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Hawi%20Feysa%20Gejia%20(ETH)%202%3A24%3A03%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Sintayehu%20Dessi%20(ETH)%202%3A25%3A36%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Aurelia%20Kiptui%20(KEN)%202%3A28%3A59%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Emily%20Kipchumba%20(KEN)%202%3A29%3A52%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m, Winner: Zalman, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Hisham Al Khalediah II, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Qader, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly
8pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner: Nayslayer, Bernardo Pinheiro, Jaber Ramadhan
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')
Birmginahm City 0
Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)
'Nope'
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Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
ICC men's cricketer of the year
2004 - Rahul Dravid (IND) ; 2005 - Jacques Kallis (SA) and Andrew Flintoff (ENG); 2006 - Ricky Ponting (AUS); 2007 - Ricky Ponting; 2008 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI); 2009 - Mitchell Johnson (AUS); 2010 - Sachin Tendulkar (IND); 2011 - Jonathan Trott (ENG); 2012 - Kumar Sangakkara (SL); 2013 - Michael Clarke (AUS); 2014 - Mitchell Johnson; 2015 - Steve Smith (AUS); 2016 - Ravichandran Ashwin (IND); 2017 - Virat Kohli (IND); 2018 - Virat Kohli; 2019 - Ben Stokes (ENG); 2021 - Shaheen Afridi
The biogs
Name: Zinah Madi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and links
Nationality: Syrian
Family: Married, Mother of Tala, 18, Sharif, 14, Kareem, 2
Favourite Quote: “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”
Name: Razan Nabulsi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and Links
Nationality: Jordanian
Family: Married, Mother of Yahya, 3.5
Favourite Quote: A Chinese proverb that says: “Be not afraid of moving slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
RESULTS
Main card
Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision
Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision
Lightweight 60kg: Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision
Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
John%20Wick%3A%20Chapter%204
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Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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