Having resisted the temptation in our first two volumes, LEAP finally succumbs to the lulling call of China’s second-tier cities for our thirteenth issue, visiting the two outlying megalopolises of Wuhan and Chongqing. Through firsthand observation of the local art ecology in both, our editors uncover shared stories, destinies, and elements of a mindset that may explain just why we ourselves choose to remain in Beijing. Elswhere in the middle section is an intimate tête-à-tête with Thai artist and filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, an intricate profile of up-and-coming Taiwanese artist Charwei Tsai, a meteorological summary of the art market in 2011, a heartfelt memoir of the late Mu Xin by two New York-based filmmakers, and a recap of the conceptual “capsules” of artist Liu Ding. In the front end of the issue are interviews with curator Hou Hanru and installation artist Nari Ward, a foray into the painterly Weltanschauung of ink painter Hao Liang, a manifesto for the brush from Wang Yuping, and an account of six Chinese artists’ time spent on residency in Nantes. And in our bottom section, a slew of critical takes on exhibitions in New York, London, Qatar, Karlsruhe, and of course, the good old Mainland.