'In a new rule-changing level of discourse, in this unique and peerless collection, a China Shelf is at once a location threatened by Australian nuclear submarines, and a space for the necessary ornaments of civilisation, whether they are artifacts, human rights or memory. Here, this is a symbolic space also represented by the concept of a physical china shelf. The multifaceted artifacts on the China Shelf manifest throughout the poems. In one sense, they are described as physical objects on a shelf, able to be placed, touched, appreciated and analysed. On it, models of nuclear submarines and military vehicles are as accessible as its exquisite ornaments, relaxed Art Deco nudes, Chinese lions, Tang horses, figurines of Robert Burns and dancers in red tones created with gold, water-carrier or arched Chinese ships. In another sense, such objects have counterparts in the narratives...' (Publication summary)
