China Books - Page 2

China Shakes the World: A Titan's Rise and Troubled Future -- and the Challenge for America (Edition 001)

James Kynge

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Book On China's Economic Miracle 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The book is not difficult and it is not complex, but it is dense in the sense it is packed with so much insight and value. I started out putting post-its on the pages I thought I would want to refer to again later, but had to stop when it became clear I was "post-itting" (if that is not a word, it certainly should be) just about every other page.

This book is unsurpassed in analyzing China's impact on the world. Through real world examples, it captures just how different China is in its business conduct just how strange a trading partner China is, and how it resembles no other great power. Kynge beautifully weaves China's contradictions into a tapestry that allows us to understand it, as best as is possible.

Though this book is in many ways a "big-think" book, it is nonetheless absolutely relevant to those doing business in or with China. It provides the best macroeconomic analysis of China I have yet seen and, by doing so, it provides invaluable knowledge of how to adjust/position your business to compete.

Editorial Review:

"Let China sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world." Napoleon's words seem eerily prescient today, as the shock waves from China's awakening reverberate around the globe. Award-winning journalist James Kynge takes measure of the tremors made as China's ravenous hunger for jobs, raw materials, energy, and food — and its export of goods, workers, and investments — drastically reshapes world trade and politics. Through dramatic stories of the people who are driving China's transformation — entrepreneurs and visionaries, factory workers and store clerks — Kynge describes the breakneck rise of China, the extraordinary problems the country now faces, and the consequences of both.

The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

Iris Chang

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Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Japan

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 636 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In December 1937, the Japanese army swept into the ancient city of Nanking. Within weeks, more than 300,000 Chinese civilians were systematically raped, tortured, and murdered--a death toll exceeding that of the atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Using extensive interviews with survivors and newly discovered documents, Iris Chang has written what will surely be the definitive history of this horrifying episode. The Rape of Nanking tells the story from three perspectives: of the Japanese soldiers who performed it, of the Chinese civilians who endured it, and of a group of Europeans and Americans who refused to abandon the city and were able to create a safety zone that saved almost 300,000 Chinese. Among these was the Nazi John Rabe, an unlikely hero whom Chang calls the "Oskar Schindler of China" and who worked tirelessly to protect the innocent and publicize the horror. More than just narrating the details of an orgy of violence, The Rape of Nanking analyzes the militaristic culture that fostered in the Japanese soldiers a total disregard for human life. Finally, it tells the appalling story: about how the advent of the Cold War led to a concerted effort on the part of the West and even the Chinese to stifle open discussion of this atrocity. Indeed, Chang characterizes this conspiracy of silence, that persists to this day, as "a second rape."

Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China (P.S.)

Peter Hessler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Different Side of China 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is an entertaining and informative view of China, past and present, offered by Peter Hessler, a Westerner who taught English there during the latter part of the 20th century, then returned several years later to work as a journalist. In the process, Hessler made friends with a wide range of Chinese, from his students to the owner of a restaurant in a low-rent Beijing neighborhood, to an itinerant truck driver.

His varied roles gave Hessler opportunities to discover the old and the new China, and to capture for his readers the disjointed experiences of many Chinese as their nation made the transition from a failed command-and-control economy to a quasi free market system.

The book is rich with anecdotes that illustrate the absurdity of the old Communist system, as well as what I think of as the "extreme capitalism" of the new era. The Chinese people Hessler describes are nothing if not enterprising, and they are incredibly clever in devising ways to subvert and circumvent government rules that make little sense. Especially interesting are the stories from Hessler's students, whose lives changed dramatically in the six years between his visits.

Oracle Bones is an excellent read and I recommend it along with a similar, newer, book called China Road, written by Rob Gifford.

Editorial Review:

A century ago, outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. In Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation, viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful of ordinary people. In a narrative that gracefully moves between the ancient and the present, the East and the West, Hessler captures the soul of a country that is undergoing a momentous change before our eyes.

Three Kingdoms: A Historical Novel (Centennial Books)

Guanzhong Luo

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Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Genre Fiction -> Historical

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 102 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Very inaccessible classic. Dry translation. 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

First off, I want to make it clear that I respect the people who love and enjoy this novel. I do not think that their opinion of it is somehow "wrong."

The following, however, has been my experience:

Among East Asian classics, and among Chinese classics, this novel is one of the least accessible to the average English-speaking reader. The way in which the story is told is extremely dry and downright baffling to someone schooled in Western literature. The writing had no emotional resonance ever.

The lack of emotional resonance is expected, seeing as there's very little description of anything beside physical occurrences, which are summarized in very succinct form. (i.e. Character 435 stabbed Character 762, then rode to [the city of] JFDFSDG and stabbed Character 953). This sort of sentence compromises the entire book.

Basically, it reads like a reference work. It's not a "novel" as most western readers would be accustomed to thinking of one. Even if you're open to forms of literature that are drastically different from anything else you've read (as I was, going into this), you'll probably find yourself too exasperated by the novel to finish. It was really a painful experience for me.

However, all is not lost for the person seeking an entry into Chinese literature.

I recommend Dream of the Red Chamber as a good starting novel, especially the translation published by Penguin under the title "The Story of the Stone" (don't be discouraged by the alternative title, it's the same novel as Dream of the Red Chamber).

Furthermore, Red Chamber was written in the late Qing, which makes it more relevant to the modern history and identity of the region we know as China.

Those looking for older quality pieces of writing from East Asia as a whole may enjoy The Tale of Genji and The Tale of the Heike more than they would enjoy Three Kingdoms. Both "Genji" and "Heike" are lengthy novels of Japanese origin, with Genji often being considered the world's first written novel, and certainly the first in East Asia.

To all, Good luck in your readings.

Editorial Review:

This single-volume, unabridged paperback edition of The Three Kingdoms: A Historical Novel is out of stock indefinitely. Please see our new two-volume, unabridged paperback edition, which is identical to this book except that it is divided in two: Part One; Part Two

1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance

Gavin Menzies

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The New York Times bestselling author of 1421 offers another stunning reappraisal of history, presenting compelling new evidence that traces the roots of the European Renaissance to Chinese exploration in the fifteenth century

The brilliance of the Renaissance laid the foundation of the modern world. Textbooks tell us that it came about as a result of a rediscovery of the ideas and ideals of classical Greece and Rome. But now bestselling historian Gavin Menzies makes the startling argument that in the year 1434, China—then the world's most technologically advanced civilization—provided the spark that set the European Renaissance ablaze. From that date onward, Europeans embraced Chinese intellectual ideas, discoveries, and inventions, all of which form the basis of western civilization today.

Florence and Venice of the early fifteenth century were hubs of world trade, attracting traders from across the globe. Based on years of research, this marvelous history argues that a Chinese fleet—official ambassadors of the emperor—arrived in Tuscany in 1434, where they were received by Pope Eugenius IV in Florence. The delegation presented the influential pope with a wealth of Chinese learning from a diverse range of fields: art, geography (including world maps that were passed on to Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan), astronomy, mathematics, printing, architecture, steel manufacturing, military weaponry, and more. This vast treasure trove of knowledge spread across Europe, igniting the legendary inventiveness of the Renaissance, including the work of such geniuses as da Vinci, Copernicus, Galileo, and more.

In 1434, Gavin Menzies combines this long-overdue historical reexamination with the excitement of an investigative adventure. He brings the reader aboard the remarkable Chinese fleet as it sails from China to Cairo and Florence, and then back across the world. Erudite and brilliantly reasoned, 1434 will change the way we see ourselves, our history, and our world.

Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter

Adeline Yen Mah, Adeline Yen Mah

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 346 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Would you like some cheese.... 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 3 people found this review helpful.

...with that whine? Self serving, whiney, horrible. I just don't get it. No comparison to anything by Frank McCort, Amy Tan or anyone like them.

Falling Leaves- FANTASTIC read! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The heartbreaking story of an unwanted, abused, neglected child who never ceases to try and earn her family's affections. If you have ever experienced these feelings,no matter what your race, you will LOVE this book. It moved me to tears and I could not put it down once I started reading it.

A memorable story that haunts you long after reading. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book was beautifully written and gripping from the start. The reviewer who complained of Adeline's "whining" tone, is being unfair. I don't see her as whiny, but rather somewhat detached as she recounts the emptiness of her childhood. In fact, I want her to scream and kick and rebell, maybe even whine, yet she does none of that. Whining is even more emotion than I think she allows herself to feel. She endured a childhood with certain material wealth but vastly lacking in emotional wealth.
Adeline takes the emotional abuse because she knows nothing else. Her father is the true villain for caring more about his trophy wife than his own family's happiness. He is oblivious to his children's emotional needs. He disappoints more than the stepmom for choosing to abandon children that he chose to bring into the world. He manipulates and plays them one against the other for his own selfish desires.
After long periods of thinking about this book, I've come to my own understanding of why she managed to salvage a happy life out of such a miserable upbringing. It is the very belief, albeit blatently false, that her family would one day accept her, that makes her continue to push for their love and not give up. Children are frequently unable to find fault with their loved ones. It is that very "innocence" that protected her from worse harm, the knowledge that acceptance would never, ever, be forthcoming.

Editorial Review:

In this poignant, remarkable memoir, Adeline Yen Mah tells the haunting and beautiful story of her painful childhood. The story of one woman's search for love and acceptance in an oppressive family, "Falling Leaves" was a "New York Times" bestseller.

Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season

Nick Heil

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Well-researched and very well-written 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

A stunning addition to the Everest bookshelf, Heil writes about the 2006 climbing season, the second-deadliest since the 1996 disaster. This time, there was no crippling storm and no stranded teams - but forty people walked past a dying man just below the summit without stopping. Heil presents a thorough and amazing look at what the circumstances were, and ponders the question - what ethics exist at the roof of the world?

This is how a book on the subject should be written 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

About a year or so ago I read Michael Kodas [High Crimes] and gave it
a bad review. The reason was that the journalist - Michael Kodas - was
so much in the book that any objectivity disappeared.
Anyways, in the comments to my review somebody suggested this book.
And, yes, this is the way these stories should be written - the
author is not in the picture, the writing is engaging and interesting,
I think he is trying to be as objective as possible, his research
in preparation for this book is extensive. Bottom line - a great book as
far as my opinion goes.
My only note is that the author explains some things about
altitude sickness, about Everest, etc, that I already know based on
previous books, so this was a little boring for me - but this makes the
book more self-contained and thus I think this was the right thing to do.

Editorial Review:

In the tradition of Jon Krakauera (TM)s Into Thin Air, Nick Heil recounts the harrowing story of the deadly and controversial 2006 climbing season on Mount Everest.

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts

Maxine Hong Kingston

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 170 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Prepare for the unexpected. 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is a tremendous novel. The author threads the stories her mother told her when she was a child, through the retelling of her own life, using them to draw you into her own imagination. As she grows up, living half immersed in traditional myth and half in gritty reality, where mothers and daughters are only human, the reader grows up with her. The first person telling of her childhhood stories puts the reader directly in the shoes of a child/young adult working through the stories she has been told, using them to form her hopes and dreams and her understanding of the world.

(N.B. You may not think that your childhood stories influenced the way you live, but if you think for a minute, I am certain some will come back to you and you'll realize that just the other day you did something based on or combatting that belief. Maybe you even still wish on stars?)

Editorial Review:

A Chinese American woman tells of the Chinese myths, family stories and events of her California childhood that have shaped her identity.

Mao: The Unknown Story

Jung Chang, Jon Halliday

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 258 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Relentlessly Brutal 2 out of 5 stars.
230 of 234 people found this review helpful.

If a picture is truly worth 1,000 words, Jung Chang could have drawn a crisper portrait and spared us the repetitive and monotonous diatribe that stretches over 600 pages. This depressing narrative is peppered with painstaking details on each solitary injury, strategic blunder and character foible of Mao over his long and lethal lifetime. As insightful and illustrative as all this might be, she could have chosen a few select examples and still made her points about what a savage, conscienceless thug he was.

The best chapters are those that depict Mao's scheming interactions with fascinating world-stage characters ranging from Stalin and Khrushchev to Kissinger and Nixon. The entertaining anecdotes about his personal habits and odd scatological humour add colour and lighten the dismal recounting of the fate of the mind-numbing millions who suffered under Mao. But, overall, the experience of reading this lengthy tome can be as relentlessly brutal as Mao himself.

Editorial Review:

The most authoritative life of the Chinese leader every written, Mao: The Unknown Story is based on a decade of research, and on interviews with many of Mao’s close circle in China who have never talked before — and with virtually everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him. It is full of startling revelations, exploding the myth of the Long March, and showing a completely unknown Mao: he was not driven by idealism or ideology; his intimate and intricate relationship with Stalin went back to the 1920s, ultimately bringing him to power; he welcomed Japanese occupation of much of China; and he schemed, poisoned, and blackmailed to get his way. After Mao conquered China in 1949, his secret goal was to dominate the world. In chasing this dream he caused the deaths of 38 million people in the greatest famine in history. In all, well over 70 million Chinese perished under Mao’s rule — in peacetime.

The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed

Michael Meyer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A fascinating, intimate portrait of Beijing through the lens of its oldest neighborhood, facing destruction as the city, and China, relentlessly modernizes.

Soon we will be able to say about old Beijing that what emperors, warlords, Japanese invaders, and Communist planners couldn’t eradicate, the market economy has.  Nobody has been more aware of this than Michael Meyer. A long-time resident, Meyer has, for the past two years, lived as no other Westerner—in a shared courtyard home in Beijing’s oldest neighborhood, Dazhalan, on one of its famed hutong (lanes). There he volunteers to teach English at the local grade school and immerses himself in the community, recording with affection the life stories of the Widow, who shares his courtyard; coteacher Miss Zhu and student Little Liu; and the migrants Recycler Wang and Soldier Liu; among the many others who, despite great differences in age and profession, make up the fabric of this unique neighborhood.

Their bond is rapidly being torn, however, by forced evictions as century-old houses and ways of life are increasingly destroyed to make way for shopping malls, the capital’s first Wal-Mart, high-rise buildings, and widened streets for cars replacing bicycles. Beijing has gone through this cycle many times, as Meyer reveals, but never with the kind of dislocation and overturning of its storied culture now occurring as the city prepares to host the 2008 Summer Olympics.           

Weaving historical vignettes of Beijing and China over a thousand years through his narrative, Meyer captures the city’s deep past as he illuminates its present. With the kind of insight only someone on the inside can provide, The Last Days of Old Beijing brings this moment and the ebb and flow of daily lives on the other side of the planet into shining focus.