China Books

Bravo, an impulse purchase of this book was amply rewarded by elegant ghost stories that delighted me no end. This is a book to keep and treasure. At times the pathos is mingled with humor reminding one of the best of Hans Andersen's fairy tales. The supernatural is interwoven with much of the natural world and the symbiotic relations between humans and nature create that "bardo" between worlds in which anything can happen. The "Fisherman's Tale" is perhaps my favorite in the collection, it is a thoughtful & chilling meditation on life and death. This small collection has sent me on a journey to read all of Mr. Kwan's work.

Don't worry if you don't know about China or its history: just sit around the campfire and take a journey through strange ghost stories from another land. Unlike many awkward translations, Michael David Kwan freely retells these stories with a formidably poetic writing style, painting pictures in the mind as vivid as those that fixated him as a child on the street corners of China. Hidden throughout is a wealth of insight into the daily life and values that shaped the culture of Imperial China.

Vice Premier Qian's Son Writes Book on the Experience of Chinese Students in the United States
A February 1997 report from U.S. Embassy Beijing

Summary. Chinese Foreign Minister Qian's son, Qian Ning, has written a best-selling book about his impressions of life as a student in the United States. Qian wrote his book upon his
return to China after studying journalism and Chinese literature for five years at the University of Michigan. Studying in America, now a runaway best-seller in both legal and pirated editions, reflects the Qian Ning's very deep and fair-minded assessment of China, America and their relations. Far deeper and much more sophisticated than the recent wave
of shallow, America bashing best-sellers, Qian's book is imbued with Chinese patriotism with a clear-eyed and fair-minded view of the good and the bad of Chinese and American society and traditions. Although only a small percentage of the Chinese students who went to the United States over the last fifteen years have returned to China, more and more are choosing to come back as economic conditions improve and political controls loosen.

The importance of this book is that it affords a vision of the U.S. as it is reflected in the Chinese mind and a vision of China through Chinese minds which have been profoundly transformed by their American experience. In this cable we present Embassy Beijing Environment Science and Technology Section officer's extensive summary of Qian's work
with page numbers from the first edition which also hold for the numerous pirate editions sold. End summary.

The full review is available on the U.S. Embassy Beijing web page at ...

Chinese Students Encounter America is really a treasure. The anecdotes of foreign students as they experience, confront, and cope with education and life in America are priceless. The translation is very well-done. For those who are interested in Chinese-American relations, modern Chinese history, or the foreign student experience in America, this is a very interesting and unique vantage point.

This volume makes important contributions to our understanding of the Chinese revolution. . . . The entrenchment of networks of loyalty among local leaders and higher level officials of the emerging party-state is a central element of the authors' analysis. As the state extended its control over both the urban and rural economies, it increasingly monopolized the allocation of scarce resources. . . . Given the authors' trenchant critique of the Communist party's economically irrational commitment to rapid, large-scale collectivization, it is unfortunate that they have not addressed the implications of their work for the decollectivizing rural reforms of the post-Mao era, when many aspects of the peasant household economy have been restored. Perhaps there is a sequel in the making

It has been two years since I read this book, but I see it hasn't had a review yet, and I think it deserves one, so I add my two bits.

A very detailed analysis of the developments in rural Chinese society over a period of massive upheaval. Provides tremendous insight into the social mechanisms at play, and the interplay of contemporary political movements with the traditional power structures in rural China. For anyone interested in or involved in rural development in China, a drama which is still going on in the 21st century, a must read. Also recommended for anyone interested in the interactions between policy-directed, centrally planned development and the way society responds to it.

Would like to see a similar follow up on the years between the cultural revolution and the present.

Ed Douglas is superb. He really knows Everest, not just the mountain's climbing lore but the mountain's importance to the unique peoples who inhabit her flanks. A stunning literary achievement!

How can I give this book 10/15/20 stars?

This is the most wonderful book I have read on Chomolungma (Everest). You will discover why he didn't call it by the other Nepalese name, Sagamartha. Douglas is a mountaineer, though he admits he does not really understand the compulsion to climb Everest, and he says towards the end of the book that he never could climb it because he does not want to enough. This book is sensitive, respectful and self-effacing. Its purpose is serious - to really discover something about the cultural impact of the trekking and mountaineering industries on the people and environment of the Everest area.

Along the way, Douglas makes some insightful observations about the role of governments, the impact of non-government organisations and the activities of some of the successful business - people - Nepalese, sometimes Sherpa, all involved in the Everest industry. In all three instances he shows us the sometimes misguided, sometimes successful and sometimes outright fraudulent efforts.

At all times Douglas remains thoroughly respectful of the Nepalese (and in the first chapter Tibetan) people, despite also being able to show us the cultural and political warts. Whilst having a few harsh judgements about some trekkers and some mountaineers, he also manages to treat them fairly and - no mean feat at times. Perhaps, however, he is hardest of all on climbers: "...there are so many other climbers whose photographs of locals punctuated their articles and lectures to break up all those shots showing what heroes they'd been with a little local culture. Anthropologists and environmentalists must have a strong suspicion that most climbers and trekkers see local people as a human backdrop to their adventures. I almost admired the climber who told me that if he could go to the mountain in a bubble to avoid disease and arguments with porters, he would. At least he was being honest."

Douglas writes movingly of the unrecognised and mostly unheard about porters who have been the casualties of the industry - ill-clad and ill-equipped, some have been turned out by expeditions and left to fend for themselves when things have got sticky. There are generally no helicopter rescues for the porters. Douglas calls this "moral squalor". The myriad cut-price trekking companies pay cut-throat rates and fail to equip these workers well. On the other hand, Douglas shows how portering is integral to the local economy, and quotes statistics debunking the view that permanent physical damage is the result of portering.

After you have read Krakauer's 'Into Thin Air', and Boukreev's 'The Climb' and the other expedition journals and diaries, and coffee table books about Everest, turn to this one to find out about the people and the impact on their lives. This book also reads as a travelogue, as it recounts, in the main, Douglas's own trekking experience in the spring of 1996. He encounters along the way many of the groups that became caught up in the storms and tragedies of May 10 1996, including Scott Fisher's group and David Breashear's IMAX film team. Some of the descriptive passages are wonderful word pictures. I had a real sense of what it is like at the top of Kala Patta and Gokyo Ri, for example.

Some passages that particularly spoke to me (you will surely discover others):

"Professional climbers earn their living describing their own achievements, while those with a more long-term or scientific purpose can claim some benefit to mankind other than the realisation of ambition. It was clear, however, that they were prone to the same jealousies and quarrels."

"The truth has to be faced that guides have treated the mountain as a resource, just as the Nepalese authorities have. It's a way to cash in on the regular flow of books and films about Everest, a package deal to the roof of the world for anyone with enough money and an excess of self-confidence. As for the motivation of people who are prepared to spend a small fortune for a chance to be pulled up Everest, I can only guess. If it is to impress, then the huge resources and assistance required to get them to the top should temper their sense of achievement. If it is for a love of adventure, then they probably ger more than they bargain for. But then why climb Everest at all? That's the hardest thing to explain. That's the sixty-four thousand dollar question."

This is really one of the few books that everyone seriously interested in himalayan art should not afford to miss. All the different aspects of the himalayan branch of the buddhistic religion / philosophy which have visual representation - from tangkas to statues, to any kind of ritual objects - are illustrated with exceptionally detailed, wonderful pictures, each supplemented by exhaustive descriptions. Entire chapters of the book introduce, and then guide, the reader to and through the meanders of a truly fascinating journey, which develops from peak to peak, from monastery to monastery in that magic world - suspended between land and sky - known as The Himalayas. This is one of those rare books with top class quality built in. Outstanding !

I was unfortunate to miss the exhibition for which this book is a catalogue and a venue for presenting the previously obscure art of the Chakrasamvara tantras of Nepal to a wider audience.

In the absence of being at the exhibit, this catalogue reproduces all 157 objects to a high degree, enough for you to ascertain for yourself the ideas of the authors, and to appreciate the quality, beauty and devotion held by the artists and reflected within these works of art.

The authors had access to Nepalese tantric priests for help in explaining the meaning of some of the esoteric representations, allowing for an accurate description of much of the iconography contained within the artworks. At the same time, the authors don't transgress the secret nature of the practices as contained in the ritual ceremonies of Chakrasamvara or the oral lineage from Guru to disciple.

Excellent work to have conceived and organised an exhibition of this nature and to have exectuted to this extent.

Samuel's erudite and comprehensive review is fast becoming an indispenable tool to any serious student of Tibetan religious life (of whatever hue). Encompassing a breathtaking range of literature and information, the author's forte lies in his ability to convey the sheer vastness of extant scholarly material on Tibet, without at the same time getting bogged down in an excessively scholastic vocabulary and style. Readers should take note that this is certainly NOT a book for uncommitted beginners, or for those that want a feel-good dip into Buddhism (although the determined reader could reasonably treat it as introductory), but rather represents a comprehensive and in-depth guide for those who seek to become truly well-informed about one of the world's deepest and most facinating religious civilizations.

Samuel may have set a standard with this book for Buddhist studies. It is not an easy book, for example because of its thoroughness and the difficult issues it tackles, but it is well-presented and seems convincing. I, at any rate, would not want to debate Samuel on its positions.

When looking at Buddhist books, it seems many provide only a superficial context for the deep concepts they present. Introductory works on Buddhism or teachings by a modern teacher may assume or disregard your knowledge of key cultures and a vast history of development. It may be that the writer or teacher is him/herself unaware of that background. Of course, that "background" may be so big as to make it impossible to focus on any present teaching.

What is key to Samuel's study is his correction to the mistaken assumption that Tibetan religion consists almost entirely of the Dalai Lama and the clerical orders. That's not to deny their importance but Samuels puts them into perspective. That Tibetan religion can be as complex as it is is staggering: one wonders how any Tibetan can make use of it. Perhaps having grown up in that culture, it seems natural. Samuels, at any rate, for the non-Tibetan reader, shows how far Buddhism in Tibet has moved from Theravada Buddhism and clerical Tibetan Buddhism into shamanism, Tantra, Bon and Dzogchen ...

After reading this study, I'd expect any individual seeking to practice Buddhist will still be left wondering how to make use of such a rich spiritual tradition (or whether that richness hadn't become excessive). But "Civilized Shamans" suggests a great deal of creative religious activity, at least some of which may fascinate you.

This book is not for every one, but it has plenty to offer those who think they might be interested in the history of urban reform in a Chinese provincial capital. Chengdu lies in western Sichuan province, a remote but populous part of China. Nestled at the feet of mountains that rise in the west to the Tibetan plateau, Chengdu is a beautiful and fascinating city with a long and rich history. This book was written for and should prove to be of primary interest to scholars, but it should also appeal to serious travelers who plan to visit Chengdu (or have already visited) this rewarding spot off of the usual tourist itinerary. Civilizing Chengdu focuses on efforts to administer and reform the city in the half century prior to the founding of the People's Republic of China. It is scrupulously researched but written in an accessible style. Scholars interested in modern Chinese history have recently begun to focus on developments in urban areas, and there have been a number of excellent works published over the last few years that have dealt with different urban historical topics. Most of these books have concentrated on the major cities of eastern China, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing. This book begins to address the need for work on the many smaller cities scattered across the country.

In "Civilizing Chengdu", Kristin Stapleton discusses the reforms that took place between 1895-1937 in the capital city of Sichuan province. During this time Sichuan aided in the downfall of a two thousand year old dynastic system and witnessed the rise of warlordism.

Throughout much of Chinese history the management of cities took a backseat to the much more populated rural areas. However, by the late 1800's the increase in urban inhabitants, the influence of European ideas, and the numerous colonial cities scattered throughout East and Southeast Asia at this time gave rise to a new appreciation for urban management.

The book examines two urban reform programs: The first was based on the 'New Policies' of the late Qing period and the second was the city administration movement of the 1920's and early 1930's.

Before discussing these two reform eras, Stapleton gives a description of Chengdu's physical layout, social organization, status as a provincial capital, and methods of administrative rule in the late Qing period.

The book then moves on to discuss the reforms, especially police reform. Traditionally in China soldiers carried out police functions such as the guarding of important buildings and other structures and maintaining the peace at the local level. But since it was felt that these duties obstructed the modernization of the army, many believed that a modern police system was needed.

At the forefront of this movement was Zhou Shanpei. In 1899, Zhou had visited Tokyo for the first time and had become an admirer of its orderly and productive nature. Between 1902 and 1912 Zhou served six Sichuan governor-generals in Chengdu. During 1902 he had helped to establish a police administration. Zhou became head of the police bureau in 1906. Besides keeping order in the city, the police, under Zhou set out to transform social habits and customs. Theaters and brothels were brought under tighter control and workhouses for unemployed vagrants, beggars and lawbreakers were founded (p.99). Also vocational training for orphans were established. (For these and other social programs carried out under Zhou Shanpei's tenure as head of the police bureau see pp. 125-38). In 1907 Zhou Shanpei was appointed the superintendent of economic development in Sichuan province. Through this role he continued to have influence on urban reforms until 1911.

Sichuan, in 1911, saw the escalation of tensions over the central government's decision to nationalize the building of railroads. Originally, each province had control over railroad construction and it was considered a matter of local autonomy. However, local corruption and unwise investments (realized during the Shanghai stock market crisis of 1910)caused the central authorities to usurp local control. This was the catalyst that set in motion the downfall of the Qing dynasty and with it came the end of the first set of urban reform in Chengdu.

The immediate post- revolutionary period brought a different political atmosphere to Chengdu. No effective government replaced the fallen Qing bureaucracy. In this vacuum of authority, secret societies, such as the Gelaohui (Society of Elders and Brothers)came to the fore along with a group of prominent reform minded scholars called the 'Five Elders and Seven Sages' (Wu lao qi xian) and activists associated with the foreign community. Secret societies had been marginalized and suppressed during imperial rule, but during the early 1900's they witnessed substantial growth in membership and popularity (also see Stapleton, "Urban Politics in an Age of 'Secret Societies': The Cases of Shanghai and Chengdu", in Republican China, vol. 22, no. 1 (Nov.), pp. 23-63). The police force continued to exist but their control over community affairs was greatly negated by these new social forces.

It was in this strained and fragmented political atmosphere that warlordism was able to develop. "Between 1917 and 1935 Sichuan's regional armies engaged in hundreds of small and large scale wars, breaking the province up into occupation zones that grew and shrank and changed hands frequently"(p. 184). Stapleton shows how in this environment the second wave of urban reform in Chengdu attempted to take place.

These reforms began with General Yang Sen's arrival in Chengdu in 1924. Yang controlled Chengdu for only sixteen months before being chased out of the city by his rivals in the summer of 1925. Stapleton describes how Yang Sen's policies during this time did not take into consideration "local politics" (p. 219). Yang and his colleaques knew about the reform that had transformed coastal cities like Shanghai, and were eager to bring these techniques to Sichuan. However, through his attempt to remake Chengdu, Yang's authoritarian style isolated a large segment of the city's population (see chapter 7).

The post-Yang Sen city administration attempted a more conciliatory policy, bringing the city's more conservative elites back into the fold. This period (late 1920's- early 1930's) saw "the revival of many of the administrative institutions and techniques established by Zhou Shanpei during the New Policies era" (pp. 246- 47).

The second attempt at urban reform reached its apex in 1934. During this time General Liu Xiang reorganized Chengdu's police force, also taking many ideas for its administration from Zhou Shanpei's reform efforts. Stapleton, like Frederic Wakeman in "Policing Shanghai, 1927- 1937"(1995) and Stephen MacKinnon in "Police Reform in Late Ch'ing Chihli" (Ch'ing-shih Wen-t'i, vol.3, no. 4 1975) believes that the police reforms during the 'New Policies' era was "one of the most significant political events in twentieth- century Chinese history" (p. 247).

It is refreshing to see such a thorough study of a city in China's hinterland during the late Qing and early Republican era (add to this Wang Di's, "Street Culture in Chengdu", 2003) after so many studies have been done on coastal cities of this period. Because of the dearth of secondary sources in English, research on inland provinces and cities make for an exciting new path in the study of late Qing and early Republican history.

I purchased this book to clear up my conception of some of the Metlox patterns but it opened my eyes to some very collectible pieces that I had been over looking. Nice pictures with several styles in each catagory that eliminates the guess work. As a beginner collector of Metlox I am truly please with this book.

This book is the definitive work on Metlox Pottery. It's a "must have" for the collector and enjoyable reading for the person wishing to learn more about California pottery. Full of hundreds of pictures and values, this book is an invaluable guide and resource.

This 1998, 232 page book features more than 500 full color, large photos of a great variety of collectible souvenir china. 1998 values are shown. There is a nice introduction to the topic and plenty of descriptive text throughout. It's well indexed for easy item location. Major topics include, Collecting Souvenir China in the U.S., Golden Era of Souvenir China, The Pioneers, Identifying Producers, Shapes, Forms and Styles, and related items. A nice bibliography is provided. Collectors will love looking at the great photos provided. A useful reference.

This handy paperback volume is a true gem on collecting late 19th/early 20th century souvenir china. The numerous color photos and informative text make this an excellent addition to any collector's bookshelf. Highlights include wholesaler marks and information on manufacturers.

This edition promises to be the corner stone for the souvenir china collector!

I read an earlier edition of this book and was very impressed. Part of my MA thesis is on Lao She. My only complaint about this anthology is that it does not contain his novella, "Crescent Moon." This anthology is about 750 pages and includes most all of 20th century China, including Taiwan and a few non-Han Chinese authors. The selections are excellent and the stories are self-contained, i.e. they are short stories, poems, essays, or novellas, not extracted chapters. The spellings are pinyin, not Wade-Giles. I would highly recommend it to someone wanting a large pool of 20th century Chinese authors.

This anthology presents a superb cross section of Chinese literature, from the time of Lu Xun to the present. The editors have included works from the mainland, as well as Taiwan, and the scope of authors and genres is tremendous for a single volume. A good starting point for anyone interested in Chinese literature, as well as those already familiar with it.