Chung Books

I bought this book as a gift for my 16yr old niece. The very next day, she told me how much she loved the book. She even cried reading it. I think it's nice to find reading materials that can move the minds and feelings of teenagers.

I skimmed through the book before I gave it to my granddaughter who just turned 13. I thought it had some well written stories that a teenager can relate to and a lot of food for thought. She was so happy to get it, since she had the one for pre-teens also and really liked it.

Once again, "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books has a hit. This is a wonderful gift for young teens with its easy read of short stories on pertinent topics and experiences teens face. Teens I have given it to as a gift have loved it and purchased the next in the teen series. Also a source of good talking points for those anxiety ridden moments or social issues teens face.

I am a teacher in two high schools and I like to read the stories of the book to my students from time to time to inspirate them and reinforce their teenage self esteem! I suggest it to all teacher to make the same with a nice calm background music.

I recomend that you read this book because its stories are touching, sad, heart warming, and pretty much every other emotion you can feel. You can learn a lot about different in life, and how people got through them. :p
zoe r.
lanier ms

Great book! I've been working in transmission systems and networking for more than seven years now, and I've never found a book which had both subjects together. If your are planning to give some classes or seminars, this book is a very good outline and in-depth info source.

The book which is written by Behrouz is one of the greatest book I haven't read in my life. I preffered to read this book to all of the viewer's who want to gain some knowledge in data communication and network field.

The book cover many important part about Data Comm.Useful for student and researcher.

I was very impressed with this vendor's service. The book was in great shape and got to me very quickly. Safe bet here.

This is one of the all-time best books on computer networking and data communications. The diagrams make it perhaps the simplest to understand, of all books. The style is lucid, plenty of examples are given and there are exercises after every chapter. Apart from Tanenbaum and Comer, this is a must for every serious student of data communications.

This really is an excellent book. Although scholarly it is not dry and one might even call it exciting at times. It remains the definitive work on the period (most Oxford History books tend to have that distinction) and the latest edition (6th, I believe) contains additions and corrections well worth the bump in price.

The only reason I cannot give this book a full five stars is because in spite of the scholarship, it remains fairly light on ideas and when compared to other Oxford Histories such as "Battle Cry Of Freedom" or "What God Hath Wrought" it cannot hold its own.

Nevertheless, this book is a worthy addition to any historical library and is heartily recommended.

While Spence's "The Search for Modern China" may be currently the most popular survey of modern Chinese history, Hsu's work is indispensable for the student of wants a deep understanding of China and the Chinese. I was fortunate enough to have studied the material covered with Hsu at Santa Barbara, while he was working on the first edition and still using the then only good English language Asian history by Fairbank (+ others) as a text. While I still have my copy of Fairbank's two volumes, which remain useful for Japan and Southeast Asia, it is to Hsu's text I still refer on matters of Chinese history.

I needed a book for my university studies on China, and this was by far the best. It is detailed, sharp and well written. I cannot see much bias either way, or if there is the other side is shown.

A very good treatment on the subject.

This book by Immanuel Hsu used to be my school text 23 years ago! Now in its 6th Edition, I must say is an excellent piece of work. However, there are still certain words which are wrong, for eg, page 100, 2nd Paragraph, "...He was "found" of Adma Schall von Bell, whom he appointed..."
The word should be FOND and not "found"....
I have detected several similar errors in the book.... Otherwise, this book would almost be near Perfect!
Steven Lim. RSTN Consulting (Singapore).

This is the definitive work by Prof. C.Y. Hsu of the University of Californai, Santa Barbara.
It is a highly acclaimed history book which tells the rise of modern China which begins with her occupation by the alien power - the Manchus - from the border of north China and rules the country with an iron grip from 1644 to 1912.

The Manchus were an alien, warlike race which had an eye for China (just like the barbaric Japs in 1935) for a while, and according to Prof. Hsu and his marvellous research, the appropriate time came sooner than expected which altered the future course of China and eventually led it to become a world power a century later.

The Manchus enticed the Ming Dynasty General Wu San Kwei who was then guarding the walls at San Hai Kwan Pass (Mountain and Sea Pass) which effectively blocked the entrance of these warlike aliens to which the weaken Ming Dynasty couldn't well resist. Then internal political turmoil caused the last Ming Emperor to commit suicide and the rise of the rebel Li Zhi Cheng which looted and subsequently occupied Peking. Fatefully, Li abducted the mistress named Chen Yuan Yuan of Gen. Wu which compelled him to open the massive wall-gate and allowed the Manchus to enter Peking to chastise the rebel who was eventually captured and beheaded after many battles.

Then the Manchus began to establish their Manchu or Ch'ing Dynasty from 1644-1912 with ten succeeding emperors and one notorious empress named Tzi Hsi.

China, weakened by internal unrest and revolts and external pressure from the foreign powers - notably Great Britain, France, Imperial Japan, Germany, Italy, Germany, Russia and etc., almost brought the country to total ruin, division and a multiple foreign colony. China was forced to signed many unequeal treaties after she was militarily defeated which included the tranforming of Hong Kong into a British colony in losing two Opium Wars. With the country politically and militarily divided and huge areas curved out by foreign powers, the educated people along with the farmers rose up to try to overthrow the decadent Manchus. Then came the devasting and most barbaric war of conquest by the Imperial "bungsai" troops which climaxed in the so-called Rape of Nanking, whereby some 300,000 innocent and unarmed Chinese civilians were tortured, robbed, raped and summarily executed in cold blood by the contesting samurai swords. Iris Chang told this holocaust in her acclaimed book called THE RAPE OF NANKING (It is also sold by amazon.com too).

Eventually, after many local rebellions against the alien Manchus, Dr. Sun Yat Sen succeeded in overthrowing them and formed the Republic of China and eventually the founding of the People's Republic of China by Mao and Co.

Then in the 1970s, the Chinese people were proud to witness the entry of China into the United Stations and occupied a seat in the U.N. Security Council. China then started diplomatic releations with its once arch-enemy, the United States after the historical state visit of President Nixon. (The Chinese still consider Nixon as their friend today!)

Today, the rise of China as both an economic and military power owes its origin to the resolve of the innovative and determined Chinese people led first by Dr. Sun Yat Sen (Father of the Chinese Revolution) to Deng Xiaoping (Father of the Chinese Economy), which brought China to become a peaceful and superpower power - respected and feared by both friends and foes alike.

Prof. Hsu's thousand page long history book, well-researched and written in an understable language should be in the homes of all English educated Chinese people and those foreigners who are friends of China.

So please go for this highly recommended and worthy history book if you, the reader, has been to China and marvel at its seven thousand years of history, culture, civilization, inventions, battles and peace and rise to become a peaceful superpower of today. Cheers & thanks.

Yes.
This is the ultimate guide to Zen.
TCC's great drawings and simple explanations brings you the Zen thinking to your home.

A must have for anyone interested in eastern culture.

Just getting started on your desire to understand eastern philosophies? Have you stood at the bookstore for hours pouring over where to start and what to buy?

Any of this authors books are a wonderful place to start. The reason? Because these books are all about the title subject in a nutshell, easy to read as a comic book, the story lines and illustrations are wonderful, and after you read this as well as all the other books by Tsai, you will have a great, well rounded start on your path and will know what you want to study more deeply!

To add, when others ask you about your interest in eastern philosophy, you can get them started here as well, because these books are fun, consise, and you know they will enjoy them over and over again!

This book exists to make Zen more accessible to the general public. For those people that practice Zen, the essence of Zen can only be felt or only be understood but not through words or pictures. As one teaching of Zen would have it, you would appreciate how beautiful the moon is rather than the finger that points you to that moon. I have to admit that this book manages to clarify certain teachings that are also mentioned in other Zen books. I'm not saying that this comic book provides me with the absolute truth about certain Zen sayings but it does provide me with an insight. Everyone has their own ways of getting to the original thinking & if this book cuts the cake, so be it. If we think that this is merely a comic book, then, it is a delusion! Remember, don't judge a book by its cover. This book is profoundly serious. Highly recommended, light-hearted & enjoyable to read.

"Comics are just words and pictures. You can say anything with words and pictures." ---someone I don't recall.

This comic book contains one hundred Zen Tales (koans), and I have heard some of them before. They seem to gain something when presented in this format. The author brings out something of the shock that is enlightenment that I hadn't really felt in the stroies before. The artwork is simple, yet effective. The writing is the same. The ideas conveyed are both profound and obvious. And, of course, it is a very enjoyable read.

Hard to imagine that a cartoon could unfold the depths of Zen. Perhaps it is the fact the cartoons are brief yet encapsulate so much. Personally, I find it to be in the expressions of the characters in the drawings that tell the story. I really feel the smiles throughout the book and can almost see them winking along with that smile.

Never straying from the seriousness of Zen, this little gem really reveals the joy that lies underneath. A great way to get started; a great little reminder for those already underway.

I've had this cookbook for about 20 years & its my best used cookbook. I have a couple other chinese cookbooks; but they are overly complicated and just overwhelming with too much information. I orginally got this cookbook for the Fried Pork Dumpling (potstickers) recipe. It is spot-on the best recipe for these kind of dumplings. I usually make up several hundred at a time & they freeze wonderfully!!! Alot of trial & error resulted in the following: Make dumplings (but don't cook). Put on a lightly floured pan. Flash freeze for about an hour. Put 6-8 in a quart canning jar & vacuum seal. When needed, pull out jar from freezer, lightly flour a plate, remove frozen dumplings & set on floured plate (not touching). Put in freezer overnight. Next day, fry up as in directions. They are just as wonderful as the day you made them fresh.

I have used this cook book for years it is the best I have found for good Chinese cooking. Directions easy to follow.

This is a decent, if unspectacular book.

STRENGTHS:
* The authoress covers a fair amount of ground.
* Many of the recipes are very tasty, and well honed.

WEAKNESSES:
* The authoress glosses over many areas that are important for westerners ... such as how to evaluate, buy, season, and care for a high quality wok. The authoress just seems to assume you have one. The authoress also glosses over most of the finer details regarding the essential differences in regional styles of Chinese cooking. Disappointing for a book having a title that implies exhaustive depth that doesn't actually exist within.
* The authoress doesnt always remember to give enough of the aliases for various ingredients, leaving readers to rely upon educated guesses based on photos.
* The recipes and instructions are not always laid out in logical order, nor are they clearly and adequately explained in all cases. Her recipe for classic pork dumplings, for instance, takes a bit of re-reading, and a fair amount of trial and error (and cursing) in order to make the indicated amount of dough appear even remotely adequate for the amount of filling she calls for. This book could have benefitted from some much needed polishing by an independant chef/editor.
* The authors doesn't really give any insight into preferences and background, or her cooking philosophy ... she just plowed ahead and dumps a bunch of recipes into her book. Then again, this book was written some time ago, and cookbook styles have since been chaging and evolving - chefs are now allowed to inject themselves into their books. That wasn't always true.

In any case, the book appears a bit dated by today's standards. There are more exhaustive, more entertaining, better photographed, and better edited books available than this one. It's adequate, and it'll serve it's function if it's your only book on the cuisine, and that's about as much as I can say about it.

This is the best Chinese cookbook I've used. There are lots of delicious and pretty easy recipes. Once you buy a good set of the major ingredients (ginger, hoisin, rice wine, soy sauce) and get a decent wok/any big pan, you can make a lot of delicious meals that are as good as any Chinese restaurant, for very cheap. The Mongolian Beef is really good. It tells you the basics of Chinese cooking, like how to make tofu and how to cook really good white rice. Highly recommended from an amateur cook on a budget like myself who loves flavorful Chinese food.

I bought this book when I was first learning to cook because I love Chinese food and wanted to do my own fried rice. While the other recipes are very good, this is the best fried rice you will ever eat. I no longer eat fried rice in restaurants because it cant match this.

I can't count how many times I have read this book. I have three versions and the e-book. I have one copy in the washroom I read a little of it everyday. A must have Epic.

I think that all Westerners should be exposed to this classic of the East. Without a doubt, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is one of the very best works of literary art that the human mind had ever produced.
A short synopsis is in order. The novel centers around a rather short, turbulent time in ancient China, following the collapse of the Han Dynasty and predating the rise of the Jin dynasty, the period known as the "Three Kingdoms". In order to rise up against the now-corrupt Han dynasty, the mystic Zhang Jiao began what is known as the "Yellow Turban rebellion". In response to this menace, heroes of China gathered in order to put down this threat. Among these heroes are the virtuous Liu Bei, the loyal and familial Sun Jian, and the cruel and wily (but talented) Cao Cao. After the Yellow Turban rebellion is put down, it is realized that the Han dynasty has grown horribly weak and corrupt, and the heroes leave for home with their own ambitions of ruling China. Liu Bei wishes for the old days (he is a distant relative of the Han line), Cao Cao wishes for personal glory and honor, and Sun Jian wishes to rule China in order to leave it to his sons. Many other players enter the drama (hundreds in fact!), but the story really revolves around these three and their spheres of influence.
The author, Luo Guan Zhong, wrote a book that is at once of strategy, history, psychology, warfare. Although battles are always present, even those readers not interested in warfare can find a great deal in this book. Inevitably, the reader will find himself siding with one of the great Kingdoms of Wei, Wu or Shu, and yet will still feel compelled to feel compassion, elation and sorrow for the others, as their fortunes rise and fall with the changing fates. Each time I read the book (six and counting!), I pull for Liu Bei, who brings himself from commoner status to the highest positions in the land despite his tragic flaw of being TOO virtuous! And yet, I cannot deny enjoying reading about Cao Cao, as he gains support and popularity until the battle of Chi Bi, at which point he falls and must rise again. Also, the ending is fabulous, and unexpected.
However, I must warn the first time reader of the complete deluge of names with which he will be accosted. To further complicate matters, different publishers of the book spell the names in different ways (e.g. Cao Cao=T'sao T'sao, Chuko Lee-ong=Zhuge Liang). I was aided in this struggle by the fact that I had played a game with these characters, so that I was familiar with some of them. The author revels in his knowledge of history, and expects the same of his readers, but the reader may feel completely overwhelmed. Just keep in mind the three main characters, and try to remember who follows whom, and you should do fine (however, it is frustrating when the character Xun Yu introduces the character Xun You, etc.).
"Empires wax and wane, states cleave asunder and coalesce". The first statement in the book is as true today as it was 2000 years ago. If you are a reader who prides himself on his knowledge of the classics, I can honestly say that your mental library is incomplete until you read this book. So, what are you waiting for?

humanity is everything in this book and only thing we have.

I can't finish all my compliment for this book in this short review. You are not gonna believe it is such a splendid book until you read it yourself. This book is a saga with so much wisdom and humanity. It is as good as ancient Greek epic (with all repect to Greek) if not better. The wisdom in it is uncommonly plentiful. Trojan horse looks children's game after you finished the book. Romance of three kingdoms is a part of Chinese lives and now becoming popular in the world. Many Japanese companies make this book as a must-read for management staff. Read this book and I garantee that your time will be delightfully spent.

Romance of Three Kingdoms is not just the novelized version of the history record "Three Kingdoms". It overtook the heart of both Chinese and Japanese. In Japan even younger generation who rarely read literature enjoy the story in the form of either comic books or in popular PC games. In China many of the Chinese Opera comes from the part of this story.

The story is based on the history of ancient China around late 2nd century to late 3rd century when the Chinese continent was divided by three strong kingdoms,Shu(Gui in Japanese),Wu(GO in Japanese) and Wei(SHOKU in Japanese).

I am familiar with the version of Eiji Yoshikawa, the author of Musashi, focusing more on the story of Liu Pei(Wei emperor),Kuan Yu, Chang Fei, and Chuko Kunming. Liu Pei, an heir of Han Dynasty ruling clan, is a humane leader supported by Kuan Yu, deft both in brain and might maybe eastern version of Knight, Chang Fei,short tempered but really strong warrior, and Chuko Kunming the master of strategy.

Rivaling Lie Pei is another giant Tsao Tsao outstanding ruler who nearly took hold of the whole Chinese continent but blocked by the allied forces of Wu and Wei in 208. Tsao Tsao is a bit demonized in this story but he is in fact one of the greatest rulers China ever had comparable to Napoleon. While Lie Pei who has little power gradually gains by charming a lot of talented people by his couteousness yet with propaganda tactics to demonize Tsao Tsao, Tsao Tsao took advantage of courting the Emperor and with the finest staff collected from the whole continent. Tsao Tsao's Shu finally unites the whole China after his death in 265, with the surrender of Wei but Lie Pei, Kuan Yu and Kunming are still loved and idealized by Chinese public. Wu survives by taking either rivaling sides and with excellent domestic and foreign affairs strategy.

On first reading you will be enjoying the way the characters outsmart the other camps. On second reading you will be struck by the humanity upon which the story is based. It is much more than a legend. It will surely get you closer to the mind of either Chinese and Japanese. But be careful. The way character name is pronounced differ between Chinese and Japanese. Such as Tsao Tsao is pronounced in Japanese as SOSO.

Well thought-out, clear and thorough book. I have several networks books, but this is by far the best I've ever used, even surpassing "Computer Networks: a systems approach". Another advantage of this book is that it has a website with quizzes and results to help reinforce the information displayed in it. A must have for anyone learning about networks.

I had to use this book for a graduate course. It has been very suitable for this purpose. The level of details is good, but not to the point of a protocol standard. If you need to master the concepts and do not want to refer to very superficial practical references or detailed standards this book is right in the middle. Lecturers will find it very appropriate and students will easly grasp the concepts. One can still use some parts of the book as a reference. If the required information is not there some of the references to RFCs and standards will guide the reader to more information elsewhere.

Just recently, I began writing network drivers for my custom Operating System and found myself a little in-the-dark about the proper format for a TCP/IP packet. This book proved to be a great read, and also an extremely useful reference later on.
Two thumbs up.

This may be the best textbook I have ever used. The text is concise and to the point with no extra "fluff". The illustrations are fantastic. The author has spent a tremendous amount of time on these... they take you directly to the meaning of the text, and give a strong visual and intuitive foundation to what has been written. Example problems with answers are numerous, and seem to be placed at exactly the points where you need to stop and work through concepts with pencil and paper. I really can't say enough about this text, I've read it cover to cover. It imparts an amazing amount of technical information without being dry... again, I think it's the illustrations that are so helpful, and it's nice that the author's style is direct and not wordy. I don't think you can buy a better TCP/IP book, this one's worth twice the price.

As a beginner, this book can deliver a full and clear picture about details of TCP/IP including each protocol alogorithm, characteristics and it's usage. One can easily understand the TCP/IP basic architecture even without any experience after reading.

Poignant, warm and funny, this lively collection of stories wraps around the reader like that of a real-life experience. The setting is the deep freeze of the cold war - and Russia and China are on most antagonistic terms. But that tension is reflective - as the Chinese themselves seem to, absurdly, turn on themselves, at least in spirit. No lack of wit and great storytelling in "Ocean of Words."

"... whenever we slack a little in ideological education, problems will appear among our men."

Ha Jin, who is easily one of my favorite writers, is in top form in this collection of stories set along the border between Russia and China during the 1970s, when the two nations seemed headed for war. Jin captures the Chinese soldiers in perfect detail and renders them with a great care; they come across as deeply human, complex beings trapped in some pretty ruthless situations. They have little education and few choices in their lives - their only mandate is to serve the revolutionary ideal as prescribed by Chairman Mao and to stamp out "the disease of liberalism" that is plaguing their nation. Education, love, free thought, and many other qualities most of us take for granted are denied them. Even friendship is a dicey proposition, as any one of their compatriots could stab them in the back the moment an opportunity to get ahead in the party presents itself. Among Jin's characters you'll meet a dangerously intellectual young man whose studies may be screwing up his future, a lonely radio worker so desperate for female companionship that merely hearing a woman's voice is enough to steal his heart forever, an instructor who is given the opportunity to either get revenge on a former enemy or show him mercy, a depraved soldier who shockingly acts out against the teachings he has been forced to adapt to, and more. In all of their stories we see the outcome of a generation of men who have been brainwashed to live up to an ideal that even they don't always understand or agree with, but that they must work with in order to get ahead - or, in some cases, just to survive. More than one character falls victim to a witch-hunt of sorts that the soldiers engage in to prove that they are the most loyal to the cause. Without a doubt this was a dangerous time to live in, not only because of the ever-present Russian threat mustering along the borders but because of the paranoia and greed driving one's fellow soldiers to unexpected acts of treachery. Not to mention that what is acceptable one week may become taboo the next, so one must always be careful about which doctrines you follow and how strictly.

As always, Jin has put together a powerful portrait and some spellbinding character studies. While some readers may be put off by his stoic style, it is impossible to deny the enormity of his talent. Any reader would be hard-pressed not to find his writing compelling. I would highly recommend this collection, and I would also recommend picking up War Trash, which is my favorite of Jin's books so far, and Waiting: A Novel, a great read and a National Book Award Winner to boot. I would also recommend Tim O'Brien's Vietnam-era story collection The Things They Carried.
Grade: A

When I read Ocean of Words, I was immediately reminded of two works by "the enemy" from this work, Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time and Tolstoy's Hadji Murad. All three works deal with fear, nature and the other. All three are strangely at peace with their situation and surrounding. All three are great. After reading this collection, I ran out and bought The Bridegroom and Waiting. Neither of these works rose to the level of this collection. This is one of the best short story collections published in the last twenty years. I would recommend this collection to anyone.

Ha Jin brilliantly evokes emotion in short stories that may take some an epic novel to create the same impact. His words are sunbeams bouncing on desolate land and you want to continue despite the heartbreak that you may only survive simply to survive. Never to fully live in the light. He is the most eloquent writer and he allows us to view a world not known to most Americans: China under Mao. Be swept away with words and emotions.

I'm very critical of some Chinese writers like Amy Tan for their distortions of a life they haven't experienced. But this doesn't apply to Ha Jin, who survived the Revolution and was a soldier. I really like this collection of stories because Ha Jin excels in writing vignettes by injecting fresh details. Anyone who is curious about Communist China should read this book. Skip his novels though.

Having lived near his restaurant(s) in San Francisco for a decade, I was compelled to pick up this cookbook, now that I've moved away. In contrast to many restaurants that rely on MSG and rude service to attract customers, Henry's food was very spicy and very delicious.

Some of my favorites were the cold chicken sesame salad (surprisingly) and the Onion Cake appetizer. The chicken salad recipe is here and completely rocks, and the Onion cake is here also (really delicious, if you can tolerate wheat). Sadly missing was info on making his delicious "fish balls" dish. I'm currently trying to reverse-engineer this dish.

Icing on the cake... the occasional 1-2 page essays on marriage, death, Feng Shui, gender issues, etc., according to Hunan culture.

Well done, Henry (burp).

I've never eaten at the restaurant (but think I saw it when I visited San Fran years ago). The book is written in simple sturdy english. The recipes are authentic. Best of all, I like the fantastic fables and hearsay of not-so-old China (and personal anecdotes)as related by Chung. Enjoyable to read, even if you never intend to try out any of the recipes.

For those who love to eat or cook Chinese food, this book is a must-have. It details about 50 tasty recipes from Hunan province in China, and is totally authentic. The author has avoided "spicing down" recipes for American readers -- garlic, hot chiles and other Hunan staples are used boldly and creatively, and your taste buds will be crying out for more after trying these gems. In fact, my wife, who is herself Chinese, relies on Henry Chung's book more than the Chinese-language cookbooks she brought from Taiwan. It really is that good.

cheers, Henry, Cheers... From Marty's Special BBQ Pork, to the overstuffed steamed dumplings this book has it all including an amazing recepie for Velvet Chicken. A must purchase.

I have searched for a copy of this wonderful book for over 5 years and have recently found it,it is my most treasured of many cookbooks! I have been a customer of this wonderful actually fabulous restaurant in San Francisco for over 20 years, it just seems to be just as wonderful as before!This book has allowed me to duplicate my favorite hot and sour chicken many times over. what a shame it is out of print, Henry is very much alive and the place still a success. what a wonderful, simple and accurate book,hopefully this book will someday be back in print and I may share it with my friends.

Chinese philosphy is so pragmatic, always useful. These book makes easy to understand many important fact present in life. Sadly, the other books of this series aren't available. I hope they got reprinted. If you can't get one copy of this book, you'll see that some things change when we leave our static point of view. Great Book.

I read out of either this or Zen Speaks: Shouts of Nothingness almost every night for my daughter...although I think I'm really reading it more for myself. One-three page cartoons of zen buddhism scriptures translated all contain great little doses of morality and keep one from taking one's self too seriously.

What a wonderful book. It is such an easy read. The illustrations are great and the stories convey profound wisdom in an entertaining fashion. The humor is gentle. One will grow in wisdom without even realizing it by reading this book. What a gem.

It's not every day you see a book on any Eastern philosophy that is easily accessible by pretty much anybody who can read. With /Zhuangzi Speaks/, Tsai Chih Chung has given us a great gift. I must admit that I initially had low expectations for a cartoon version of Chuang-Tzu's writings. After having read through it, however, I say with confidence that this is truly a wonderful book that makes the sometimes puzzling Taoist principles much easier to understand.

/Zhuangzi Speaks/ is definitely worth a read by fledgling and long-time Taoists alike, as well as their loved ones (who may not understand much about the Tao), and anyone else who is even the least bit curious about Chuang-Tzu and his ideas.

Now you can enjoy the essence, wit and wisdom of Chuangzi brought to life through cartoons. Near the edge of each page, you'll also find the story written in Chinese characters.

Through these popular and illustrated stories, you'll get a taste of "listening to the music", living spontaneously, free from social encumbrances, free from the strict rules of conduct of Confucianism - in harmony with the Tao, surrendering to the moment and enjoying whatever situation presents itself.

This lovely book presents the wisdom of Chuanzi through about 78 enlightening metaphorical stories.