Chinese Books

This book is totally awesome! I feel like I have a highly skilled Chinese art instructor right at the table with me. Ms Cameron learned from one of the best and now I am learning from one of the best. Like I said, totally awesome book!

This is a wonderful instructional book for anyone looking to begin the traditional art of Chinese painting. The author is a westerner who lived in China when she was young and was taught the techniques of painting by masters. Using her book is the next best thing to having an instructor by your side. Each technique is carefully explained and clearly illustrated in a way that makes learning fun and easy. Using this book should give you the skills and confidence desired on your way to learning the art of Chinese painting.

This book is excellent for beginers in chinese art and art in general. Taking you step by step from the beginning by illustrating the basic rules for strokes, techniques and compositions necessary for a well deveopled authentic piece of chinese art. Ms.Cameron shows you what to do and what not to do in a conversational manner that builds confidence. In a short period of practice i was very pleased with my progress. If i can do it any one can. Buy this book.

This book is excellent for beginers in chinese art and art in general. taking you from the beginning by illustrating the basic rules for strokes, techniques and compositions necessary for a well deveopled authentic piece of chinese art. Ms.Cameron shows you what to do and what not to do in a conversational manner that builds confidence. In a short period of practice i was very pleased with my progress. If i can do it any one can. Buy this book.

I worked at a very busy herb shop in the Bay Area for over 15 years and this book was a god send.So many people are interested in using Chinese medicines and have no idea where to start. This book is a golden doorway. It is also excellent for knowledgeable people and practioners as it is designed and laid out in a very user friendly way. I think it is the BEST book available for learning the whole story of which medicines to use and why.

Mr. Taylor starts his book with a balanced and reasonable assessment of Chinese medicine versus Western medicine. Western medicine has been extensively tested in laboratories using rats and other animals, and has been through human trials. Chinese herbal cures, on the other hand, have been described in literature for almost 3 millennia and certainly have been used by hundreds of times more human subjects than the products of our laboratories. A dedicated Darwinist such as myself is inclined to believe that successful remedies will persevere and grow more popular and those that don't work will die out.

Western medicine is characterized by families of drugs: serotonin uptake inhibitors, antibiotics, anti-acids, and the like. Mr. Taylor points out that herbal remedies more often go to the genesis of the problem within one's body chemistry rather than merely treating the symptoms. The taxonomy appears to be less rigorous because the drugs are more complex in their action. They may be grouped by ingredients or by the illnesses that they treat.

Mr. Taylor is acutely aware of the nature of the modern marketplace. Piracy is rampant in all spheres of Chinese business involving intellectual property. It is no different with patent medicines. If it is cheaper to create a knockoff that looks like the real thing, somebody will certainly do it. Mr. Taylor has good advice regarding which drugs are frequently counterfeited and the measures one should take to be sure one is getting the real thing.

The scope of Chinese medicine is impressive. Mr. Taylor describes around 200 formulations. That appears to stack up fairly well against the lists of Western ethical drugs that one finds at drugstore.com. It is interesting to note that acupuncture, another of Mr. Taylor's specialties, has moved from fringe to mainstream within the past couple of decades. We may not fully understand how it works, but it is certainly effective in many instances. The same is true of Chinese medicines.

This book is something of a historical document. It was researched over an almost 20 year period. I went to China for the first time in 1983 to visit an acpuncturist friend working in a hospital in Guangzhou. From that time, I returned to China many times, and I have seen the transformation of China from rice fields and fishing villages to the industrial powerhouse it is today. In my book, I was looking at and evaluating the quality of Chinese manufacturing long before it became an issue in the US. We see today that many products made in China are of substandard quality and manufactured with questionable integrity. I decided almost 20 years ago to seek out and find the best products in my area of expertise, Chinese Medicine. I found high quality factories and good manufacturing practices, but I also found low quality products and witnessed poor manufacturing standards. My book was an attempt to find good quality products for my patients and I succeeded. Today, we read about serious problems in pet food, baby's toys, and other products. This could have and should have been researched and dealt with more than 20 years ago. Lax standards among American companies which import these products has allowed this damage to occur. It could easily have been prevented. In my travels to China, I saw high-quality and low-quality products. It wasn't difficult for me to make this distinction. Because I was concerned, this book came into existence. In some places, I was the first white person to visit since the revolution in 1948. Our relationship in the US with China is very important and good Chinese companies are more than willing to be inspected and to share their knowledge. Anybody who knows anything about Chinese manufacturing knows that companies must be inspected, certified and recognized for their high quality. This is essential and this is the reason that I wrote my book. I hope that others will find value in it.

This book is a great introductory guide to Chinese Patent Medicines. It covers more than 200 patent formulas and provides detailed information on individual ingredients and actions, common usage and dosage information. The back of the book also lists patent formulas by western disease.

For example: you're treating someone with common cold. The book lists 10 patent formulas for common cold with descriptions/indications for each formula such as: Ge Gen Wan for wind-cold type common cold with stiff neck - or Yin Qiao for wind-heat type with sore throat and fever or the standard Gan Mao Ling.

This book is a great reference for beginners or for practitioners that just need to jog their memory. It is also a necessity if you prescribe Plum Flower teapills. For example if you want to prescribe Jin Gu Die Sheng Wan for traumatic injury - the Plum Flower name would be The Great Mender.

I highly recommend this book for TCM practitioners and students.

First of all, the missing star is because I havn't finished reading it yet and wish to be honest aas to my knowledge of the book. I started a pulse diagnosis course the same week I recieved the book. This gave me a huge and helpful leap into it. Hammer, as he does is his wonderful book "Dragon rises red bird flies", has captured a view of chinese medicine not found in other sources. He lies somewhere in the vast plain between the Maccoicia TCM taught in most schools today and the very spiritual and sometimes non-clinical thinking of Larre and De la Valle. This book is a happy middle. Very clinical and hands on yet so different from and far more complex and colorful than the usual training of pulse diagnosis taught in the schools. Highly recommended for the more in-depth curious and dedicated practitioner (whom I hope I am...).

This is another outstanding book by Dr. Leon Hammer. This book continues with many of the psycho-medical and five element themes Hammer used in his first book Dragon Rises - Red Bird Flies. This text is easy to read. The concepts are easy to follow. The writing is comprehensive and fairly ties many schools of thought and other predominant TCM texts together. This book is good for practitioners of all skill levels and schools of thought. This is a must read for any serious TCM practitioner!

I was looking for a book that can teach me the secrets of pulse diagnosis but the problem was the terminology. I went to seek help from aryvedic practioners but could not comprehend. "Chinese Pulse Diagnosis" is a readable and highly informative approach on the subject. Pulse diagnosis is a difficult art to master and more difficult is its teaching. Leon I. Hammer has used the latest method of teaching for this ancient art which I hope will give a new life to art. I understood many things of the art for the first time though I read them in many other books before.

Having taken the basic level of instruction in this type of pulse diagnosis, I have to say that even with support, the very comprehensive nature of this massive tome is challenging. On the other hand, what Dr. Hammer is intending to do is to clarify and perhaps enlarge a particular method of pulse diagnosis. It is a refreshing change from what to my thinking is an endless rehash of quotes from Classic volumes translated from Chinese, or rewrites of same. Li Shi Zhen's work notwithstanding, we need more people to bring this type of material forward if pulse diagnosis is to be promoted fully here in the west. Dr. Hammer has tried mightily to be specific and describe both the pulse qualities and their implications from both his and his teacher Dr. Shen's point of view. Anyone wishing to see a more complete (if frighteningly detailed) discussion of pulse diagnosis should at the very least read and give some serious thought to what's presented by Dr. Hammer here, even if they are skeptical about the approach. This book should taken seriously by all English speaking Chinese medicine practitioners, whether they ultimately agree with it or not. It has that much to say. I myself am still trying to get a handle on the initial material. The book has few competitors in english in terms of detail and possible clinical benefits for the reader. What I have already got from it has changed my practice.

Helps push aside the distractions provided by doddering old Chinese officialdom and trade wars waged by the G7, so the reader can grasp the fighting capacity of Chinese workers and peasants. Makes the case that big business and landowning forces were genuinely rousted by popular determination. So, all the faceless, nameless Chinese people who did this are the ones who qualitatively raised the stakes for the imperial war-mongers in their plans for World War III -- now they have to try to get back China, too! Useful and concrete on the bureaucratic stranglehold that the Chinese Communist Party maintained over the workers' movement from the very beginning. But the popular determination to repulse the invasion of Korea, and obtain land and freedom forced even Mao's hand. Also contains an article on challenges in developing China's backward economy that is very apropos today, given China's entry into the World Trade Organization and all the bunk that is being written about that.

This short work is an excellent introduction to huge developments in world history: the course of the anti-capitalist revolution that swept China after World War II and the controversial questions of leadership posed by the Maoist forces that headed the Chinese Communist Party at the time.

"The Chinese Revolution and Its Development" reprints a series of resolutions and articles adopted by revolutionary socialists in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, analyzing and assessing the events in China at the time. The specific facts of the struggle for power in China in the late 1940s as part of the anti-colonial revolutions that swept much of the Third World after World War II; The U.S. war in Korea and the response of the Chinese worker and peasants; the twists and turns of the Maoist leadership once in power-- its all covered here. Of particular value are the detailed discussions of what it takes to overthrow capitalist rule and open the way to the possibility of developing a new, socialist society.

I'd strongly recommend following up this work with two longer titles on China published by Pathfinder Press: "Leon Trotsky on China" and "The Chinese Communist Party in Power" by veteran Chinese revolutionary P'eng Shu-tse.

China is under attack from both Imperial political parties ( Democrats/Republicans ) , union bureaucrats, and the "anti-globalization"/Dalai Lama combination. Why ?

China shook the world in 1949.The Chinese revolution tore one fourth of humanity out of the orbit of the British and Yanqui imperial domains.The workers took the factories, the peasants took the land, and China stood up in the worldýrising from its knees. But this revolution was betrayed from the beginning by its leadership.The documents in this collection, written during the events by leading militants of a revolutionary workers party here in the U.S., explain this mighty revolution and its deformation ýby the opposite of communism : Stalin-ism, represented both by Mao Tse-tung and the ancestors of the present ruling clique.Chinese workers are already beginning to resist the encroachments of Imperial capital, organized by the capitalist wannabes at the head if the Chinese "Communist" Party. As capitalism spirals into its New Depression, the Chinese workers will resist in their hundreds of millions ý billions ! ý and shake the world again, together with the workers and farmers of the world, including here in the U.S.

As hundreds of thousands of workers in Northeast China strike and demonstrate against the corruption and oppression of China's bureaucracy, the contradictory nature of the Chinese revolution appears before the world. On the one hand, a great advance against European, Japanese, and American colonialism, and China's own exploiters. On the other hand, dominated by middle class Stalinists opposed to the real victory of workers in society. This set of documents chiefly by leaders of the US Socialist Workers Party documents the social transformation in China and its contradictions. As Chinese workers, students, and farmers move forward to confront the bureaucracy, this analysis written by revolutionists who look to their struggle will become a useful tool for struggle.

I've been looking for this book for a long time. Great recipes. Can't wait to try it.

This hard to find book is the best Chinese cook book you will ever find.

I originally purchased this cookbook in 1976. We lived in an area devoid of Chinese Restaurants and several friends were craving Chinese food. The receipes were easy to follow and the food turned out great. Several friends purchased the book as the result of our dinners. The food took quite a bit of preparation time but the outcome was well worth it. I've lost my original copy and wish it was available now.

I wasn't expecting much when I borrowed this book from the library. But as soon as I tried one dish, Beef Tomato Curry, I knew I hit a jackpot. Just about every recipe works..and so delicious. The ingredients listed aren't hard to find..especially since I live in the San Francisco area. I ended up going to the copy place and copying the whole cookbook since this book is no longer in print. I did call up the publisher but they have no plans of reprinting. This is the book where I learned proper Chinese cooking techniques. Rhoda Yee explained everything step-by-step. Not only that, but the stories she told of her life and life in the village is so real and heartwarming. These are bonafide authentic Chinese cuisine. To this day, everybody asks me how I make my stir-fried broccoli. They said it's the best broccoli they ever tasted. My husband is so proud of my cooking and embarrassingly tell everyone about it. This little book ranks with my copies of Hazan's Essential of Italian Cooking, Kennedy's Essentials of Mexican cuisine, McDermott's Real Thai and Roden's New Book of middle Eastern Book. If a fire breaks out in my house, God forbid, these books are the ones I'm going to grab first.

I agree with the other two reviewers in every thing they said: this is an easy to use dictionary, and very entertaining, but the thing that sold me was that a) in addition to being organized in alphabetical pinyin order (though it still has a radical index of course) all the words have the pinyin pronunciation (though not the example sentences of course) and b--very important to me- there is also a table in the back to find the TRADITIONAL forms of characters that are still used in the ROC (Taiwan), Hong Kong and the US!!

Also included are charts comparing the various phonetic systems for transliterating Chinese (including the international phonetic alphabet). It has a Chronology of Chinese History, the periodic chart in Chinese, metric/imperial conversions, a pretty comprehensive list of Countries, Capitols and Currencies....even a list of the "12 Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches" and the "24 Solar Terms" (whatever they are!)

Finally, what really truly tickles me are the example sentences, most of which are full of Maoist propaganda ("We're in the new society, grandma; your OLD WAY OF DOING THINGS is no good anymore." or... "Revisionism is an International bourgeois ideological TREND ) Then there are the example sentences that are just so very Chinese ( "The water buffalo SQUELCHED up and down the paddy fields, pulling the plow")

The dictionary is great if you speak Chinese but are a little rusty on writing the characters. The format is simple. The characters are organized by the Pinyin system. If you want to look up "friend" then you look for "Peng" and then there are four subgroups of "Peng" according to tone. After you are to the right tone you look up the second character "You". There it is. Pengyou

This dictionary ("A Chinese-English Dictionary"; [...]) was first published in 1978 in Beijing, and reprinted several times later on, both in PRC and elsewhere. The copy I own (ISBN 7100001307; but the cover looks exactly like the one shown at Amazon's listing for 7100005302) was printed in 1988, but the text is apparently identical to the original edition.

Despite its age, this is still likely one of the best big Chinese-English dictionaries in existence.

The size of the dictionary (976 p main body + 31 p preliminary matter), alows it to be quite complete. It includes some 6000-7000 characters, apparently covering practically every character that one is likely to encounter in modern printed matter from PRC. However it is not a "character dictionary" "zidian"), but a word dictionary ("cidian"): character articles are arranged in the Pinyin alphabetic order, and within each character article there are numerous articles for 2-, 3-, 4-character words and expressions that start with that character, all alphabetically ordered. For the users who don't speak the language, a radical-based character index is provided as well. There is no stroke-count based index, though.

The coolest feature of the book are numerous examples it gives. Two particularly interesting categories of examples may make one read the disctionary just for its entertainment value. First, pithy folksy sayings [...]: "Don't pull on your shoe in a melon patch; don't adjust your cap under a plum tree" -- don't do anything to arouse suspicions). Second, political phraseology from the eras of the Cultural Revolution and the Four Modernizations. [...] zou3gou3: running dog; lackey; flunkey; stooge; servile follower).

Dictionary articles are well provided with explanations and, when necessary, usage markers (labeling some words or meanings as measure words, archaic words, colloquialisms; regional expressions, scientific terms, etc.). However, as the dictionary as mainly intended for Chinese users, most of this explanatory matter is in Chinese as well.

English translations are good, and -- unlike certain other dictionaries -- rarely appear unidiomatic or stilted (as much as it is possible to achieve that when translating the subject matter...). Considering the conditions of the time, both the Chinese and Anglo members of the production team did an admirable job.

Written in simplified characters, the dictionary is not as convenient for reading texts written in traditional characters. There is an appendix with traditional characters alright; but, unfortunately, the way it is arranged, it is more suitable for looking up the traditional form based on the simplified character, rather than vice versa (which you'd probably want to do to read a book from Taiwan or Hong Kong).

As pretty much all standard Chinese dictionaries, it is focused on Putonghua (Standard Mandarin), so, not surprisingly, it
will not be of much help for reading something written e.g. in Cantonese.

Typographically, my edition (1988 printing -- which I bought a few years ago as the only Chinese dictionary that happened to be sold in my then-hometown in Canada) is in a rather poor shape, with printing not always easy to read, and binding not surviving heavy use too well. Hopefully, later reprints are better printed and more sturdily bound.

Overall, even though I don't know the language, and am not likely to ever learn much, the purchase was worth it for me. There are many smaller dictionaries on the market, specifically designed for a student or traveller, and they will serve their practical purposes better. But as a cultural artefact and a standard reference, this one was certainly worth it for me.

If you are only going to get one chinese dictionary, this should be it. The format is extremely convenient and the content superb given its size and price. Also, since it was written under the auspices of the Communist Chinese government, most of the example sentences are about american imperialists and so forth, which is very funny to read. It is hard for us, living in a democratic society, to really appreciate what it would be like under a totalitarian regime, and this gives us a taste of the blatant propaganda. So, not only is this dictionary useful, it is also entertaining!

The clinical handbook of internal medicine is a truly useful clinical reference. It contains a wealth of information and clinical tips relevant to the practice of Chinese medicine in the western world. The authors have considered differences in diet and other lifestyle factors between Western and Chinese patients in their analysis of disease presentations and their solutions. The herbal section is comprehensive and has insights into commonly seen clinical variations not considered in other works (to my knowledge). Its compact size makes it easy to carry around and its clear layout makes finding the relevant information easy. Some more information on acupuncture points and protocols would improve it, however, the authors comment that internal medicine is the province of herbal medicine is fair. I can't wait for the second volume (when is it due?).

This is a wonderful guide for students of Chinese Medicine who may need another perspective while learning this art! Very useful, eagerly awaiting the second volume to come.

The information in this book has improved my understanding of the problems patients present with and what I can do about them. It's easy to access and matches what I see in clinic. A great addition to my clinic library and thoroughly recommended.

The clinical handbook of internal medicine is a truly useful clinical reference. It contains a wealth of information and clinical tips relevant to the practice of Chinese medicine in the western world. The authors have considered differences in diet and other lifestyle factors between Western and Chinese patients in their analysis of disease presentations and their solutions. The herbal section is comprehensive and has insights into commonly seen clinical variations not considered in other works (to my knowledge). Its compact size makes it easy to carry around and its clear layout makes finding the relevant information easy. Some more information on acupuncture points and protocols would improve it, however, the authors comment that internal medicine is the province of herbal medicine is fair. I can't wait for the second volume (when is it due?).

This book is very informative and a great learning tool for those just beginning to learn Chinese. The text is organized well and there is a handy dictionary in the back of the textbook.

For a beginning text, this provides a reasonably quick start for the beginning western learner. There are many frequently used phrases which you can just memorize and then later substitute different words. There are two flaws for the beginner in purchasing this book. First, the edition I have is all in pinyin with no introduction to Chinese characters. Some introduction to the characters is needed to add richness to the learning as well as to move on after completing the book. In this latest edition I see a reference in the description that some introduction to characters may now be included. The second flaw is more significant for the serious learner. After completing the book there is no migration path to the elementary and intermediate level. This is the situation I experienced. If you are serious about the Chinese language, then I would consider the Integrated Chinese series or the Ni Hao series which will take you from the beginning all the way through intermediate levels. Overall though, it is a good starting book for the beginning learner of Mandarin Chinese.

The book is very down to earth and helpful for learning Chinese . The author approached Chinese via Communicative Learning Approach, which is very crucial for people who
want to acquire Chinese oral/aural skills.

This text is well-formatted to give useful phrases for common dialogue. It has focused, short lessons that lead you through an idea and get you communicating quickly. It also includes cultural notes and some more important linguistic notes, (though it is not a heavy-duty linguistics book). It really delivers quickly with phrases you can use and understand right away. For pronunciation, though, I would recommend the tapes as well.

The Confucian tradition [of moral self cultivation] spanning over 2,500 years - Kongzi ("Confucius" - 551-479 B.C.E.), Mengzi ("Mencius" - 391-308 B.C.E.), Xunzi ("Hsun Tzu" - 310-219 B.C.E.), Zhu Xi (1130-1200 C.E.), Wang Yangming (1472-1529 C.E.), Yan Yuan (1635-1704 C.E.), Dai Zhen (1723-1777 C.E.) - in a nutshell! Organized, clear, concise, superb! Enriching endnotes with works cited for further research/reading.

A highly recommended first text reading for an overview of Chinese philosophy for the professor of Chinese philosophy to student or layperson!

Excellant book, well written. Conveys core ideas succinctly. Uses modern spellings. This book has chapters on 7 Confucian masters: (1) Kongzi (Confucius), (2) Mengzi (Mencius), (3) Xunzi (Hsun Tzu), (4) Zhu Xi (Chu Hsi), (5) Wang Yangming, (6) Yan Yuan, and (7) Dai Zhen. Then there is a four page long conclusion where he discusses different models of self cultivation. A thoughtful and educational book. There are many aspects of Confucianism, but this book focuses on self-cultivation. It was enlightening and stimulating, yet kind of academic. For a more practical view of how Confucianism can be applied in your life, see "Achieve Lasting Happiness, Timeless Secrets to Transform Your Life" by Robert Canright.

If you are a beginner or student of Chinese philosophy, you should buy this book. This is a great introduction to Confucian thinkers written in accessible and clear language. I found it to be extremely easy to read and very easy to understand. Like the anthology he co-edited with Dr. Van Norden (whose review is below), this book is excellent. And it is very reasonably priced as well.

- J. McCausland

Ivanhoe provides a readable and reliable overview of some of the major figures in Confucianism from over 2,500 years. Each Confucian is discussed in terms of two themes: the relative emphasis he gives to study and reflection, and his conception of human nature. Confucius himself was somewhat ambiguous on these points (leading to much dispute among later followers). Mencius, since he believed that human nature is good, said that reflection on our innate instincts could provide us with ethical guidance. Xunzi disagreed with Mencius, arguing that human nature is bad, so we must study to reform our nature. Later Confucians like Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming were deeply influenced by the Buddhist notion of a transpersonal self that all humans share. However, Zhu Xi thought that our selfish desires heavily obscured our good, original nature, so we must study in order to better understand our own nature. In contrast, Wang Yangming, while recognizing the danger of selfish desires, warned against the dangers of purely academic study. He held that each of us has, prior to study, the ability to exercise a "pure knowing," through which we both know the good and will act in accordance with it.

I use this book a lot in my classes: I recommend it highly.

(This book is a revised version of a much more expensive hardback edition published by Peter Lang.)

This is a well-researched book on a (for the non-Chinese and even for the non-Cantonese) somewhat esoteric and, perhaps, daunting subject, and the author is meticulous in giving details about each kind of vegetable. It is informative and clearly written. She is obviously familiar with the noisy, at times chaotic, but oh-so-fresh "wet" markets and home cooking situations in Hong Kong. She is able to bridge the gap between Cantonese-Chinese and American cultural sensibilities towards food and nutrition, making Chinese thinking on these topics more understable. The drawings are lovingly rendered, enhancing the usefulness and appeal of this book.

This is an easy to read with information and instructions on use, appearance, when to plant, and how to plant Chinese greens, beans, melons, cabbages, herbs, peas, and even water plants.

If you're interested in growing Chinese vegetables, this is a great one for the library. Also includes English and Chinese names, planting table, and instructions for container gardening.

This is a good book--nice color illustrations of Chinese vegetables, descriptions of both common and uncommon varieties, Chinese characters and latin names added. Simple recipes I found to be not that useful, having many cookbooks, but novice Chinese cooks may find them appealing.

This is an easy to read with information and instructions on use, appearance, when to plant, and how to plant Chinese greens, beans, melons, cabbages, herbs, peas, and even water plants.

If you're interested in growing Chinese vegetables, this is a great one for the library. Also includes English and Chinese names, planting table, and instructions for container gardening.