Chinese Books

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.

You can find an abundance of books about doing business in China. This one, however, takes a rare approach. Ad expert Tom Doctoroff confines his commentary (for the most part) to a subject he has the expertise to address - advertising - although he tends to generalize a bit about Chinese history and philosophy. He offers evidence and examples from both successful and unsuccessful ad campaigns to support his assertions about what will work if you want to build your brand in China. We find that this short book offers interesting perspectives on the Chinese consumer market, while it also provides a refresher course on the main principles of advertising and brand building in any market, whether it be East or West.

Confucius, Daoism, Communism, Industrialization, Urbanization, One-Child Families, Great Leap Forward, Education and Profit Is Good: What do these themes mean for those who wish to sell in China? They are all important influences which you need to understand. Each Chinese consumer is uniquely influenced by the combination. The result includes some pretty interesting apparent contradictions such as prudishness about sex in advertising in a country where sexual trade is wide open at the street level.

In this insightful book, JWT Greater China CEO, Tom Doctoroff explains those influences and how they operate today. That's just the beginning.

From there, he shows you case history after case history of how global and Chinese companies have done well and poorly in acknowledging those influences. I found seeing the actual advertisements to be extremely helpful in understanding the book's points.

If that weren't enough, Mr. Doctoroff goes on to provide excellent perspectives into management challenges of properly serving 1.3 billion consumers in China.

Most books about China are filled with glittering generalities that leave you just as uninformed as you were when you started. Through careful description, segmentation and exposition of specific marketing challenges, Billions makes you feel as at home in China as you would feel in marketing a new video game to American teens.

As an example of how focused the book is, Billions provides:

-- Ten basic tips for effective Chinese advertising
-- Five mistakes most often made by multinational companies in China
-- Five structural barriers within Chinese corporations that harm the development of strong local brands
-- Three areas of Chinese domestic brand stagnation
-- Three areas of Chinese domestic brand progress
-- Six effective MNC-counterattack strategies to offset the domestic Chinese brands
-- Ten ways to shape international brands into global icons with Chinese characteristics to serve the Chinese community world-wide.

I thought that the description of how the Beijing Olympics should be pursued as a branding opportunity was worth the price of the book alone.

Usually, companies send second-raters to markets like China. JWT obviously sent its best when Mr. Doctoroff took over. Read and learn to profit!

Great book if you would like to obtain an indepth view of the Chinese Consumer. A MUST read!!

BILLIONS: SELLING TO THE NEW CHINESE CONSUMER comes from a CEO with direct experience selling into the Chinese market, and discusses the code of marketing as it relates to modern China. Many companies come to China with ideas on how to apply Western thinking to their very different marketplace: thus BILLIONS' tips are a necessary set of instructions for any who would break into the Chinese marketplace. From cultural influences in buying patterns to investment challenges and multinational lessons on winning and losing in China, BILLIONS is a recommended pick for any company who would consider entering this new, large market.

Love this book. Focus group, quantitative analysis, qualitative research, or any else you learned in the Marketing Research course at the MBA curriculum, may not work in China. WIth 1.3 billion customers, this is the dream market for any multinational corporations: Unilever, Ford, Nokia, Motorola, Sony, Samsung, Protor Gamble, DeBeers(DTC), VW, Shell, Pepsi, Coke, Nestle, Avon, Nike, Siemens, IBM, Dell.... While they are compeitng, the locals are copying quickly: Haier, TCL, Konda, China Mobile, China Unicom, Lenovo, CNOOC, Yili Diary, Sedrin beer, 999 Pharmaceutical..... hundreds of them doing shampoo, shoes, ....every thing under the sun. How can you win? That is the beauty of this book. It got many strategies laid out in the step-by-step fashion. It is a must read for any one who is doing business in China. The book will be better if more comparison can made on the effectiveness of the ad such as Motoroal vs a Chinese brand.

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.

A WONDERFULLY TOLD CAT-TAIL! THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE LOVELY AND APPROPRIATE TO THE PLAYFUL THEME OF THE BOOK.

This is a fantastic story. It sparks children and adults (I'm 53!) the imagination and creativity that will help make the world a more beautiful place. I hence started to write my own children's stories. Amy Tan is my inspiration, and I hope she becomes yours.

I am the mother of 2 boys and have little knowledge of "girl" books. I bought this book for 2 little girls ages 4 and 5. The parents of each girl said their daughters were thrilled with the book and asked that it be read to them twice the day the book arrived. I bought the book because I love Amy Tan's novels and assumed that a child's book would be just as engaging. Amy Tan's story and the beautiful illustrations did not let me down.

The most exquisitely illustrated book I've ever owned! A fun, fictitious way to describe how white siamese kittens get their colors.
It's a bit long for a bed time story, but really fun! Kids ages 8 or 9 and up may be able to read it themselves, but the beginners may have a hard time.

I've read Amy Tan's "Joy Luck Club" and "Kitchen God's Wife" and had no idea that she's a wonderful children's author as well. I learned about this book from watching the same titled PBS series. The series is cute for kids, but the book is a wonderful story, rich in history and beautifully illustrated. Tan is a gifted writer that children and adults can appreciate.

This is part one of four volumes in Professor Yu's excellent translation of all one hundred chapters of the magnificent Hsi Yu Chi, one of the four great classics of China. The brilliantly detailed adventures, including sparkling battle scenes and characters that give today's well-known mercenaries and crime figures a run for their money, will shock those readers who thought all that started with Hollywoood. The details of bureaucracies laden with sloppy management and CEOs who remember and punish to excess everybody's mistakes but their own is a revelation. The words of the Monkey King's first teacher, "Nothing in the world is difficult, only the mind makes it so" underscore the deep spirituality on which this book is based, making it satisfying to read at this level as well.
Some say a great work of literature is like a stunning piece of golden, bejeweled tapestry, and its best translation is like the reverse side of the cloth, same materials yet missing the design and jewels on the face. Therefore the awkwardness of some phrases and terms should not discourage the reader as they are to be expected. I hope instead that such parts encourage usage of aids to understanding such as viewing versions of the story adapted for television and learning to read some of the Chinese original. This entire work is a very worthwhile investment, to keep in a very accessible area of the bookshelf where it can be referred to at each stage of one's life.

look under the title the monkey and the monk...

I really love this book. I have already bought the second volume, and I plan to buy the last two. It is translated very well, and its fun to read. My only gripe is the price. I think twenty-five dollars is a lot for a paperback. However, I still think this book deserves five stars.

Although I did not find it as "easy" a read as I had expected,
one has the sense of getting as much of the original flavor as possible
from a translation.
For history and background, the introduction is longer
than some chapters! There are also ample footnotes
with plenty of information.

I can not state how much I love "Journey to the West". It has everything one could want. These stories have inspired me to start training with the staff (before that, the sword being my primary training weapon) to emulate the handsome monkey king. Sun Wu K'ung (the monkey king) is, without question, my favorite mythological character (even though, I really do believe he exists) and has been an inspiration for not only myself, but thousands (if not millions) of others who have read these wonderful stories. In the first book, after the first monkey king story, it gets a little boring, as it tells the situations and geneology leading to the monk Tripitaka setting out on his quest and meeting Wu K'ung (who was trapped by the buddha after his assault on heaven), but overall, this is a story that is timeless. Truly a wonderful tale and highly recommended.

The book arrived in a timely manner and in excellent condition as promised. Thank you.

Hardcover edition. My mom bought this book for me after I wouldn't stop raving about it after checking it out of our local library. Chinese culture has always fascinated me and this book gave me an overall idea of the culture. Great recipes of traditional food, a variety of craft projects for kids of all ages, and tales of how the traditions started. It also includes an overview of Chinese holidays such as the Chinese New Year, the Dragonboat Festival, and the Festival of Lights. *Mom's footnote - My daughter was born in the year of the Dragon.

We are in the long wait for an adopted sister from China and this book has been invaluable for communicating to our son what his soon-to-be sister's culture is like. It is beautifully illustrated and great for teaching him and preparing him for the holidays we will be celebrating. Very informative with great crafts and recipes. The festival introductions are great as well. We have actually made a few of the crafts. The puppet show was a huge hit!

This book is full of activities; stories and recipes--we will be using this book a lot in keeping the some of the traditions of China alive for our adopted daughter.

A nice book full of pictures and stories about the various festivals. There are craft items to make and food to cook. A good idea for those who are trying to incorporate chinese culture into their family life.

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.

I have a daughter born in and adopted from China and when I saw this book on her pre-school library wish list I knew that I had to get it as her gift to her class. This book is a wonderful way to introduce children of all ethnicities to a culture that may not be their own. Our daughter's teachers have loved this book and it has become a favorite amongst all the classes.

This book is an example of typical Grace Lin illustrations. The idea behind the story is great. I love the idea of mixing Chinese culture with basic western skills- in this case, shape recognition. My main complaint is the fact that only 3 shapes are covered in this book! Round (circle), square and rectangle. That's it. I was expecting triangles and maybe stars or something. AT LEAST TRIANGLES!!! Still, a good purchase. The book promotes cultural awareness, and is worth a look.

3 of our children age between 2 and 7 loved this book! The colours and illustrations are great, the rhyming works well.The 2 year old loves the pictures, the 3 year old loves finding the shapes, and the unusual items named such as 'Chops, radish cakes, inking stones' which follow its Chinese theme are fascinating for our 7 year old, and we have had some great discussions. There is a childrens glossary at the back which explains the more unusual items, he loves this also. All the characters portrayed are Chinese.
Much better than the usual shapes finding books!

A book both boys and girls will find enjoyable, as stated by parents I have surveyed. Round as a Mooncake presents shaped items children come across when living in or near an Asian community, or if they have Asian friends. This book does an excellent job introducing words and terms to children from a time-rich culture (i.e., mooncake, name chop, lucky money). The illustrations capture one's attention. The colors of the images presented are rich and vibrant. There are enough well known objects children recognize to be comfortable with if not familiar with some of the new terms (i.e., pizza, window, cell phones. The glossary is an added bonus, introducing resources for children.

My daughter is from China, so combining the Chinese cultural lessons with learning about shapes was "double the fun"! She loves the illustrations and the story and enjoys looking for more shapes in the pictures by herself. This has become one of her favorites, along w/all the other books that have been written and/or illustrated by Grace Lin. It's a fun teaching tool for learning about shapes... I was a little surprised, however, that they did circles, squares and rectangles, but no triangles... Overall though, it's a great book!

it is a dictionary of the 20th century art,i can look through the artists and their work.

I bought this book as a supplimental text for my 20th Century Art History class and I'm so glad I did! It's a great book for anyone who's interested in art- or for those who hear an artist's name mentioned and wants to check that artist out. The fact that the artists are in alphabetical order makes this a very easy to use reference.

This is an interesting, informative and colorful book in very good condition.

Arranged alphabetically, which is very helpful. Sadly, it generally has but only one painting or photo for each artist, but then the intent here is to cover as many artists as possible, not to be comprehensive on any one artist, and it's quite heavy as it is already.

The 20th Century Art Book is an EXCELLENT reference guide. How many times reading the Arts section of a newspaper, or an interview with an artist, etc., does one hear a reference to another artist and one has no idea who that person is? With this book, you can quickly check it out!

I also very much appreciate the cross-linking - since it's alphabetical, and not by style or school of thought, the editors have listed on each artists's page other artists who are similar or somehow related to that one. I have found the cross-referencing to be very helpful many times.

Unless one already has an encyclopedic knowledge of art of the 20th century, this is a PERFECT book for one's art library as a reference tool. And it's also a GREAT jumping off point for exploring artists: page through randomly, come across something interesting, then go and look for a book of that artist, or head to the museum "in search of."

I treasure my copy, and would not ever wish to part with it.

A very useful and beautiful resource, this book has the added appeal of having taken the time to acquire writings with some very sensible, succint and honest appraisals of artist, genre, message and composition. All this family of books do likewise but with this book it seems so much more important to get that structure absolutley right, and they have.
Like the other members of it's family it has an a-z approach and takes in a vast array of genres, suprising just how diverse 20th century art is. The only problem, as always, is that those on display have to be limited, so naturally some works and even some artists do not appear. I would not allow that to be off putting, this little family of books gets bigger by the year so I feel assurred that the unrepresented will not stay so for very long!