China Books

This book is a true page turner. I couldn't put it down. Tales from his childhood were very interesting. I was especially interested in the story about how Li and his friends were shot at (by the guards at an abandoned airport), as they were trying to find used charcoal. Tears came to my eyes when he later describes flying back to his village so many years later, and discovering that they had landed at the very same airport.

I also enjoyed reading about how his family treated his wife, when they met her for the first time. They went out of their way to treat her like a longtime member of the family, even though they had just met her.

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin is the memoir of a famous Chinese international ballet dancer (now retired) who struggled from poverty to reach soaring heights. I was enraptured from page one, when Li describes a traditional Chinese wedding that seems like it is irrelevant to his story but is in fact the wedding of his dear niang and dia (mother and father), whose love for him leaps in bounds.

Li grows up in the Li Commune in the Qingdao (or Tsingtao, named after the Chinese beer) province in China. He has many brothers, and his niang and dia struggle everyday to make ends meet. Chairman Mao is at the height of his power, and so all his teachers indoctrinate Li and other children about Mao's Red Book and the Communist ideals. At age 11, Li is chosen to attend Madame Mao's Dance Academy in Beijing, where it is a totally different world from the fields that he lived in. There, he suffers intense homesickness and torn hamstrings as he and his classmates go through rigorous dance training.

Li meets many friends and teachers that influence and support him, especially Teacher Xiao and his words of inspiration about a mango. Li eventually gets to go to America to dance with the Houston Ballet under Ben Stevenson, and that trip of freedom changes his life forever as he realizes that for years, Chairman Mao manipulated all of China with his communist ideals and twisted portraits of capitalist America. In America, he meets even more people that shape his tumultous life as he finds international success in the dnace world and his true love.

From his parents' wedding to his own, I was never bored for a single moment. His journey from a poor peasant to international success is amazing because the reader never knows what is coming up next! Li inserts a lot of anecdotes and Chinese stories/fables that his dia or someone else told him. His emotional outbursts will evoke the reader's own emotions as he struggles through excruciating pain, humiliation, homesickness, his feelings of love, and his confusion about capitalism and communism. I cheered him on when he has his first taste of freedom in America. Also, the reader reads about the importance of a cohesive family. When there is nothing, one will always have family to love and support, and his large loving family is the biggest supporter Li has.

Li's poignant memoir is one of the best in its field. It is easy to read and enjoyable. It is not short (445 pages) but the pages will go by in the blink of an eye because this story of a remarkable Chinese dancer is so fascinating and awe-inspiring. Highly recommended!

I have a deep interest in Chinese history & am always on the look out for good books written on the subject.

This particular book is a very heart-warming book indeed. After having read so many positive reviews about it, I decided I had to buy it. It was one of those books where you just have to read it from start to end. The story itself is quite incredible & told from the heart. The endurance, strength & courage of Li Cunxin in the backlight of the decline of Mao's power & the ascent of Deng Xiaoping really makes this a must read for anyone interested in Chinese history!

Richard

I've read many, many memoirs about life in modern China, however, I've never read one with such a dramatic tale to tell, and I've read very few books in general as well written as this one. This is a true rags to riches story---starting out in a commune as poor as it could be and ending up world famous.

It was very interesting to read a book set during the Cultural Revolution from the perspective of someone from the class that was suppposed to be the one being glorified at that time---the peasants. It's amazing to see Cunxin's progression from true devotion to Mao to realization of how much he was lied to and manipulated.

This is also a love story, the story of the love between Cunxin's parents---an arranged marriage which became a true love match, and the pride and happiness despite their very tough lives they had in their seven sons. It is obvious the author cares so very much for his whole extended family. The speech his usually quiet father gave at a family wedding is one of the most touching passages I've ever read.

I hope Li Cunxin writes more. I would love to hear more about his life in Australia with his wife and children, and to hear about their journey with their deaf daughter. He is obviously a gifted writer as well as a gifted dancer. Highly recommended to all.

I must join in on the praise for this wonderful memoir. Li Cunxin's account of his early life in China was so vivid that I literally shed tears for him. Later,I found myself cheering his brilliant successes in the ballet world. I could not put this book down, as I felt compelled to find out what was happening to Li Cunxin. The pages of pictures contained in the book added much to the telling of this story. You must read it.

The artwork stands out and the book is worth the price for that alone. The story itself is also wonderful and gives a good starting place for talking about what happens to a person after s/he "dies." My daughter loves this book.

Although my 20 month old is too young to understand the story he definately relaxes from the calm that this book brings to me as we read it together. Beautiful illustrations too.

I checked this out of the library and read it when I was 4 and have loved it ever since. It's one of those "must-have" books. It's a children's book but adults can enjoy it as well. The idea of the book is very sophistocated but can be easily understood by kids due to the simple language and color artwork.

I asked friends who practices Buddhism about any books that they could recommend that I could gift to a young friend who lost a companion very unexpectedly. Although they said that the content does not strictly follow Buddhist principles they suggested it with rave reviews. I was intrigued by the delicate simple manner of the story and noticed an interesting element in the illustrations ( read it to discover for yourself!)The story seems to soften the sadness of losing a loved one, reminds the reader of how dying is a part of living and raises hope that there is life after. It also beautifully narrates how fulfilling and rich a simple life can be. The illustrations are soft and enchanting like the story and the ending is all embracing....

Gorgeous illustrations and a truly beautiful story make this book a rare treasure in Children's literature. A valuable addition to the book collection of Buddhist parented children. Explains the process of death and rebirth/reincarnation in a gentle and interesting way. Not weird at all and so suitable for children of non-Buddhist background as well as it provides an valuable insight as to how Buddhism/other belief systems explain death and the afterlife.

Pamela Yatsko's New Shanghai is one of those "must read" books about China. Yatsko did much of the research for this book while living and working in China. She lived in Shanghai from 1995 to 1998, while serving as the Eastern Economic Review's first Shanghai correspondent and bureau chief since 1949. Following this assignment, she worked for the Economist Group as managing editor of Hong Kong's Business China--a job which allowed her to return to Shanghai frequently.

Yatsko's experiences writing about China's economy led her to explore the many facades she discovered pervading contemporary China. According to the author, while the exteriors of many facets of Shanghai look glitzy and modern, the interiors often tell a vastly different story. The book is divided into key aspects of the city's revival: real estate, the budding world of high finance, growing socio-economic disparity, the return of the multinational firms and their expats, vice, the future of state-owned businesses and their employees, and the status of the arts.

Summarizing Yatsko's conclusions would spoil a juicy read. So, suffice it to say that she uncovers the ways in which expectations for the city have often not been realistic and means by which the future lies in the ability of reality to catch up with these expectations. Considering the industrial and cultural wasteland the city became between 1949 and 1979, Shanghai truly has undergone an amazing renaissance. Will it become the New York City of Asia? Should it? The author gives us pause for many such thoughts. I lived in Shanghai from 2005-2007, and this book clarified many aspects of the "new China" for me.

The book is well-researched and sheds insights on both the city's achievements and her challenges for the future. All of the key elements making up this brave new city are helpfully placed within their historical context. New Shanghai makes essential reading for anyone who seeks to put modern Shanghai life into perspective.

Fun Fact: On the inside book jacket, you'll find a review by one of Shanghai's own literary celebrities, Lynn (Ling) Pan. She was also interviewed by the author for this book.

As a Shanghainese who is sick of the feverish optimism about China nowadays, I was deeply skeptical when I first opened this book. It turned out to be the best book on China I have seen so far. The book, especially its second chapter on the financial market, is full of coolheaded analysis and down-to-the-ground reliable facts. Sometimes, it even shames me for not knowing Shanghai as well as this foreigner does. I recommend the book as a very reliable source of information for those interested in Shanghai and as a book to keep some authentic memory of Shanghai for those overseas Shanghaineses.

Yatko's book far exceeded my expectations. Well argued, carefully thought out and with an excellent thesis. It is easy for old Shanghai residents (such as myself) to revel in an Old Shanghai nostalgia that has long ceased to exist. Yatsko highlights and illustrates many points that we overlooked, ignored or never knew in the first place. Valuable reading for anyone planning to do business in China or simply interested in this great city.

I worked in business in Shanghai during 1995-98 and continue to travel there often. I have yet to come across a more interesting or useful book about Shanghai's metamorphosis and the changes taking place in urban China in general. Although Shanghai and China are fast moving targets, the book provides a spot-on snapshot of the issues facing Shanghai at the millennium and has helped me make sense of this fascinating yet perplexing city. The author really captures the successes and failures of fin de siecle Shanghai well. Also, there's lots of anecdote to make the book a lively read-the chapter on vice is particularly fun. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in understanding what's beneath Shanghai's glittering surface.

I found "New Shanghai" not long ago as I was preparing to visit Shanghai after six years in the states, and was attracted to it immediately. Having lived in Shanghai most of my life, I have to say that the author knows about Shanghai better than I do. I'm only familiar with the life of my like, but the book has a broad coverage, from the upper class to the cultural underdogs. In particular, I liked to read Yatsko's interviews with various people, which added a sense of reality.

Yatsko has captured Shanghai's fastest socio-economic changes since it lost the luster as the most prosperous city in the Far East early last century. With her solid knowledge of economics and first-hand experience, the stories are credible and the analysis is insightful. Whereas "old Shanghai" has aroused most scholarly interest due to its relation to modernity, Yatsko's depiction of Shanghai's rebirth in the 1990s also offers a unique hindsight on its past.

Although I wish I could have read this wonderful book earlier, it's not so late in the sense that I now know more interesting places

this collection of quotes and photogaphs are so intensely beautiful. anyone with a sense of hope for true peace and true happiness would be grateful for this special book. i want to get all the others that follow as well!

so, so great! enjoy : )

I was given this book as a gift by a friend and enjoyed it so thoroughly that the next step was to purchase the book for other friends.

I gave these sealed as holiday presents because I love this book. The photographs are amazing and the wisdom is wonderful and timely.

Each page is a centering, relaxing finding of the self and connection to timeless essence....if one wishes to be so connected.

This is a book to read every day for many years. It's a treat every morning to look at a breathtaking picture of Tibet and read a wise saying by Buddhist masters. The photographs create a sense of infinite Himalayan grandeur of that stark and gorgeous terrain of rock, snow and beautiful people --the young and the old and always with a twinkle in their eyes , awakening wonder in me of a world so harsh in many ways but with inspired people with an active worship. Great book with a page to turn every day of the year and I am on my second year. I have given it to many friends whether they are Buddhists or not and they find it special and enduring in its beauty and wisdom. .

There are a plethora of translations of Chinese classics out there, but please know that many of these "translations" are just "re-imaginings" of the original, i.e. the authors usually do not know Classical Chinese (let alone modern Chinese!).

Merton is one such "translater". This is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as one is aware that this does not strictly reflect the original text (although it may resemble it). What we have here is a picking over of existing translations of the Chuang-tzu and a recombination of them. This is often done with some artistic licence.

Merton is better than most in that he is somewhat sensitive to the original material. Things get vastly worse with translations of the Daodejing (for example, Ursula le Guins monstrous butchering). If you want a more accurate account of the Chuang-tzu then I recommend A.C. Grahams' expert translation which is a relatively successful facsimile of the Chinese original (given the difficulty of rendering Chinese into English anyway).

I am a recently retired teacher who for thirty-five years have begun every class (Theology, Sexuality, Physics, Chemistry, Math and in summers Arts and Crafts to kids 4-12 years old) with a sounding of small brass cymbals (Tibetan), a minute of silent breathing followed by a short reading from the Tao Te Ching, Emily Dickinson, a portion of the Sermon on the Mount, or the Way of Chuang Tzu by Thomas Merton.
I meet former students now pushing into their fifties who baldly admit that those moments have stayed with them all these years and they have included meditation as one of the most important activities in their lives.
Thomas Merton's Introductory Notes say it far better than I ever could and should be read .
I can only wholeheartedly recommend that you buy this book and keep it at your desk or bedside for a quick straightening out of your mind concerning what is really important in life.

If you have an interest in learning the deeper meanings of Tao then this is a book you must add to your collection. A seldom translated philosophy of poetic renderings are clearly detailed in the transliterations of Thomas Merton...the spirit of Tao is clearly revealed.

This is a very good translation made by Tomas Merton of Chuang Tzu's works. This also gives a little bit of the view of Tomas Merton due to his Note to the Reader section and his specific selection of some of Chuang Tzu's writings to put in this book. This book has many good proverbs and stories written by Chuang Tzu which can be very enlightening and sometimes humorous. Chuang Tzu is one of the greats of Taoism but of course Lao Tzu takes the top position. If you are interested in the learning about the roots of Taoism you should check out this book and some about Lao Tzu also.

Like a fine wine, this collection is best consumed slowly. As it is clearly stated in the foreward, this is not a faithful reproduction of Chuang Tzu but a collection of personal and spiritual interpretations of his work. Readers that expected otherwise might consider reading the description of the book before purchasing it. It would seem embarassing to write a negative review of a product that goes in complete contradiction of the product's clear description and intentions.

Thomas Merton was a Trappist Monk who took a particular interest in Buddhism and Asian spirituality. Because Merton tragically died at a young age, we will never see a final product of this work. In "The Way of Chuang Tzu", Merton selects writings of Chuang Tzu which reflect a Christian mentality. Obviously, Chuang Tzu was not a Christian. However, this does not disqualify his writings to a Christian audience in any way. If the reader can go into this book with an open mind, he/she is likely to enjoy it. Those who are closed minded to this type of work which may seemingly blur the line between faiths according to their view may be outraged. I would strongly encourage open-mindedness.

GOLDEN BOY, Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood
By Martin Booth
Picador Press |(St. Martins) 2004
ISBN 978-0-312-42626-2 (pbk)

What gave a seven-year-old British boy courage to explore the Hong Kong of 1952 in places where no foreign child belonged? Martin Booth felt safe among unusual friends during his adventures, because Chinese people believed rubbing his golden hair brought them luck.
Booth's superb prose pictures brothels, opium dens, Chinese drug-lord friends, forbidden temples and also the wild life and flora in both Kowloon and Hong Kong. Often lonely, Martin's independence was encouraged by correspondence and gifts from his grandfather in England. He never told his parents the extent of his explorations into forbidden and dangerous areas.
The boy also endured the hostilities between his bigoted, bureaucrat father, a man who never quite succeeded, and his out-going mother who was fascinated by Chinese culture.
The author calls himself a "curious, somewhat devious, adventurous and street-wise child whose heart never left Hong Kong" after his father's job sent them back to England four years later.
Anyone who likes biography, history, adventure, Chinese culture and beautifully written literature will enjoy this book.

Martin Booth had an amazing memory for the details of post-WWII Hong Kong and the times he had there as a seven to ten year-old boy. His civilian father gets transferred by the British to the far-flung colonial outpost. While his father is more of a spoilsport, his mother tries live life to the utmost--wherever that life may be--and she allows Martin the freedom to do the same. He takes her fully up on that offer, befriending hotel staff, local storekeepers and more and tasting practically every Chinese dish and joining in every local festival with eyes wide open. However, there are actually very few stories of his escapades with fellow children, mostly stories with the adults that surround him and the nature and culture of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is ruthless with its built history, so a book like this is the only way to get to know the Hong Kong that existed only fifty years ago. It includes one of the few descriptions of a westerner in the `Kowloon walled city.' And from an eight year-old boy too!
I am grateful that Mr. Booth was able to finish this book before he died. I wish he had lived a few more years for selfish reasons--so that he could have finished a book on his second time around in Hong Kong. I am sure he had just as many adventures as a teen as he did as a young boy.
Richard Mason's `World of Suzie Wong' takes place at approximately the same time and is a great and recommended look at a decidedly different part of Hong Kong. So it was neat when Booth's world and Wong's world intersected (innocently) in a few of Golden Boy's pages. Mason actually spent very little time in Hong Kong prior to writing the fictional Suzie Wong, so Golden Boy is a more knowing portrait of Hong.

This book was recommended to me by a friend who said she was sad when it ended. Well, I am recommending it, and also sad when it ended. It is a delightful memoir of a blond 9 year old boy living in Hong Kong in the 1940ties. Blond means "luck" to the Chinese and everyone wanted to pat his head. He learned Chinese and was allowed into areas that no other "white" person could go.

I am deeply sad that the author Martin Booth is no longer with us. However, he left behind a treasure in this amazing memoir. This book is also published under the name "Gweilo." I hated coming to the end of this enchanting book and recommend it to everyone.

I read this book because I love Hong Kong and its history. I was totally unprepared for Booth's parents and adored Joyce. How cannot you not like someone so lively, loving, accepting (except of Ken) and adventuresome?

While the family (Ken, Joyce and Martin) are exploring Algiers, Joyce buys some dates from a market stall, and Ken pitches a fit because they are probably unsanitary. He asks, 'How can you tell where they've been?' Joyce replies that they've been up a date tree. 'And they picked themselves I suppose?' 'No,' Joyce rplies, 'I expect they were plucked by a scrofulous urchin and thrown down to his tubercular aunt who wrapped them in her phlegm-stiffened handerchief.' I had a large mouthful of iced tea when I read that and spat the tea I didn't snort up my nose all over the page. I couldn't stop laughing. This was, I learned, pure Joyce.

'Golden Boy' is delightful, insightful and something more - a word or phrase that escapes these old brain cells. This is the first book by Booth I've read, and I'm eager to read more.

This book has helped to change my life. It is neatly and gently written, and seems to convey a part of Hudson Taylor's own gentleness with it. No Christian library can be complete without it. It is a book you read over every so often, in an attempt to spur you towards reaching what Hudson Taylor called 'the exchanged life'. Next to the Bible, this is one of about five books that has radically changed my outlook on life.

This work regarding the testimony of God's faithfulness to Hudson Taylor is truly inspiring and amazing. Hudson Taylor was truly a unique individual that sought to pioneer the mission movement in inland. While other missionaries were content to stay in the large metropolitan centers of Asia dotted along the coastline, Taylor ventured forth with a firm faith in God with the purpose of bringing the Gospel to the Chinese countryside. The title of the book is somewhat of a misnomer as the secret is no secret. Taylor bowed his knee in simple obedience to clear biblical commands. The secret of the book is how it documents Taylor's account of how God used him. God said "Go!" and Taylor went, and the influence of that is still being impacted on Asia. The book shows the uniqueness of Taylor as God worked in his spiritual formation, mission philosophy and practice. The Hudson Taylor's spiritual secret is attributed to his radical commitment to live a life in which he completely trusted in God and the living out of the Great Commission.

Very informative and honest account of what it is really like in practice to trust in Jesus Christ to fulfill your needs when you are loving and obeying the Lord's Word (the Bible).

This book is simply one of the most powerful books you could read to draw you to the Lord, in increased trust, fervor and understanding of His love.

Very well written and worthy of commendation. I recommend in for all, especially to those who are seeking, with hope, a trophy of God's dispensations in the diverse and many operations of this world about them, and in them.
There certainly is a refuge in the midst of the storms, who is Christ Jesus...but, sometimes, it is neddful to direct thy bow to face the storm, and to ride the waves right into the storm. It is there, that we may find an "eye" in the storm, with peace and tranquility our anchors and mainstay.

This was the greatest, most easy to understand text on the basics
of the ancient art of Tantra and the meaning of it. I've been so
confused with too much information and the different types of practice.
This was so straightforward and simple - just what I needed!!

First, this book is easy to read. Second, it is written with much respect to other religions; tantra is a way of life that will greatly compliment anyone's belief system.

This is a very good book for learning what Tantra is and what tantric practices and visualizations are, but it should be understood - and probably is by many or most - that this is not a substitute for real study under a qualified teacher. Lama Yeshe makes this clear from chapter to chapter. My only caution is that readers should not expect to read this book and feel as though they are completing some kind of introductory-level "training" in Tantra, or that they will accomplish "Transformation of Desire." It is an introduction and overview for outsiders looking in (taught by a highly qualified and respected insider), not a "manual" for beginning practitioners to achieve readiness for intermediate or advanced tantric instruction. Insofar as this is understood, Lama Yeshe does a very good job describing and explaining Tantra and its practices, and I learned quite a lot about it.

I've read two and a half chapters in this book and it's given me so much vital information.

I highly suggest it to anyone looking into buddhism.

I recently started to learn Tantra and my teacher recommended me to buy this book and start reading and learning from it. I'm about 1/2 way thru the book and it is well written and has a great wisdom in it. I would recommend this book to get inner look on what is Tantra about!

This was one of the most exciting books that I have read in a long time. It's worth getting a used copy, as it is no longer in print. The story was so suspenseful (and romantic too). I kept telling myself, "Just one more chapter."

Lucy Waring is taken from China where she's lived her entire life to live with an English family, but she doesn't know the reason why. She also doesn't tell them that she married a man after he saved her life.

This is one of my favorite books by my favorite romance writer.

It is so nice to read a book that is about a girl that is given so many trials and she gets through them without whining about it. This is a great love story that proves that you don't need all the sex crap to enjoy it. I would recommend this book to teenage girls, to teach them to use their strength and wisdom to get through anything. This is such a great book!!!

Excellent adventure with an English girl trapped in China. Loveable and brave heroine who makes it back to her strange homeland of England. This book is full of adventure and great writing and characters. You reorient your point of view to that of the heroine's, feeling like an ugly foreigner in China. Then confused by sudden culture shock in England and by being surrounded by lots of interesting characters with complex histories and agendas. Who is her friend and who is her enemy? This was the first Brent book I read and I LOVED it. Can't recommend it highly enough.

This has been one of my favorite books since I first read the condensed version in a magazine. It's one of those delightful easy-to-read books that you like to visit ever few years...like an old friend. I've read it many times and would recommend it.

The reviewers are right, it is a beautiful cook book. I checked this book out from the local library and have tried to make 2 egg recipes. Neither have been successful. Now, no I am not Chinese or Asian. I have made many other Asian & Chinese dishes. This book, to me, is a coffee table cookbook. It is too large to work with and around on a counter. There used to be a blogger that reviewed cookbooks to see if the recipes were actually useful. [...]. Thanks.

I use this book at least twice a week because every dish has been a hit with the family and the dishes are so easy to prepare and healthy too. Even when I don't have all the ingredients for a recipe and I need to improvise, the dishes always turn out tasty anyway. Every recipe comes with a very appetizing picture of the finished product and several, very helpful, how-to photos. She also gives detailed descriptions of unfamiliar ingredients and photos of brands she uses. This a great beginner cookbook!

This is an art book accompanied by wonderful recipes. The photos that accompany the recipes are so beautiful!! I could taste the dishes!
It's a fantastic book for a beginner because some of the dishes are wonderful yet simple and looks do-able. But, there are dishes for more advanced cooks too.
Kylie includes a lot of step by step photo instructions like how to fold wonton, how to cut and fry tofu cubes, how to clean and score squid, etc... In this instructional aspect with the photos, she's the BEST. This book will be appreciated by all who wants to learn Chinese cooking.

I love this book! Kylie Kwong has put some fantastic fresh ideas forward that really liven up any meal. It's a great book for the beginning cook as well as the experienced, not everything is traditional and both will find something that is surprising and inspiring. I have to say that I adore the vegetable section in this book, it's fantastic.

What more could an aspiring cook of Chinese food desire? This is a beautiful book, complete with glorious photographs, easy to follow recipes and includes a menu planner.

Variety is the essence of Chinese cuisine. Fortunately variety need not mean complexity. Every recipe we've cooked from this book has been a success, and the tips and presentation are superb.

All of Ms Kwong's books are superb, but if you have to choose just one, then this would be my choice.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith