China Books

This is a gorgeous book. Beautiful pictures and pleasing art. I enjoyed reading it very much. However, I wish I knew how to pronounce some of those mantras. I worry I am doing them all wrong. A pronunciation guide would have been helpful.

As the previous reviewer commented, this book is powerfully visual; filled with gorgeous imagery of various depictions of the Buddha and photography of young monks holding candles. Intermingled in this is a pretty good introduction into Tibetan Buddhism, wisdom applicable to your life is found herein on every page. Lillian Too's approach is simultaneously open and honest. So, if you are looking for a book of masterful art, here is your book. If you are looking for a daily devotional, here is your book. If you are looking for a brief autobiography of a typical layperson practicing the Buddha's Dharma, this is your book. It's truly fairly all encompassing. Grab it today, it will serve wonderfully in all the areas I mentioned, as well as an attractive decorative coffee table piece.

I love this book! I was looking forever for a book with mantras in it and this one really delivered. I keep it with my altar and use it regularly in my meditation practice. It's instructions on the rituals and meditations are really clear and it is beautifully illustrated. This book had totally blessed me!

This book pulled it all together for me. I found it more easily absorbable then the class of Buddhism that I took in college. One doesn't have to be a sole practicing Buddhist to enjoy the rich variety of all the different Buddhas depicted in this book, for me, I am a Gnostic Hindu at first, and I found myself meditating on the beautiful artwork that is depicted in this book and manifesting the energies the Buddhas continuously give to us who are open to the energy. Such a valuable book that can be used as powerful as any Bible, or Koran.

This is a great collectible book. The Buddha paintings are presented in one long sheet, but because the book has an accordian fold, it possible to view the entire scroll at once. Also, the fold makes it possible to display the book, if so desired. Printing is fantastic and very fine and clear. A great find!

The writer of the review calls this scroll, ***An exquisite 36-foot-long full-color Buddhist scroll*** but gives it no stars?

Takeout that and the ranking is where it should be at 5 stars.

My guess is the reviewer meant 5 stars anyway...

A very original way of binding to keep the idea of a scroll. The quality of the paper and images is very good. A book to be collected.

While not a textbook or a 'fieldguide' to Buddhist practice and belief, THE BUDDHA SCROLL is an amazing visual treat, a fantastic technical achievement and a delight to all those who enjoy the study of iconology. Image after image unfolds before the eyes revealing Buddhas,Bodhisattvas,Dieties and Notables from every school of Buddhism- from the most familliar (Avalokisteshvara) to the more obscure (White Leaf Buddha Mother). An eclectic collection of imagery with a fascinating history which is well expounded in the consise introduction... you get more than you would expect from the price.

This is an excellent first-hand account of Goforth's experiences as he preached throughout China and saw the Lord use him in miraculous ways. My only disappointment with the book is that I wish he had spent more time detailing his thoughts on revival and why the Lord was able to use him so effectively. He does deal with this briefly in the last chapter, but the majority of the book is simply descriptions of his experiences.

An inspiring account of the way in which God used Jonathan Goforth's utter obedience and commitment to accomplish remarkable work in China. We can be sure that the results of that work are still present in today's China, having an impact on the growth of the Christian Church there, even though it was almost 100 years ago.
It was typical of the man's humility that he restricted this book to telling only of the work of God in revival, and said nothing of the enormous sacrifices and privations of himself and his family during their years in that country. He does mention the many who were martyred, which should be an inspiration to us as we live our comfortable lives.

It is good to read a sober account of revival. God was really able to use the man (and his wife) to bring about growth. The principles here serve to remind us that God desires our whole, undivided heart.

This is a book that greatly moves one's heart. I've yet to meet a Christian who hasn't thoroughly appreaciated this book. Jonathan Goforth was a great man of God, and this book touches on his insights into a true walk with Jesus Christ.

Scrivo in italiano, poichè il mio inglese non è propriamente perfetto, e di questo mi scuso con i lettori di lingua inglese.
Il testo è semplicemente un "must" per chiunque sia interessato alla paleontologia. Meriterebbe ampiamente una traduzione dall'inglese, affinchè possa essere apprezzato appieno.
Fotografie meravigliose, e testo scorrevolissimo.
Spero in ulteriori "sorprese" da parte degli Autori e dell'Editore!

This book is an excellent source of information on these remarkable fossils. The color photography adds materially to the pleasure of reading this book and the reconstruction black and white drawings shown are a must. Although many specimens show these reconstuctions some do not.

There is one incorrect statement regarding the book -"...this is the first book in English to provide fossil enthusiasts.......".

Another excellent publication which has many color plates and reconstructions in English is found in "The Cambrian Explosion and the Fossil Record" ISSN 1015-8448 Bulletin of the National Museum of Natural Science by Junyuan Chen, Yen-Nnien Cheng, H.V. Iten Guest Editors. The book is soft bound and is 316 pages, most of which is on the Chengijang fauna, Publication date 31 Dec. 1997.

These two publications are both excellent and if you have a real desire to find out more about these extraordinary fossils I highly recommend both books.

The Bulletin of National Museum of Natural Science is published by the Division of Collection and Research, National Museum of Natural Science . 1, Kuan-chien Road Taichung, Taiwan 404, R.O.C.

"The Cambrian Fossils of Chengjiang, China: The Flowering of Animal Life" written by Hou Xian-Guang, Richard J. Aldridge, Jan Bergstrom, David J. Siveter, Derek J. Siveter, and Feng Xiang-Hong is a mavelious book on early Cambrian life found in Southern China. This book is about the discovery and initial study of the Chengjiang Lagerstatte, where Lagerstatte means a fossil geological deposit of economic interest.

Prior to this discovery, all that we had to go upon for Cambrian life forms was the Burgess Shale in British Columbia, Canada. Now a truer picture emerges as to the diversity and flowering of fauna and flora in the Cambrian. The Chengjiang Lagerstatte even predates the Burgess Shale but not by much in geological time. Professor Hou's discovery of the Chengjiang biota in Yunnan Province, China in 1984 proved to be a revelation equal to , or even exceeding, that provided by the fauna of the Burgess Shale. Firstly, its older, taking us closer to the origin of life's "Big Bang." Secondly, its preservation was, if anything, more exquisite. Thirdly, an even greater variety of organisims was preserved... with relationships established with those fauna of the Burgess Shale biota.

The fauna included in this book have some peculiarities all of their own, also, they are claimed as the earliest verterbrates. There are arthropods beyond your imagination, "worms" of several phyla, lubering lobopods, large predators and the ever present trilobites. This book brings together wonderful color photographs and line drawings to further your imagination about Cambrian life. Think of this book as the first comprehensive travel guide to early Cambrian life. You are looking at what was on the seafloor some 525 million years ago and the seafloor is full of surprises with such detail that the specimens look like they're ready for the disecting table ready for inspection.

All of the Chengjiang specimens figured in this book are from the Lower Cambrian Yu'anshan Member, Heilinpu Formation, of Yunnan Province, making for some very interesting reading. I gave this book a solid 5 stars for well-appointed pictures of these specimens with exceptional detailed explanations of the life forms.

Although the front matter on the geologic context of the Chengjiang biota is terse and seemingly rather superficial (partly because relativley little is known), the taxonomic treatment and photographs are stunning. I highly recommend this book for anyone with a serious interest in the Cambrian and its biota and the early evolution of animals.

The excessively high price is the only thing keeping this book from a 5-star rating.

This book is a page turner and brings back lots of memories. I spent six years on a Chinese state farm during the Cultural Revolution myself and can relate to some of what he described and went through as far as hard labor, but I can never describe with such vividness and power the heart-wrenching experiences of the disprivileged, deprived, discriminated, and victimized members of the Chinese society under Mao, indeed a virtual prison in every sense of the world. Professor Yang's book is a voice for the voiceless. Captive Spirits not only serves to preserve the history of the brutal laogai system that still exists in China today, but it is also a scathing indictment of a brutal regime under Mao that destroyed the lives of tens of millions of the best that China has to offer to herself and the rest of the humanity. This book alone is enough to put Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and their cronies to the hall of shame once and for all. Professor Yang is no longer with us. He has joined his prison mates Li Jiulong and Liu Fengxian as well as his dear mother to whom he dedicated this book, but his legacy and spirit will stay with us.

I simply can't put it down once I start reading it. It is a great account of the author's growth, from a naive ultra-leftist to someone with a sophisticated mind, who eventually embraced Milton Friedman. And it is a great history of post-liberation China in the eyes of different individuals from all social spectra. After reading it, I realize how naive my understanding of the "cultural revolution" was.

I also read its Chinese version, but I feel that the English version is much better written. Stongly recommended!

If you're into movies like Good Will Hunting, you'll like this book. The author walks us through the lives of his fellow prisoners while he relats his time spent in the prison. It was Cultural Revolution, many of the prisoners he came across were highly intelligent and well educated. Yang therefore made the best out of the time he had to spend there by learning English, Algebra, and Calculus from his fellow inmates. It's a tragic tale that so many people were jailed because their political views sway a fraction away from that mandated by the government, yet they were exactly the ones who have the knowledge and know-hows to improve the country's economy and living standards. It's also a uplifting tale because you see Yang dug himself out of the troubles he encountered, made it out of the prison, and now became an established economist. He has not let his past kept him hostage like many dissidents Chinese who migrated to the West. A fine tale about humanity and the will to survive that's inside us all. The chinese version of this book is also published by OUP.

One of the most famous Chinese novelist BA Jing was also a "captive spirit" during the "Great Cultural Revolution". He kept reciting Divine Comedy in order to help himself endure the adversity. He always believes, there must be a new Dante some day to write a new Divine Comedy. Now I finally find this new Divine Comedy. Please have a read and get to know what is the Inferno in the communist China. You'll find the reason why the communism has to die.

A fascinating and inspirational account of Tsui Chi Hsii's (Charlie Two Shoe's) long-suffering odyssey to come to the United States with his family. It turns out to be a lot more complicated story than you might expect and has the potential for being a Hell of a movie, with lots of opportunities for scenery chewing, but that probably won't happen. In fact there probably won't even be any paperback updating of the still unfinished story at time of publication because one of the coauthors, Michael Peterson, is now a convicted murderer whose other books are long out of print.

Life is truly stranger than fiction.

My boyfriend bought me this book for Christmas, and I was thrilled. Not only am I a social studies teacher and a history buff, but I am priviledged enough to know Charlie Two Shoes. He owns a business in the town where I live and is always there with a smile and a friendly word. He autographed my book with the inscription "May God bless you and yours with health and joy." When I went by today to thank him for the inscription, he told me that there is a lot of history in this book that is not often told. While I have not yet finished the book, I have enjoyed what I have read so far. No matter what crimes have been committed by one of the authors, you should take the time to buy this book and read the interesting true life story of a truly wonderful man.

Charlie Two Shoes is a fascinating story of one man's friendship with a group of US Marines and his incredible perseverence in getting re-united with them. Peterson and Perlmutt tell the story through Charlie's eyes and those of his Marine pals. They give us an intriguing look at life behind the Bamboo Curtain. More amazing than Charlie's budding friendship -- he was around the Marines for about four years as a teenager -- is his enduring perseverance in keeping his dream of a reunion alive. The dream survived decades, including years in a Chinese prison and more under house arrest in his small village. After all that, his eventual reunion in the U.S. had drama of its own. One Marine buddy turned out to be more interested in his own fortunes than Charlie's,and Charlie's efforts to stay got mired as much in domestic politics as international. A good read by gifted writers.

Charlie Two Shoes and the Marines of Love Company is not only an inspiring story about friendships and loyalty, but also an excellent retelling of some little known American history. Set in Northern China starting at the end of World War II and continuing to recent times, the reader will learn about the atrocities visited upon the Chinese peasantry by the Japanese, the communist take over of China and America's futile efforts to stop it, the severe poverty and starvation the Chinese people endured, and the political repression and corruption that continued for years. Into the shadows of these desolate and hopeless conditions, the warmth and charity that the American Marines and missionaries brought with them to China and to a young boy, nick-named Charlie, shine brightly. The reader is invited on a journey through Charlie's life of joys and travails, but is pulled aside by the authors from time to time for some excellent and concise description of the historical context. Thus this true tale of friendship and suffering also enables the reader to also learn the larger story of the historical events which ultimately were its cause.

An attention grabber from its opening pages. The Chasm offers a compelling, human look at the pressures of global economics on the welfare of working class Americans. With such issues as (1) an unfavorable trade imbalance, (2) the trend of outsourcing and (3) increasing interdependencies of trading nations, all neatly woven into the story line, The Chasm would provide a unique perspective for a case study in an MBA class. Highly recommended.

I gave this book to my son who will be a college freshman in the Fall. It is a must read to fully understand and position oneself in our global economy.
While Lou Dobbs merely reports the exodus of jobs from America; David Ainsworth describes in depth how globalization evolved with true to life case studies. This book is highly recommended to anyone that does not want to end up on the short side of 'The Chasm'.

This book is very well written that can only come from someone with vast experience on the subject matter. International trade, American business, labor and Japanese and U.S. political involvement makes this book a must read for all who like to learn from a fast moving book. If you start reading it when you go to bed, plan for no sleep, make sure it's a Friday or Saturday night.
D. Robinson

A friend of mine recommended The Chasm so I dutifully read it. What a surprize! I couldn't put it down and I learned alot about trade with the Far East as well. The book opened my eyes to the complexity and consequences of Free Trade and at the same time I am caught up in a compelling yarn. I am a fan of Richard North Patterson who is quite similar. Give The Chasm a try. You'll be glad you did.

Very few books have been written like this about an particular Yidam deity. Many American Tibetan Buddhists love to receive "advanced" practices but neglect bodhichitta - the essence of Buddha's teachings. Since Chenrezig is the Yidam deity that is the representation of bodhichitta, how can anyone go wrong by learning more about about the Chenrezig Yidam practice?

This is an excellent and authorative text on the practice of the Yidam Chenrezig. While it is not a substitute for oral instructions, it is a wonderful and useful addendum written by an eminent teacher in the Karma Kagyu and Shangpa Kagyu traditions. Readable and clear for beginners and experienced practitioners alike.

This is a very good explanation of the Chenrezig Sadhana
and an excellent supplement to Dilgo Khyentse's
"The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones."

This text provides clear and concise instruction for deity meditation. It includes instruction for beginners on visualisation. It also has pictorial help for visualisation of HRI and for disolution of the HRI which I found very helpful.

We chose China as our cross-cultural country to "visit" this year in conjunction with the up-coming Olympics. This was a great resource for me in preparing to teach about China, and with the lovely pictures, interesting to the students as well. I was especially pleased with the "free gifts"- the poster was a nice addition and I was able to use the CD pictures for writing promts for the students.

DK Eyewitness books are always great, but this one is special because I have so many Chinese students this year. They are not always able to tell me in English about China and I don't speak Chinese, but photographs and the short paragraphs which accompany them are helpful. Many of my Chinese students want to tell me about the Chinese mummies, or the terra cotta soldiers and other sights they've seen in China. It is helpful to communicate about everyday life there too. Now if only Eyewitness books reached out to cover Korea, Turkey and the Pacific Islands!

The price of this book is a bargain! Filled with hundreds of full color photos on large glossy spreads. Lots of Information in here about modern China...the country, nature, animals, food, money, art, families, language, government, etc. There is a big 4-color poster in the back of the book and a clip art CD included.

I bought this book because my daughters were born in China, and we have an interest in learning more. Since they are young, the colorful format and illustrations are great. And, there is a bonus CD of clip art, great for school reports or even scrapbooks. This book is not an in-depth study, however, but it does hit the highpoints very well.

Author Jonathan Story has assembled in one relatively short book a dense collection of facts, hypotheses and perspectives on China. Unlike many writers who have fixed ideas about China and use their books to promote their ideas, Story gives full and fair time to competing viewpoints. He is not selling a hypothesis, but exploring possibilities. Readers who prefer easy and definitive answers may feel frustrated, because Story provides only difficult and ambiguous alternatives. Yet his approach is solid, and more accurate than a finite stance could be. The future of anything is uncertain, and China is egregiously inscrutable, so any honest pronouncement on China's future must acknowledge uncertainty, difficulty and ambiguity. If the book has a demerit, it is that the author sometimes offers interesting, but meandering digressions through the minutiae of Chinese chronology without fully explaining why the details matter. China is perplexing, so we welcome this compilation of insight - we would have been glad to read even more.

China: the race to market is an excellent book for anyone who wishes to understand the direction in which the Chinese polity and economy is developing. For providing a background for developing strategies for business development it is therefore a must. And in addition it is a very enjoyable read.

The major attraction of the analysis is the clear exposition of the various forces bearing on policy making and action in China within the Communist state, and by implication therefore on the the economy and the business environment. One cannot make business strategy without reference to a coherent macro view of the relevant environment and for any business either seeking to operate in China, or likely to be impacted directly or indirectly by events there, there can be nothing better than this book to establish a coherent view of likely development.

Jonathan Story is one of only a few writers who can relate so credibly the connection between business decision-making and public policy making.. In China: Race to market, he documents political and economic developments in the emerging China of the 21st century. More importantly, especially for those at the helm of Western enterprises, Professor Story explains in clear terms the opportunities and the challenges facing those seeking to establish and grow businesses in China. It's a good read: compelling, thought provoking, and laced with sound and practical business advice.

Author Jonathan Story has assembled in one relatively short book a dense collection of facts, hypotheses and perspectives on China. Unlike many writers who have fixed ideas about China and use their books to promote their ideas, Story gives full and fair time to competing viewpoints. He is not selling a hypothesis, but exploring possibilities. Readers who prefer easy and definitive answers may feel frustrated, because Story provides only difficult and ambiguous alternatives. Yet his approach is solid, and more accurate than a finite stance could be. The future of anything is uncertain, and China is egregiously inscrutable, so any honest pronouncement on China's future must acknowledge uncertainty, difficulty and ambiguity. If the book has a demerit, it is that the author sometimes offers interesting, but meandering digressions through the minutiae of Chinese chronology without fully explaining why the details matter. China is perplexing, so we welcome this compilation of insight - we would have been glad to read even more.