China Books

For the next edition - if there is one - I would like to see Professor Chow discuss at greater length two related issues: trade and currency.

Since the middle of 2003, China has become America's third largest trade partner (America is China's second largest partner), replacing Japan, according to the US Dept of Commerce.

The issue of the renminbi (yuan) is a hot potato in this election year, as many American politicians are clamoring for a "free-floating" of China's currency (as a solution to America's jobless problem, trade deficit, etc.).

Professor Chow needs to deal with this issue. I've heard counter-arguments from some real heavyweights: David Eldon, the Chairman of the global banking giant HSBC, and 2 Nobel Laureates in Economics - Robert Mundell, the world's #1 expert on international currency, and Joseph Stiglitz, the former Chief Economist of the World Bank and Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers. All three point out that fooling around with the renminbi now would destroy the world economy without doing anything to solve America's problems. The editors of Fortune, Forbes, and Business Week agree: Be careful what you wish for, because you may get more than expected.

My guess is, Professor Chow will take these issues apart with the same analytical and keen intelligence he addresses other issues related to China's economic transformation.

Chow's prediction (p. 102-3 & 384) that around 2020 China's GDP will be equal to that of the US in PPP terms is based on statistics from a World Bank study. I undertook a study of my own based on figures from the UN Human Development Report.

Here I assume that China's growth rate will be an average of 7% per year until 2020, and America's to be 3.5% per year until 2020. The 7% rate is achievable for China, which managed to maintain more than that in the past two decades (about 8.2% per year from 1975-2001). 3.5% for the USA may be on the high side though (America's annual growth rate: 2.0%, 1975-2001).

Starting from $5.112 trillion in 2001, China will have ballooned to $19.0012 trillion in 2020 (almost 4 times).

In the same period America will have grown steadily from $9.9289 trillion in 2001 to $18.9778 trillion in 2020.

(In 2019, the year before 2020, America will still be some $410 billion larger than China. For those who are curious, by 2025 China's economy will be some $3 trillion larger than that of the US: $25 trillion versus $22 trillion. $3 trillion is a lot of money today - almost the size of Japan's economy - but this is likely to be worth much less in 2025.)

Chow's projection is thus about right. In 2020, China and the US are worth $19 trillion each.

Interestingly, my calculations show that China's economy, valued at $5 trillion in 2000, will be about $10 trillion in 2010, $14 trillion in 2015, then again almost $20 trillion by 2020, and over $25 trillion in 2025 - essentially quintupling over 25 years. (If growing at 10% annually China - or any other country - could expand its economy by a factor of 8 in just 21 years! I think that's what happened to America after 1865.)

The per capita income of an average Chinese should at least quadruple from 2000 to 2025, provided the population growth rate is kept tightly under control. That brings a standard of living on a par with South Korea or Bahamas today. Already China's population growth is among the slowest in the developing world, lower even than America's.

All these figures are in PPP, in constant 2001 dollars. In nominal GDP America will likely remain larger than China long after 2025 unless there are changes in the exchange rates for the dollar and for the Chinese yuan in the meantime, which is possible.

Chow's calculations are thus correct. I've crunched the numbers from a different source and both projections match.

Of course, nothing ever happens exactly as predicted, especially in economics. Linear projections can look foolish in retrospect. Even with the best statistics, every projection can be delayed - or accelerated - by man-made and natural disasters. But this book does give us an idea of China's economic future.

Whether or not China or the US will be the world's largest economy after 2025 will depend on many factors, one of which will be the size and integration of the European Union.

This book provides a good deal of moderately valuable information about the Chinese economy. It also has large sections of what seem like pieces of an ordinary introductory econ textbook, which will be tedious to anyone who has taken an econ course without being terribly valuable to those who haven't. The book appears fairly thorough and objective, but not very imaginative or insightful.
One point he makes that I found worth remembering is to point out the similarities between Chinese state ownership of enterprises with U.S. University ownership of companies created to commercialize their research. In both cases the owning institution has a mission very different from commerce, but often allows the enterprise to function as a business. Alas, he doesn't explore the incentive structures that make this often work in China but create monopoly-style inefficiencies when most other governments own businesses.

Professor Chow is a distinguished economist who is an elected member of the American Philosophical Society and the former chief of econometrics at Princeton University. His statements carry some weight. The key point of this book may be summarized in this sentence: "Hence the Chinese economy can be expected to generate about the same real GDP as the US economy in 1998 PPP terms in 2020." (p.103)

In other words, China will be an economic superpower rivalling America in 20 years' time.

Barring an unforeseen disaster - like an asteroid from outer space or World War III - Chow's prognostication may turn out right. What does that mean? Well, China will be resuming its former position as an economic superpower which it has occupied throughout history.

The most surprising and controversial part is Chow's contention that China's population is too small (chapter 11). He considers a number of factors in making this odd point, including arguments by Malthus and counter-arguments by Mao, as well as a number of intangibles (like the higher number of intellectual elites available from a larger population base). I think he goes wrong here, because he doesn't seem to have considered one serious fact: most of China is neither arable nor habitable - virtually useless - large though the country may be. What's more, the amount of usable land is getting less by the day, due to desertification from the north. China is bone dry.

Customers who are wondering whether this book is worth the price to invest in would do well to reflect on China's importance on the world stage. China is one-fifth of humanity and is exactly equal to America in territorial size. China has the world's third largest stockpile of nuclear warheads. (The Pentagon believes China's stockpile will quadruple in the next decades fully in line with its economic expansion.) China has a highly developed rocket and ballistic missile technology, and has publicly announced its intention to be the world's third nation to launch astronauts into space (to be realized in late 2003). China is one of the top ten oil producing countries, with larger proven crude oil reserves than America's (the largest in the Fast East - much larger than Indonesia's). China's relations with Muslim countries are excellent, and is probably the only major power to be popular among people of that faith. China has the veto on the Security Council. The WTO recently reported that China overtook Britain in 2002 as the world's fifth largest trader in goods and services, after the US, Japan, Germany and France. If the EU is counted as one unit, China is now the fourth largest trader. And according to the CIA World Factbook, China's economy is already the second largest in Purchasing Power Parity (the fifth largest in nominal GDP), and at $6 trillion it is 13% of the world's total.

Now Chow is telling us that China's rapid growth rate is an average of 7% per year for the next two decades, which is by far the fastest among the major powers (about twice India's, three times America's, and more than four-five times Europe's and Japan's).

In short, China is already a giant today (hardly the "modest" country as described by Bill Emmott of the Economist). People like Margaret Thatcher, Jack Welch and Paul Wolfowitz are already predicting China's rise to superpower status. And the economic transformation taking place there, fully and professionally detailed by Chow, will make it much bigger still. On top of all these, China today is also interesting because it is the oldest civilization among the major powers (America, China, Britain, Russia, Germany, Japan) and by far the biggest of the surviving ancient civilizations: Mesopotamia (Iraq), Egypt, Palestine, Persia (Iran), China, India.

Of course, China's per capita income will remain relatively low for the foreseeable future, but given the size of its population China will be a superpower long before it achieves American levels of income and standards of living - a prospect that is beyond the timeframe of this book.

Overall this book is excellent - serious and credible, without being excessively technical. It fills a big niche, and meets the needs of students, journalists, businessmen, Western observers and analysts alike. All of us should pay attention to the most significant event of the late 20th century and early 21st - the transformation of China's economy - and this book is an authoritative guide. It deserves 6 stars out of 5.

Includes history, poems and treatises about tea, tea houses, ceremonies, brewing, cups and vessels, varieties, and the effect that tea has on the physical health and psyche. Everything you need to know about Chinese teas is contained in this book. A very welcome addition to anyone's culinary library!

This man, though not Chinese, truly knows his subject and loves it. It shows all through the book. its a masterpiece! a simply MUST HAVE for all admirers of tea or the Chinese culture/ppl/way. Perhaps in a way it is fitting that the author is not Chinese. It shows that even a barbarian [foreigner] can learn something so different when he has enough love and time and determination.

lovely book. a good introduction to tea, taoism, and silence

Great in-depth overview of the varieties of tea and drinking vessels! You need this book.

I'll only put a brief word here because Dr. Zhu assigned us to read her new book for our class, so I can't exactly give it a fair review.

Although the book has no photographs to see what the films are like (always bad in film books, but sometimes necessary), the book is highly readable and provides a strong overview. A reader could pick it up and have a strong grasp of the history and politics of Chinese cinema. Though her accent can be a bit difficult to understand in class, she is highly readable, well-informed, and did a great deal of first-hand research. If you're interested in Chinese cinema, this is a great starting point. The price and scholarly aim (see design comments below) will not make it stand out on a shelf, if you can find it there.

Book design comments: red, gold-stamped, clothbound book, no dust jacket or illustrations, several glaring typos to fix in next edition.

I came across a glowing review of the book in the Journal of Asian Studies, Nov. 2004, Vol 63, No. 4. Here are a few excerpts--

"Comprehensive in its treatment of the subject matter, the book is well researched, and goes beyond the scholarships of such critics as Chris Berry, Nick Brown, Rey Chow, Shuiqin Cui, Paul Clark, Sheldon Lu, Xudong Zhang, to form a singular critical paradigm of globalization both as restraint and opportunity within which to rethink the Chinese cinema. ... Zhu's analysis of Chinese (national) cinema both as a culture and economy opens important channels of communication between economic reform and cultural production, between popular entertainment and intellectual heritage, between technology and cultural politics, and between local traditions and global markets. ...
The reader is fortunate to have a first-hand and intimate account of how cultural, intellectual and political issues are mediated through film to arrive at the state of Chinese cinema as we find it today. The author knows the ins and outs of the collective struggle of the Chinese film community to master the forces of the market in order to stay in business beyond the pale of socialism. ...
In Zhu's encyclopedic treatment of the topic, we see a rare synthesis of knowledge and understanding."

Dr. Ying Zhu's book is a wonderful introduction to the post-Maoist Chinese film industry. Useful to both scholars and in classrooms, it presents a picture of a film world that is relatively unknown to most Americans, but may not be for long. Balancing the impact of globalization and Hollywood with national needs, Chinese cinema, like Chinese industry in general, may be the coming wave. This book will give you a head start in understanding why.

Zhu's book provides a striking analysis of the Chinese film industry's
transition to a market economy. The book traces the evolution of the
film industry, and especially the film makers, from making art cinema
(as the political atmosphere in post-Mao China relaxed)
to needing to respond to the demands of the marketplace, as
the policies of the Chinese government shifted to decrease subsidies
for films and to encourage privatization, marketization, and
co-production and co-marketing with overseas film producers
and distributors. Key film makers highlighted include Chen Kaige
(Yellow Earth and Farewell My Concubine), Tian Zhuangzhuang
(Horse Thief and The Blue Kite), and Zhang Yimou (Red Sorghum,
Judou, Not One Less). The impact of the re-introduction of blockbuster
Hollywood films into the Chinese marketplace is scrutinized, both from the
perspective of box-office revenue, distribution, and screen time,
as well as the perspective of the impact on these films on Chinese
filmgoers and critics taste and expectations of what constitutes a "quality" film.
As the Chinese film industry continues its transformation, the book
explores the impact of Hollywood and globalization on national
film industries, raising important questions for all national film industries
(not just China) on how they survive and develop a (global) audience.
The book explores the exciting possibility of using the cultural advantages
of a national film industry to develop a global audience.
This book should be of interest to many readers, to students and
teachers of Asian studies, Chinese studies, film studies, and of globalization
and economic transformation, of socialist economies into market economies.
It will also be of close interest to people in the film industry and in trade
journals as it explores the role and possibilities of national film industries
in the face of a globalized film industry. Film buffs will find much of interest
here in tracing the evolution of various Chinese film directors as they may
more marketable films and found a wider audience.

My current copy of this book is so worn out that I need to get a new one. The recipes are simple and delicious, the organization of the chapters makes sense, and the index is complete. The photographs are good too. All in all, the best simple chinese cook book I have used.

This is by far the best Chinese cookbook I've ever had. This is the third time I've bought a copy, I keep wearing them out!

I've had this book since 1983, when I was living in California. What I like about it is that the recipes use ingredients which are pretty easy to get, both in the US and Europe, and the recipes are easy to follow. I'm about to buy it as part of an engagement present for a friend; she's always asking about the chinese stuff I cook! My own copy is falling apart but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I've got a lot of Chinese cookbooks and most of them gather dust on my shelf. This is the one I use over and over. In fact, I'm replacing my original copy because I've worn it out. The recipes are fantastic, the tips on how to prepare ingredients are priceless, and many of the sauces and techniques can be adapted for other uses. This book helped me go beyond its recipes and start creating my own. P.S. I heartily recommend the scallion pancakes.

This collection of book/tape is the best instructional I have yet to try. I have tried 5 others and discovered that this one is more "complete". I would recommend to others. However, for improvement, the vocabulary section needs to be translated into english on tape also. The conversation is realistic, lively, useful and general sufficiently to cover a wide range of activities in our daily life which really what I was looking for.

I had to buy this book for a Chinese class I took last fall, and it's a perfect byline for an immersion course. When all you're allowed to speak is Chinese, you're in good hands with this one. I didn't get a tape with it (they shipped off a bunch with no tapes), I can now speak a nice annoying amount of Chinese. If you want to learn, get it. If you're not sure yet, hold off.

This is a marvellous book for anyone studying the Chinese language. I wish there were more language books like this one. The style is organised, tidy and undaunting and I found the accompanying tapes particularly invaluable. The text similar to "Japanese for Busy People" with more depth. I truly recommend it.

Excellent book to use if beginning your study of Chinese. It was recomended to me after 5 months of learning Chinese in China, and I wish I would have bought it earlier. It has Chinese Charactors for Your Tutor, English for your understanding, and Pin ying for your pronunciation. Excellent style of learning. Tapes are very useful also.

A superb study that is as engrossing as it is elegantly written and lavishly illustrated, and a sensitive inquiry into the aesthetics, the history and the philosophy that underpin an ancient and majestic civilization's view of mankinds's place within the cosmos. Both unique and profound. An essential work.

While the attitudes and examples of Japanese gardens abound in books and in cities around the world, very little has been written or photographs of the unique concepts found in the Chinese gardens. Maggie Keswick repairs that paucity of information with this very beautifully designed, photographed and written monograph on the spirit of the subtle beauties that abound in the Chinese garden.

Keswick offers an in depth analysis of the history of gardens in China and even if the reader is not an avid horticulturist, just the amount of information about China alone is reason to read this book carefully. But in addition to the history and the architectural elements of these gardens here considered, there are many graceful photographs and accompanying illustrations that keep pace with the narrative while providing an encouragement to return to the book purely for the art of it.

Keswick has found the middle ground in creating a volume about the elements of the Chinese garden and a volume that stands strongly as simply an art book. Highly recommended for repeated readings. Grady Harp, April 05

I've been a garden designer in Portland Oregon for twenty years and have spent over a year in China visiting gardens . This book is a very good place to begin if you want to understand , on a basic level, Chinese gardens . It is however, not the place to stop if you really seek to understand them . To do that you have to try to understand the culture and times which produced them. Fruitful Sites by Craig Clunas is the best work which I have found so far as it analyzes the gardens at Suzhou over the course of several dynasties. Chinese Classical Gardens of Suzhou (Hardcover)
by Tun-Chen Liu, Joseph C. Wang is also a very good book . It is a critique of most of the principal gardens in Suzhou and it punctures the illusion that every Chinese garden is equally great and every feature wonderful. And if you are actually going to travel to China to see gardens you really should read both of Peter Valder's books . They will help you understand Chinese plants and to find gardens in many Chinese cities. I don't always agree with Valder's assessments . He is quite restrained at times . And if you are planning to travel to Suzhou consider visiting Tongli as well. I also consider the gardens of The Slender West Lake in Yangzhou and other gardens there to be equal to many of the gardens in Suzhou. And if you are going to go to China I recommend you start reading The Orientalist online and purchase Beijing by Peter Neville Hadley so that you will not be shocked when you travel China . It is by no means an easy process if you want to travel beyond some air-con rip-off tour.

How great Chinese garden are!From north to south ,east to west,royal to normal,fancy to simple,you could see all of the best gardens in China.Especially two cities that must visit:Beijing,my hometown,and Suzhou,a wonderful small town built beside the river.The spirits of Chinese gardens were focused on how to combine nature and humanity together.The gardens in Suzhou absolutely rendered an ideal level without artificial fixing,you might called it "Eastern Venice".On the oher hand,Beijing seems much more luxurious since it used to be the capital of China for 5 dynasties.The best known garden named Summer Palace ,which settled in Western part of Beijing,belong to the royal family. A fire desaster ruined most valuable garden named Yuan Ming Yuan,if it still being there,Yuan Ming YUan might be the most gorgeous garden in the world.However we pitifully left a waste garden,morely a Country's shame.You luckily better read this book before you visit China.<>is a helpful tourguide take you a preview.

this was a really good book. It gave herbal remedies for illnesses, and also gave the symptoms for those illnesses. This book acted as two books; it gave info on illnesses, AND the herbal formulas to correct those illnesses. my only problem with this book is that in the index, it gives an illness, and then says: see so and so. This is good, but then it gives you a page number. You turn to that page, and there is no info on the illness there, except a little thing saying, illness-see another illness. while this is a little annoying, you have to put up with it, because this book is worth it. Great job!

I borrowed this book from the library and liked it so much that I'm planning to buy it for myself. This book is very well-written. The author wrote this book in a very easy to understand manner (in the layperson's language) so as not to do "analysis paralysis". Usually authors like to use fancy words and write out alot of unnecessary words to pad the pages, but this book was not that type of work, making it easier for me to read and enjoy. From reading this book, I was able to understand and learn not just how to make Chinese herbal medicine, but I received a lesson on the history and background of Chinese medicine as well. The author also gave 10 suggestions to improve one's health. Of course, the main juice of this book are the recipes for healing different types of illnesses, and these illnesses were sorted alphabetically so you can find them easily like a dictionary. I seriously recommend this book to those people who are learning about Chinese herbal medicine or who would like to have some Chinese herbal medicine formulas handy like a cookbook. Save money and get the paperback version instead.

Hey! This was a great book. Not only because it gives lots of chinese herbal cures to the ilnesses talked about in it, but because it gives symptoms for all those diseases. This book was a relly good guide to staying aware of health. I had never even considered Chinese herbs as effective medicine before i red this book, but now i know better. good job Richard.

this book is great and should be read by all who want an alternative to Western Medicine!

Being a retired boxer/kickboxer and now in my 40's, I was looking for ways of keeping fit internally and seeking relief from the numerous aches and pains aquired while participating in extreame sports for so many years. This book not only provides many remedies for sports injuries, but for ailments of all kinds. I especially like the way he translates the chinese herbs into botanical language as many of the herbs can be found in our own health food stores.
The only slight complaint is that he doesn't say much about our own american ginseng as it is highly valued by the chinese.
Otherwise I find it to be highly informative for both the novice and advanced student of the ways of herbal healing.
Deep bow.

China has seen many social, political and economic changes over the centuries, yet surprisingly, has managed to preserve excellent examples of changing architectural home styles throughout these years, as Chinese Houses: The Architectural Heritage Of A Nation presents. Packed with color photos of both interior and exterior décor, Chinese Houses also presents an in-depth survey of the rituals, culture, ornamentation influences, and floor plans of homes across China, from urban to rural dwellings. If it's a strong in-depth history of Chinese home architecture which is desired, look no further than the gorgeous Chinese Houses: it's much more than the coffee table picturebook it appears a first glance.

I can't imagine there being a better book out there on Chinese houses as this book has history and expert photographs. What's more it also has well-drawn sections and plans. Most books on this subject will use old diagrams or ancient drawings that are a hassle to decipher. Here the diagrams are purpose-drawn, clean, and add a great deal to the understanding. About a third is dedicated to a general history of the form, construction methods, social life, and geographical variety; and about two-thirds to about 8 pages each on specific houses. Just enough info on each.

The one gripe I would have is that, in the part of the book where he gives a general introduction of the elements and history of Chinese houses, he uses photos from the twenty or so houses that he discusses individually. It would have given a bit more breadth (and reduced a bit of redundancy later on) if he had used that opportunity for photos of houses that were not given an individual focus.

The amount of detail and research that's in this book is astounding. This is not another coffee table picture book. Its filled with beautiful pictures, and an equal amount of readable, scholarly writing about a culture thats slowly getting lost to the west.

Get it!

This book exceeded my expectations. It has informative text and abundant photographs including many vintage images. For anyone interested in Chinese architecture, this is the book for you.

If you collect Chinese labels this is a must have book.

Chinese label art has long been outstanding, so it's surprising that few coverages of Chinese ad art have revealed its history before. CHINESE LABEL ART 1900-1976 provides a fine survey of packaging and labels from the period, pairing stunning images from around China to beyond its borders into Hong Kong and Macau. From tea and medicines to foods, cigarettes, firecrackers and religious items, over 400 color images pair with an authoritative discussion of history and art from Andy Cahan, who has been collecting Chinese ephemera for most of his life.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

In this fantastic work (in all meanings of the word), Cahan opens a door to an utterly unique aesthetic - one most of us have only caught a glimpse of when we set off firecrackers as a child, or wandered through an Asian Food Market - a world of lurid colors and incredibly ornate designs, populated with dragons, temples, bearded Mandarins, strange winged creatures, and smiling sages. An initial epiphany during a celebration of lunar new year in New York's Chinatown when he was an infant led Andrew Cahan into a collecting odyssey - into old shops and factories in the backstreets of the "Chinatowns" of U.S. cities to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taipei. This beautifully printed book is a distillation of the fabulous collection of graphic art Cahan accumulated in his lifetime of collecting. Cahan's insightful commentary on the art illuminates the use of colors, symbols, and designs, as the art evolved in response to religious, political, and cultural influences from both within and outside of the region.
I would like to second the previous reviewer's perceptive and enthusiastic endorsement of this book! The Graphic Arts of China is a delightful and beautiful work of art in itself. Here's an opportunity to learn all about an utterly exotic and previously unexplored cultural phenomenon, while experiencing a vision of a fantastic world, reminiscent of the imaginary China of Ernest Bramah's Kai Lung books. Highly recommended!

Sometimes the best way to understand a culture is to take a deep look at it through a keyhole: the home cooking of French housewives, appreciation for American R&B records in the rural villages of Africa, the flourishing of Yiddish newspapers on the Lower East Side of New York City.

Now Andrew Cahan opens a window to understanding Chinese culture through an unexpected route: the vivid, fantastic, charming, and surprisingly hip label art that appeared on packaging for fireworks, cigarettes, and other consumer products in the early-to-mid 20th Century.

Most of this book, as it should be, is pictures, and what glorious pictures they are! The smiling face of Buddha unexpectedly adorns a pack of firecrackers; an entrancing image of a deer with a pine shoot in its mouth stands before a snowy mountain on a fabric label; one of dozens of happy infant boys raises his hands on a label for "The Baby" cigarettes. Along the way, Cahan offers fascinating insights on the changing social dynamics in China during that tumultuous century, examining gender issues (without getting tedious) and the ways the rise of Communism altered community values (without getting polemical). Along the way, he tells his own story of being a young suburban Jewish kid who was seduced by these brightly colored curiosa on visits to New York's Chinatown. His writing style is warm, elegant, and full of affection for his subject.

For people who collect this stuff, this book is a must-buy. But if I was a young rock star shopping for a killer-hip design for my next CD cover, I'd get a million ideas browsing through this marvelous book.

This book is very comprehensive, clearly, well organized and explaind, easy to understand. The book is realy fabulous. I highly recommend it.

Best Book Written On This Subject!

I have read many books on numerology, but he describes in full detail the solar/lunar conversion that I have never heard about before that is very accurate. It is very insightful into other realms I didn't think possible to understand. He has done a great job explaining exactly how to interpret what these numbers mean also.

But I give it five stars anyway. Just when I thought that I'd learned all there was to learn about numerology, and just when I thought that I'd heard of every possible way to use numbers to diagram lives, along comes this book. It has many "innovative" methods to tell lots about different personality types using personal info such as date of birth, name, etc. It also gives compatability information along with number and personality signs. There are methods of numerology in this book that most practicing "numerologists" probably don't even know about--it's that diverse, interesting, and innovative. Though I'm interested in these things, I'm a die-hard skeptic. I was a non-believer until I did a few diagrams for myself, and then for people that I know. The nail was hit dead on the head each time. Move over, Western astrology, and make room for Chinese numerology!

Chinese Numerology: The Way to Prosperity & Fulfillment is Richard Webster's latest book, and it's a fascinating guide to the arcane world of numerology.

Webster explains how, nearly 4,000 years ago, Wu of Hsia discovered a special tortoise shell. The markings on the back of the shell formed a magic three-by-three square. Named the Lo Shu grid, the square was regarded as magic "because every horizontal, vertical, and diagonal row added up to fifteen," a number of great significance in ancient China.

Chinese numerology, as well as I Ching, feng shui, and other Chinese divination techniques, evolved from the Lo Shu grid.

Three systems of Chinese numerology are currently in use, and Webster presents complete directions on how to use each of them. He starts with the Western version of Chinese numerology, which is the easiest to learn. He explains how to calculate your life path number, and the significance of each number. For example, "people with a life path number of 6 are nurturing, caring, and responsible," while 22's "are able to achieve anything they set their minds on."

He then shows how to calculate individual strengths and weaknesses, using personal Lo Shu grids. He presents grids of celebrities as examples. Edgar Cayce, Beethoven, and Mozart all had grids indicating growth in knowledge and wisdom through great personal losses.

Webster explains that "we live our lives in nine-year cycles. Each year contains a different energy, and if we work with the energy, or tone, of the year we will progress smoothly and quickly. Conversely, if we fight the tone of the year, we will struggle all year long." He then presents a simple way to determine which year you are in and gives examples of what kinds of activities are good for each year of the cycle.

Traditional Chinese numerology uses the Lo Shu grid, but the numbers are determined using the lunar calendar rather than the Western solar calendar. Not to worry--Webster includes an extensive solar-lunar conversion chart in the appendix.

The Ki, or Nine House Divination, is more complex. It "starts with the same magic square, but the numbers change position every year creating nine different combinations." In addition, the numbers are associated with the basic elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each number also has its own color.

Whether you are simply interested in learning what numerology is all about, or wish to use it for character analysis or planning your future, you'll find Chinese Numerology informative and helpful.