Author(s): Orville Schell
In this book, journalist and China specialist Orville Schell portrays life in China during the decade after Mao's death. The Reform Era had begun and the Chinese people were suddenly thrust upon tremendous possibilities unknown to them for a whole generation: breakdance that suddenly caught on among the young, free-market opportunities for the money-hungry, political participation and even revolt for the idealists. The road ahead was rough and full of zigzags and no one knew for sure where the path would. Yet, the journey was all the more exciting because of the uncertainty.
The Joy Luck ClubAuthor(s): Amy Tan
Mother and daughter, past and now, East and West, joy and deep sorrows among eight women of two generations.
Red Star over ChinaAuthor(s): Edgar R. Snow
It was back when the Chinese Communists were virtually unknown to the outside world, when they were just a rag-tag army hidden in the caves of remote and desolate northwestern China. The young American journalist met with and talked to these fervent fighters who twenty-five years later would rise to dominate the world's most populous nation. More than any other work on the subject, Snow's book explains to us why Communism prevailed in China.
The Genius of China: 3,000 Years of Science, Discovery, and InventionAuthor(s): Robert K. G. Temple, Joseph Needham
The late Dr. Joseph Needham was the author the multi-volume Science and Civilization in China. One can safely assume that few people have read that particular book in its entirety, a fact that in an regrettable fashion indicates the weightiness of the work. Still, the subject covered is an important one, and for those who are interested to learn about it, The Genius of China is a welcome introduction.
The Good EarthAuthor(s): Pearl S. Buck
Pearl S. Buck, who grew up among Chinese peasants with her missionary parents, won Nobel Prize for this sympathetic and vivid portrayal of rural life in China originally published in the 1930s.
Emperor of China : Self-Portrait of K'ang-HsiAuthor(s): Jonathan D. Spence
Spence is a professional historian who writes with the general reading public in mind. In Emperor of China, the author utilizes materials gleaned from China's imperial archives and has his subject to tells his own story. Reigning from1662-1722 for sixty years, K'ang Hsi was one of the most able and accomplished sovereigns in China'slong past. In his work, Spence probes into the very mind and heart of his subject, so that his readers will learn not only how an emperor ruled but also how he felt about his job, his family, and his ideas on myriad other interesting topics such as keeping physically fit or dealing with European missionaries who came to his court.
Wild Swans : Three Daughters of ChinaAuthor(s): Jung Chang
The grandmother was a ward-lord's concubine, the mother took part in the Communist revolution, and the daughter broke out of the Mao era and study and live in the West. It is at once a captivating tale of one family's life and the fascinating history of China in the turbulent 20thcentury.
The United States and ChinaAuthor(s): John King Fairbank
For many years John King Fairbank was the dean of Chinese studies in America. His United States and China was oritinally shortly after WWII and at the beginning of the Cold War, correctly foecasting the many difficult issues and misunderstandings that would haunt Sino-American relations in the coming decades. Subsequently revised and expanded, the work remains one of the best introduction to Chinese civilization and a classic on U.S.-China relations.
China's Second Revolution, Reform after MaoAuthor(s): Harry Harding
This is a good book for those who want to learn about how China made her transition from Maoism to the free-market openness today. Harding is a leading American expert on comtemporary China.
The Cambridge History of ChinaAuthor(s): John King Fairbank, editor
This the authoritative history of China written by Western scholars. It is divided into a total of 15 volumes.