Books about China

A new edition of one of the best-selling and best-loved books of recent years, with a new introduction by the author. A tumultuous history of China's 20th century, from sword-bearing warlords to Chairman Mao, from the Manchu Empire to the Cultural Revolution.

In the vein of Memoirs of a Geisha and Empress Orchid, a mesmerizing novel about two young girls growing up in feudal China

Two boys, both sons of doctors, are sent to the top of a mountain for re-education in Mao's China; an education that involves carting buckets of excrement up and down precipitous paths. They discover instead the discreet charm of bourgeois literature and the local tailor's attractive daughter.

This Taoist text also contains a modern commentary and introduction to Taoism.

A first novel which became a major US film. From the wealthy homes of pre-Revolutionary China to downtown San Francisco, this is the story of four mothers and their first-generation Chinese-American daughters; two generations of women struggling to come to terms with their cultural identity.

In 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China under the command of Emperor Zhu Di's loyal eunuch admirals. But by the time they returned home, Zhu Di had lost control and China was turning inwards, leaving the records of their discoveries to be forgotten for centuries.

Lin Kong, a devoted and ambitious doctor, is in love with an educated, modern woman, Mannu Wu. But, his family chose a wife for him when he was young. Tracing these lives through their summer of decision, this work conjures the texture of daily life in a place where the demands of human longing must contend with the weight of centuries of wisdom.

Based on a decade of research, and on interviews with many of Mao's close circle in China who have never talked before - and everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him, this book is the story of the life of Mao. It is full of revelations, exploding the myth of the Long March, and showing completely unknown Mao.

The Analects are a collection of Confucius's sayings brought together by his pupils shortly after his death in 497 BC. Together they express a philosophy, or a moral code, by which Confucius, one of the most humane thinkers of all time, believed everyone should live.

In each of Amy Tan's novels the author describes the lives of an older generation of Chinese women whose fate brought them from China to the USA. This novel follows that same theme to produce an unforgettable tale of hope, love and friendship.

In December 1937, in what was then the capital of China, one of the most brutal massacres occurred. The Japanese army swept into the the city of Nanking and within weeks not only looted and burned the defenceless city but systematically raped, tortured and murdered more than 300,000 civilians.

Paul Theroux left Victoria Station in April thinking that taking eight trains across Europe, Eastern Europe, the USSR and Mongolia would be the easy way to get to the Chinese border. The reality, of course, was very different. In fact, Theroux experienced a decidedly odd and unexpected trip to China that set the challenging tone for his journey.

This story takes readers back to Shanghai in the 1920s, through World War II, and the harrowing events that lead to Winnie's arrival in America in 1949.

Olivia is only 5 years old when Kwan, her 17 year-old half sister arrives from China and turns her world upside down. Olivia wants only to lead a normal American life, but her childhood betrayal of Kwan has lasting consequences.