Early Civilization in China, Willaim Watson, Thames and Hudson, 1966
143 pages. ASIN B0018GTEK2 Details/purchase ➚
A very creditable but now dated survey of Chinese art from the earliest times (Neolithic) up to the start of the Han dynasty. Many useful and attractive illustrations of pottery and bronzes over the two thousand years. The development of a uniquely 'Chinese style' is made evident from the evolution of form and ornamentation. This is a book based around archaeology and art history and not dynastic history.
Emperor of China, Jonathan Spence, Vintage Books, 1974
It is amazing to read about the life of a great Emperor in his own words. Emperor Kangxi reigned over 60 years (1661 to 1722) and his humanity, scepticism and sheer hard work are expressed in his writings. He is rightly regarded as one of the great emperors. He took care to rule as wisely as he could and was not above self-criticism. A fascinating book from the great Jonathan Spence.
Everyday Life in Early Imperial China, Michael Lowe, Carousel, 1973
This book looks in detail at life in China in the Han dynasty period. Although there is a lot written about Imperial life, the lot of ordinary people is rarely touched on. I find Michael Loewe's style hard to read, it is rather wordy, dry and scholarly. Even so, there are few books that concentrate on this very important time in China's formation.
Experiences of China, Percy Cradock, John Murray, 1999
319 pages. ISBN 0-7195-6042-X Details/purchase ➚
The perspective of a senior English diplomat is a useful viewpoint on China's often fraught relations with Britain and the West from the 1960s to the year 2000. The burning down of the British mission building in 1967 is one of the worst diplomatice incidents with the cultural revolution at its height. There is much to be learned from the book about how to negotiate with the Chinese government - there is detailed history of the negotiations over the Hong Kong hand-over. The book has however rather little about China or Chinese people - very much the view from within the embassy.
Feng Shui, Stephen Skinner, Parragon, 1997
96 pages. ISBN 978-0752523859 Details/purchase ➚
This book gives an introduction to Feng Shui for Westerners written by a Westerner covering only the basic principles. It has many colorful illustrations and suggestions on applying Feng Shui to building and garden design. It has very little to say about Daoism or China.
Five Essays on Philosophy, Mao Tsetung, Foreign Languages Press, 1977
To understand the early days of the PRC it is necessary to know Mao Zedong's mindset. This rare book puts forth his thinking in his own words. The essays were written between 1937-57 and have been carefully hand-picked to justify his own position on key strategies.
Fun with Chinese Characters, The Straits Times, Federal Publications,1982
176 pages. ISBN 981-01-3004-X Details/purchase ➚
Published in three volumes this set of books is a unique exposition of the origin and meaning of about 450 of the most commonly used characters. Each character has a humorous cartoon suggesting how the character can be understood and there are notes on how it evolved from its ancient form. Each page also has a useful list of 'words' and phrases that use the character and an example sentence. This is a powerful and interesting way to learn Chinese characters while picking up a little Chinese culture and history along the way.
400 pages. ISBN 0-00-255584-0 Details/purchase ➚
This is one of Jonathan Spence's most important contributions to the understanding of Chinese History. He covers the subject of the Taiping Rebellion in great detail and with scholarship. He concentrates on Hong and his inner circle rather than the ordinary Chinese. However, I have to take issue with his title 'God's Chinese Son' is a mistranslation of the Chinese and makes it sound more sensational a claim than it actually was. It represents a time when Western ideas and religions were being absorbed and merged with Chinese culture with devastating results.
History: China Handbook Series, Foreign Languages Press, 1982
190 pages. ISBN 0-8351-0985-2 Details/purchase ➚
This rare book was produced in Beijing to set out the official Chinese Communist Party's view of history. It is interesting to read Chinese history from this perspective. As you would expect the sufferings of the mass of people is given coverage rather than squabbles among Imperial families. It lacks an index which is a shame. The style is fairly 'official' and full of facts and there are no source references. It is the sort of book you need to read to see Chinese History from another angle, it is then possible to identify the points of divergence and interpretation compared to scholarly but 'foreign' historians.
Inside the Red Mansion, Oliver August, John Murray, 2007
This book was banned in China. It is a slow, tortuous story of the tracking down of the Xiamen 'criminal' Lai Changxing who built up a personal empire and fortune in the 1990s. It lifts the lid on the sleazy world of brothels, corrupt officials and fugitives attracted to a boomtown in the throes of rapid economic transformation. The style is by way of sets of conversations, many of which seem to be irrelevant sidelines to the main story of Lai's eventual capture and imprisonment. A useful guide to the less seemly side of modern China.
Insight Guides: China, APA publications, 1994
Every travel guide to China seeks to say something different about the country. This nicely illustrated book covers most regions of China as well as customs and traditions. The copy I have is rather out-of-date and the articles that are written by a variety of contributors vary in quality. It is not the best guide book available for travelers.
192 pages. ASIN B005M2AHY0 Details/purchase ➚
A light hearted look at the contrasting customs and traditions in China. Useful for anyone wishing to live in China for a while. A little short on details, but the cartoons are great fun. Somewhat aimed at business traveller with a section on do's and dont's of business deals.
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Life along the Silk Road, Susan Whitfield, University of California Press, 1999
The book is a noble attempt to reconstruct the lives of ordinary travelers along the silk road in ancient times. However I found the style difficult to engage with, there are a large number of places and people to try to remember. Inventive narrative does not mix well with factual history. It is written to imitate Chaucer's Canterbury Tales - the same road seen from different perspectives: a merchant, a monk, a horseman, a princess... The book covers a lot about Central Asia rather than China, so that is probably why I found it a hard read.
Lion and dragon in northern China, Reginald Johnston, Murray, 1910
Reginald Johnston went on to be the Emperor Pu Yi's tutor and friend so it is to be expected that he knew a thing or two about China. This book is not a history or diary, it is a collection of musing on the traditions, legal system and religion of China at the time that he was governor of the British colony at Weihaiwei, Shandong.
Little-known Chinese Festivals,Shanghai Daily, Shanghai Daily, eBook
75 pages. ASIN B00GZV7K24 Details/purchase ➚
This little book covers the rarer Chinese festivals. It gives the legendary background and how the events are celebrated in China.
Lonely Planet: China, 1988
821 pages. ISBN 0-86442-003-X Details/purchase ➚
I have the 1988 edition of the Lonely Planet guide. This was written for the first back-packer tourists when China opened its doors to tourism. The descriptions of historic sites is still useful but the rest is now out-of-date: places to stay; transport and places to eat. The style is very informal, as a well informed, young traveler would write. It has a basic 160 page guide to everything a traveler needs to know covering history, culture and language. Later editions have been updated and improved but I would still go for the Eyewitness China guide instead.
Mandarin Chinese: The Rough Guide Phrasebook, Rough Guides, Penguin Books, 1999
This is a pocket book reference for the traveler with a little knowledge of Chinese. It gives characters and a phonetic spelling of words. It is arranged as a set of useful phrases then an English to Chinese dictionary followed by Chinese to English and finally groups of related Chinese words. A handy guide.
Mao : A Life, Philip Short, Hodder and Stoughton, 1988
782 pages. ISBN 0-340-60624-X Details/purchase ➚
There are a number of biographies of Mao Zedong available. Nigel Short has written a comprehensive and authoritative work on this often divisive subject. There are over 100 pages of notes and references. It is quite a hard read as the author immersed himself in the detail and many people and places are mentioned in passing without descriptive background. In terms of political balance Short gets it about right - neither too adulatory nor too denigratory.
New dynasty
The Xin or 'new' dynasty 新朝 was not all that 'new' as it reigned from 9 to 23CE and lasted all of 14 years. It was the creation of Wang Mang whose reign marks the division of the Han dynasty into Western and Eastern parts.
Massacres of Christians by heathen Chinese and horrors of the Boxers, Harold Irwin Cleveland, Miller, 1900
Disregard the title, this is not a polemic about the evil Chinese; in fact it is really a China reference guide covering all aspects of China as they were in 1900. It is fascinating to read attitudes and misunderstandings that were prevalent at the time. It is a bit disorderly and misleading, the chapter on China and India for example is more about Christian missionary work on China. Subjects covered include: geography (provinces, mountains, rivers); education; missionaries; Korea; Japan; England and Russia; Treaty ports; Army and Navy; the Emperor; Mandarins; Railways; Tea; Opium etc.. Basically a reference to all that was known at the time. It does have a detailed chronology and background to the Boxer Rebellion which gives the book its title - the hot topic at the time.