This morning (I say morning... it's a weekend and I still relish not working at weekends so actually more like lunchtime) Chinese For Dummies was presented to me by my Dad as I crunched through my Special K.
"Thank you Dad" I said
"You're welcome Clare" he replied, "I thought you'd like some reading material, and look, there's a CD in the back that you're brother never touched..."
(Some background information for you: my older brother went with i-to-i to Xian to teach the tour guides for the Terracotta Warriors about 4 years ago and it's his Chinese for Dummies was fished out of the loft for me)
This got me thinking about reading material and how best to prepare myself for the trip... so I made myself a cup of tea and began thinking about making a myself a Reading List to cover Chinese history, culture, politics, language etc etc both fiction and non-fiction (Dad is right, I do like reading material) since I've got a good six months of time and i know pratically NOTHING about China beyond what watching Disney's Mulan and the 2008 Olymics has taught me.
I also thought that you good folk might a)be interested, b)have suggestions and c)have also enjoyed Mulan and bonding could be done over this, so here is my Reading List so far bearing in mind that I am still in my pyjamas and will not be fully awake until my second cup of tea:
1. Chinese For Dummies
2. Lonely Planet, China
3. Empress Orchid, Anchee Min (Wikipedia says: sympathetic account of the life of Empress Dowager Cixi - from her humble beginnings to her rise as the Empress Dowager) started to read this a few years ago but didn't get round to finishing - now there are sequals and I'll try again :)
4. The Maker of Heavenly Trousers, Daniele Vare (Google Books summary: A story of China but merely China as a setting for the commingling of European races, American, English, Italian, Russian, China as an all-pervading influence that keys the motivation and the tempo. The title simply refers to a quaint sign which the story teller cannot resist salvaging for his own doorway. The story is that of an author who befriends a small girl -- and eventually finds love) Granny Wilson recommended this one...
5. All Under Heaven: A Complete History of China, Rayne Kruger (Amazon.co.uk seems enthused, so I will try and get it out of the library)
So this is my reading list so far, any suggestions SHARE SHARE SHARE!
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The film you mentioned sounds good. I will definitely check it out.
Empress Orchid and the follow up.. can't remember the title are also great books about the same sort of thing.
I also enjoyed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. About a secret womans writing in the Hunan province, in the times when they still did foot binding and such. Very interesting. :)
Not exactly reading but a Sino-centric movie I've particularly enjoyed is 'The Last Emperor' (9 Academy Awards including best picture).
It's the story of Pu Yi and his life beginning in 1908 as the Qing dynasty boy ruler of over half the world's population, through forced abdication, to life outside the Forbidden City after his expulsion from the palace in 1924 and his final years of humiliation.
Brilliant acting, fantasic cinematography and all the rest, plus a unique insight into the cultural and social heritage of China. Sheesh, I sound like a bit of a movie buff (I'm not really), but anybody interested in Chinese history will enjoy this movie.
Oh, BTW, I have the DVD :)
I'd second Wild Swans and River Town, but also ORACLE BONES (also by Peter Hessler) and CHINA ROAD, about British correspondent Rob Gifford and his travel on one road that spans the country, starting in Shanghai and ending at the China/Turkestan border. Really fantastic look at how vastly different China is, from the city to the further west you go.
Amy Tan's THE JOY LUCK CLUB is a good look at what women had to deal with through China's last century, and RED SCARF GIRL by Ji-li Jiang is a Excellent account (and written at 6-9th grade reading level, so easy to get through) of the horrors of the Cultural Revolution (In fact, the author grew up only a couple blocks away from my father and he can attest that everything she wrote is true.)
Also, to clarify, Chinese Lonely Planet is only banned because of the maps in the front. Tear out the maps (I think it's because they include Tibet) and you're good to go. OR, just replace its book cover and they'll have no clue- this is one time where they do actually only judge a book by its cover!
Oooo some good recommendations there, will have to try and pick some of them up. I have Chinese for Dummies kicking about somewhere but I can't bring myself to look at it at the moment :)
Found it amusing that according to WikiTravel (<font color="#4698cb">http://wikitravel.org/en/China#Banned_items</font> ) the Chinese Lonely Planet is a banned book :/
ooh, Empress Orchid is a good book! Also loved Amy Tan - The Bonesetter's daughter. My reading list includes Wild Swans (Jung Chang) and my friend recommended River Town: Two years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler which is about his experiences living in China as a foreign teacher.
Awesome, thanks guys :)
You should definately read China Seas by John Harris, its a big read (1000+ pages) but it is very gripping. It is fiction but is based around non-fiction starting in the late 1800's and ending in 1950's it follows this one man from being a child through his teens and into adulthood getting married and meeting pirates and having love affairs etc, here is the link to amazon; http://www.amazon.com/China-Seas-John-Harris/dp/0755102401 it's the US site but I'm sure you can find the UK one somewhere. I really enjoyed reading this about 3 years ago!
Naisbitt, J. and Naisbitt, D. (2010). China's Megatrends: The 8 Pillars of a New Society. ISBN 13: 9780061859441 ISBN 10: 0061859443.
Description:
Offers a perspective on the transformation that is reshaping China's economic, social, and political systems. This title includes information across China's provinces and cities. It argues that, while the US struggles to restore its position in the world, China is creating an entirely fresh social and economic model for a 21st-century.
My wife got this book (Chinese version) last year, but was released in English this year. She says it's an interesting read.
Oh, love this post! Means you'll def have something good to read on the plane.
If you're after suggestions, I'd add The River at the Centre of the World to your list - it sounds a bit boring (it's about one bloke's trip up the Yangzee) at first, but is totally not - it gives loads of incredible insights into Chinese culture and history so is definitely worth getting your hands on!
Good luck with the Chinese for dummies - hopefully you'll get more use out of it than your brother :)
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