book-jan-feb2011

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B O O K s

Top 10 books to read about China Sara Naumann I love a good travelogue as much as I do a historical novel. When I first visit a place, I personally find I don’t do much reading about it before I go. I dislike having pre-conceptions about what I’m going to find. That said, I usually end up spending half a day in the English-language bookstores looking for books to read on the place once I’m there. This list should save you that trouble. By all means, read them before you go, but if you’re like me, buy a few to take along to read once you’ve arrived in China. Carl Crow, a Tough Old China Hand: The Life, Times, and Adventures of an America Follow intrepid Crow from Missouri to Shanghai at the turn of the twentieth century and watch Shanghai change from a riverside village to the Paris of the East through his eyes. Mr. French is himself an old China hand and occasionally speaks about Carl Crow in Shanghai and abroad. Certainly try to catch one of his talks if you happen to be in town at the time. Author: Paul French Chasing the Monk’s Shadow With one foot in the seventh century following Xuanzang, a Chinese monk who traveled from China to India visiting Buddhist holy sites, and the other foot in the twenty-first trailing Xuanzang’s quest, Saran’s travelogue is a spellbinding journey between historical storytelling and day-by-day travel. Author: Mishi Saran Factory Girls Narrative reportage of life in Dongguan, China’s “factory” to the world.

The author hangs out with migrant women who come seeking their fortunes from all over China. It’s an amazing window into real peoples’ lives and makes you stop and think about the hands that put together your Nike shoes and Apple iPhone. Chang’s own family narrative is slightly less interesting but the book is worth a read. Author: Leslie T. Chang Fried Eggs with Chopsticks A more recent travelogue than Riding the Iron Rooster, Evans travels by rail and bus to interesting parts of China. A sole woman traveler, it’s a good read if you’re thinking about backpacking or traveling on your own. Author: Polly Evans Leaving Mother Lake: A Girlhood at the Edge of the World While the author is a bit selfaggrandizing, this tale is an interesting one of China’s minority cultures colliding with the modern day. Co-authors: Yang Erche Namu & Christine Mathieu

|58| India-China Chronicle  January-February 2011

Mr. China The quintessential book on doing business in China. Anyone who is even thinking remotely about it should read Mr. China for the full scoop on how it is to do business with locals. It’s a hilarious read, but should make you pause before you dive head-first into a business venture...while there are a billion customers there are at least as many headaches, or worse. Author: Tim Clissold Oracle Bones Fascinating interwoven tales of everyday people that the author meets and knows in China with stories of China’s archeological history. One of the most readable accounts of China today I’ve come across. Author: Peter Hessler (Peter Hessler is my favorite China author. Read his books if you don’t read any others about China.) Red China Blues: My Long March From Mao to Now A self-avowed Maoist and one of the first two foreign students allowed

entry to China in 1972 to study at Beijing University, the author narrates a fascinating picture of how it was to be a student under Mao Zedong. She describes with wit her battle with her inner convictions to Mao Zedong Thought and the everyday craziness that went along with its implementation. She struggles for the “privilege” to join her worker-peasantstudent classmates in hard labor both in the countryside and in machinery factories. And while she believes in

the thought-reform that would come from such manual labor, she secretly eats imported sweets and celebrates on return to Beijing with a big meal at her favorite restaurant. Author: Jan Wong Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China Join Mr. Theroux on his train journey throughout China in the late 1980s. This is a great introduction to

travel in the different areas of China, although things have certainly gotten a lot easier since Mr. Theroux’s journey. Author: Paul Theroux Shanghai: The Rise and Fall of a Decadent City A well-told history of Shanghai. This book really takes you down the laneways and into the opium dens of Shanghai in the 1920s and 30s. Author: Stella Dong 

January-February 2011  India-China Chronicle |59|


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