Best of
China
2011
Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
Ezra F. Vogel - 2011
And no scholar is better qualified than Ezra Vogel to disentangle the contradictions embodied in the life and legacy of China's boldest strategist--the pragmatic, disciplined force behind China's radical economic, technological, and social transformation.
On China
Henry Kissinger - 2011
Drawing on historical records as well as his conversations with Chinese leaders over the past forty years, Kissinger examines how China has approached diplomacy, strategy, and negotiation throughout its history, and reflects on the consequences for the global balance of power in the 21st century. Since no other country can claim a more powerful link to its ancient past and classical principles, any attempt to understand China's future world role must begin with an appreciation of its long history. For centuries, China rarely encountered other societies of comparable size and sophistication; it was the "Middle Kingdom," treating the peoples on its periphery as vassal states. At the same time, Chinese statesmen-facing threats of invasion from without, and the contests of competing factions within-developed a canon of strategic thought that prized the virtues of subtlety, patience, and indirection over feats of martial prowess. In On China, Kissinger examines key episodes in Chinese foreign policy from the classical era to the present day, with a particular emphasis on the decades since the rise of Mao Zedong. He illuminates the inner workings of Chinese diplomacy during such pivotal events as the initial encounters between China and modern European powers, the formation and breakdown of the Sino-Soviet alliance, the Korean War, Richard Nixon's historic trip to Beijing, and three crises in the Taiwan Straits. Drawing on his extensive personal experience with four generation of Chinese leaders, he brings to life towering figures such as Mao, Zhou Enlai, and Deng Xiaoping, revealing how their different visions have shaped China's modern destiny. With his singular vantage on U.S.-China relations, Kissinger traces the evolution of this fraught but crucial relationship over the past 60 years, following its dramatic course from estrangement to strategic partnership to economic interdependence, and toward an uncertain future. With a final chapter on the emerging superpower's 21st-century world role, On China provides an intimate historical perspective on Chinese foreign affairs from one of the premier statesmen of the 20th century.
Shanzhai: Deconstruction in Chinese
Byung-Chul Han - 2011
These cell phones were not crude forgeries but multifunctional, stylish, and as good as or better than the originals. Shanzhai has since spread into other parts of Chinese life, with shanzhai books, shanzhai politicians, shanzhai stars. There is a shanzhai Harry Potter: Harry Potter and the Porcelain Doll, in which Harry takes on his nemesis Yandomort. In the West, this would be seen as piracy, or even desecration, but in Chinese culture, originals are continually transformed -- deconstructed. In this volume in the Untimely Meditations series, Byung-Chul Han traces the thread of deconstruction, or "decreation," in Chinese thought, from ancient masterpieces that invite inscription and transcription to Maoism -- "a kind a shanzhai Marxism," Han writes.
Han discusses the Chinese concepts of quan, or law, which literally means the weight that slides back and forth on a scale, radically different from Western notions of absoluteness; zhen ji, or original, determined not by an act of creation but by unending process; xian zhan, or seals of leisure, affixed by collectors and part of the picture's composition; fuzhi, or copy, a replica of equal value to the original; and shanzhai. The Far East, Han writes, is not familiar with such "pre-deconstructive" factors as original or identity. Far Eastern thought begins with deconstruction.
China in Ten Words
Yu Hua - 2011
In “Disparity,” for example, Yu Hua illustrates the mind-boggling economic gaps that separate citizens of the country. In “Copycat,” he depicts the escalating trend of piracy and imitation as a creative new form of revolutionary action. And in “Bamboozle,” he describes the increasingly brazen practices of trickery, fraud, and chicanery that are, he suggests, becoming a way of life at every level of society. Characterized by Yu Hua’s trademark wit, insight, and courage, China in Ten Words is a refreshingly candid vision of the “Chinese miracle” and all its consequences, from the singularly invaluable perspective of a writer living in China today.
The Hall of Uselessness: Collected Essays
Simon Leys - 2011
The Hall of Uselessness forms the most complete collection yet of Leys’ fascinating essays, from Quixotism to China, from the sea to literature.Leys feuds with Christopher Hitchens, ponders the popularity of Victor Hugo and analyses the posthumous publication of Nabokov’s unfinished novel. He offers valuable insights into Mao’s Cultural Revolution and the Khmer Rouge, and discusses Orwell, Waugh and Confucius. He considers the intertwined nature of Chinese art, culture and history alongside the joys and difficulties of literary translation. The Hall of Uselessness is an illuminating compendium from a brilliant and highly acclaimed writer – a long-time resident of Australia who is truly a global citizen.
No Enemies, No Hatred: Selected Essays and Poems
Xiaobo Liu - 2011
In Oslo, actress Liv Ullmann read a long statement the activist had prepared for his 2009 trial. It read in part: I stand by the convictions I expressed in my June Second Hunger Strike Declaration twenty years ago I have no enemies and no hatred. None of the police who monitored, arrested, and interrogated me, none of the prosecutors who indicted me, and none of the judges who judged me are my enemies.That statement is one of the pieces in this book, which includes writings spanning two decades, providing insight into all aspects of Chinese life. These works not only chronicle a leading dissident s struggle against tyranny but enrich the record of universal longing for freedom and dignity. Liu speaks pragmatically, yet with deep-seated passion, about peasant land disputes, the Han Chinese in Tibet, child slavery, the CCP s Olympic strategy, the Internet in China, the contemporary craze for Confucius, and the Tiananmen massacre. Also presented are poems written for his wife, Liu Xia, public documents, and a foreword by Vaclav Havel.This collection is an aid to reflection for Western readers who might take for granted the values Liu has dedicated his life to achieving for his homeland.
The Bridge
Kay Bratt - 2011
Not just any bridge—but a special one because it has always been known as The Lucky Bridge. In olden days it was said that to walk over it during a marriage ceremony, or at the beginning of the New Year would bring the traveler good luck. Because of its reputation, over the years it has also become a popular place for young mothers to abandon their children. What to some may seem cruel is in reality their final gift to their offspring—one last chance to send them off to their new destinies with luck on their side. Jing, an old woman, is the unofficial and often reluctant guardian of the bridge. When no one else will, Jing steps in to prevent the children from frostbite, abuse and hunger, and then she delivers them safely to the orphanage. This has been her routine for many years, but what does Jing do when the latest child, a blind boy, burrows deep into her heart? Read ‘The Bridge’ to see how Fei Fei’s life is changed by the love of a lonely old woman. The Bridge is a short story of 17,000 words, approximately 72 pages. Fei Fei’s character is based on a real orphaned boy that Kay Bratt met during her time in China. Don't miss these other great books by Kay Bratt! Full length books currently available on Kindle "Silent Tears; A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage” and “Chasing China; A Daughter’s Quest for Truth”.
Chasing China: A Daughter's Quest for Truth
Kay Bratt - 2011
She is grateful for her life, but now that she is on the precipice of total independence, she feels she is missing something. Determined to learn more of her past, Mia hops a plane to the country of her birth. As she follows the red thread back through her motherland, she is enamored by the history and culture of her heritage, strengthening her resolve to find the truth of her beginnings, even as Chinese officials struggle to keep it buried. With an unwavering spirit of determination, Mia battles the forces stacked against her and uncovers a truth that will change her life.
Nine Nights with the Taoist Master
Waysun Liao - 2011
In the midst of war between barbarians and China's feudal states, Lao Tzu travels to a turbulent border city. At the prince's invitation, the sage spends nine colorful nights with the prince, scholars, traders, courtiers and monks explaining the secrets of the Tao's power. In this one of a kind book, the author breaks the secret code of the Tao Te Ching, conveying the oral tradition of lineage Tao masters that sheds light on the Tao Te Ching's life-changing teachings of mysticism and meditation. Additionally, Master Liao's translation of the Tao Te Ching is given in separate appendices in their entirety.About the AuthorFrom the age of twelve, Waysun Liao studied with a wandering Taoist and in a Taoist temple until he became a full Taichi and Tao master. Considered one of the world's foremost authorities on traditional Taoist wisdom and Chi arts, he is the founder and master of one of the oldest Taichi centers in North America, located in Oak Park, Illinois. He is one of the few remaining Tao masters carrying and transmitting the ancient oral traditions concerning the power of Tao, and shares his wisdom with students across the world.Master Liao is the author of several books, including Tao: The Way of God, Chi: Discovering Your Life Energy, and the acclaimed T'ai Chi Classics, which has been translated into nine languages. In addition, he has compiled a complete Taichi learning system on DVD, preserving the ancient temple teachings on moving meditation, the Tao, and internal energy development.
Great Expectations: Part 2: Mandarin Companion Graded Readers Level 2
John Pasden - 2011
A gripping tale of love and loss, aspiration and moral redemption, the story follows the young orphan Xiaomao (Pip) from poverty to a life of unexpected opportunity and wealth. In Part 2, Xiaomao (Pip) leaves his life of poverty behind to seek his fortunes in Shanghai and win the heart of the beautiful yet cold-hearted Bingbing (Estella). Xiaomao’s world is turned upside down when his mysterious benefactor is revealed and his deepest secrets are brought into the light of day. Mandarin Companion is a series of easy-to-read novels in Chinese that are fun to read and proven to accelerate language learning. Every book in the Mandarin Companion series is carefully written to use characters, words, and grammar that a learner is likely to know. Level 2 is intended for Chinese learners at a low intermediate level, equivalent to roughly two to three years of formal study. Most learners who have been able to fluidly read Mandarin Companion Level 1 should be able to read this book. This series is designed to combine simplicity of characters with an easy-to-understand storyline that helps learners grow their vocabulary and language comprehension abilities. The more they read, the better they will become at reading and grasping the Chinese language. Visit www.MandarinCompanion.com for updates on the newest titles and learning resources.
God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China
Liao Yiwu - 2011
In fact, hed been taught that religion was evil, and that those who believed in it were deluded, cultists, or imperialist spies. But as a writer whose work has been banned in China and has even landed him in jail, Liao felt a kinship with Chinese Christians in their unwavering commitment to the freedom of expression and to finding meaning in a tumultuous society. Unwilling to let his nation lose memory of its past or deny its present, Liao set out to document the untold stories of brave believers whose totalitarian government could not break their faith in God, including: * The over-100-year-old nun who persevered in spite of beatings, famine, and decades of physical labor, and still fights for the rightful return of church land seized by the government* The surgeon who gave up a lucrative Communist hospital administrator position to treat villagers for free in the remote, mountainous regions of southwestern China* The Protestant minister, now memorialized in Londons Westminster Abbey, who was executed during the Cultural Revolution as an incorrigible counterrevolutionary This ultimately triumphant tale of a vibrant church thriving against all odds serves as both a powerful conversation about politics and spirituality and a moving tribute to Chinas valiant shepherds of faith, who prove that a totalitarian government cannot control what is in peoples hearts.
For a Song and a Hundred Songs: A Poet's Journey Through a Chinese Prison
Liao Yiwu - 2011
A young poet named Liao Yiwu, who had up until then lead an apolitical bohemian existence, found his voice in that moment, and, like the solitary man who stood firmly in front of a line of tanks, Liao proclaimed his outrage—only his weapon would be his words. Liao's memoir, For a Song and a Hundred Songs, captures the four dehumanizing years he spent in jail for writing the incendiary poem "Massacre." Through the power and beauty of his prose, he reveals the brutal reality of crowded Chinese prisons—the harassment from guards and fellow prisoners, the torture, the conflicts among human beings in close confinement, and the boredom of everyday life. Hailed by Philip Gourevitch as "one of the most original and remarkable Chinese writers of our time," Liao presents a stark and devastating portrait of a nation in flux, exposing a side of China that outsiders rarely ever get to see. This honest account and witness to history will forever change the way you view the rising superpower of China.
The Gender of Memory: Rural Women and China’s Collective Past
Gail Hershatter - 2011
Interweaving these women’s life histories with insightful analysis, Hershatter shows how Party-state policy became local and personal, and how it affected women’s agricultural work, domestic routines, activism, marriage, childbirth, and parenting—even their notions of virtue and respectability. The women narrate their pasts from the vantage point of the present and highlight their enduring virtues, important achievements, and most deeply harbored grievances. In showing what memories can tell us about gender as an axis of power, difference, and collectivity in 1950s rural China and the present, Hershatter powerfully examines the nature of socialism and how gender figured in its creation.
The Cultural Revolution Cookbook: Simple, Healthy Recipes from China's Countryside
Sasha Gong - 2011
The work was backbreaking and rations were tight, but Sasha Gong has fond memories of learning to make simple, delicious country cooking. A collection of delectable, healthy, and easy-to-make Chinese recipes from the villages interspersed with a personal narrative and bits of historical context, this cookbook contains authentic Chinese dishes ranging from honey-braised duck to stir-fried rice made from ingredients found at local grocery stores. Chinese history buffs and foodies alike will enjoy discovering the integral connection between Chinese culture and food.
Lost Colony: The Untold Story of China's First Great Victory over the West
Tonio Andrade - 2011
Yet, in the Sino-Dutch War--Europe's first war with China--the Dutch met their match in a colorful Chinese warlord named Koxinga. Part samurai, part pirate, he led his generals to victory over the Dutch and captured one of their largest and richest colonies--Taiwan. How did he do it? Examining the strengths and weaknesses of European and Chinese military techniques during the period, Lost Colony provides a balanced new perspective on long-held assumptions about Western power, Chinese might, and the nature of war.It has traditionally been asserted that Europeans of the era possessed more advanced science, technology, and political structures than their Eastern counterparts, but historians have recently contested this view, arguing that many parts of Asia developed on pace with Europe until 1800. While Lost Colony shows that the Dutch did indeed possess a technological edge thanks to the Renaissance fort and the broadside sailing ship, that edge was neutralized by the formidable Chinese military leadership. Thanks to a rich heritage of ancient war wisdom, Koxinga and his generals outfoxed the Dutch at every turn.Exploring a period when the military balance between Europe and China was closer than at any other point in modern history, Lost Colony reassesses an important chapter in world history and offers valuable and surprising lessons for contemporary times.-- "Library Journal"
Ai Weiwei's Blog: Writings, Interviews, and Digital Rants, 2006-2009
Weiwei Ai - 2011
For more than three years, Ai Weiwei turned out a steady stream of scathing social commentary, criticism of government policy, thoughts on art and architecture, and autobiographical writings. He wrote about the Sichuan earthquake (and posted a list of the schoolchildren who died because of the government's "tofu-dregs engineering"), reminisced about Andy Warhol and the East Village art scene, described the irony of being investigated for "fraud" by the Ministry of Public Security, made a modest proposal for tax collection. Then, on June 1, 2009, Chinese authorities shut down the blog. This book offers a collection of Ai's notorious online writings translated into English--the most complete, public documentation of the original Chinese blog available in any language.The New York Times called Ai "a figure of Warholian celebrity." He is a leading figure on the international art scene, a regular in museums and biennials, but in China he is a manifold and controversial presence: artist, architect, curator, social critic, justice-seeker. He was a consultant on the design of the famous "Bird's Nest" stadium but called for an Olympic boycott; he received a Chinese Contemporary Art "lifetime achievement award" in 2008 but was beaten by the police in connection with his "citizen investigation" of earthquake casualties in 2009. Ai Weiwei's Blog documents Ai's passion, his genius, his hubris, his righteous anger, and his vision for China.
The Far Side of the Sky
Daniel Kalla - 2011
Meanwhile, the Japanese Imperial Army rampages through China and tightens its stranglehold on Shanghai, a city that becomes the last haven for thousands of desperate European Jews.
Dr. Franz Adler, a renowned surgeon, is swept up in the wave of anti-Semitic violence and flees to Shanghai with his daughter. At a refugee hospital, Franz meets an enigmatic nurse, Soon Yi Sunny Mah. The chemistry between them is intense and immediate, but Sunnyâ's life is shattered when a drunken Japanese sailor murders her father.
The danger escalates for Shanghaiâ's Jews as the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. Facing starvation and disease, Franz struggles to keep the refugee hospital open and protect his family from a terrible fate.
The Far Side of the Sky focuses on a short but extraordinary period of Chinese, Japanese, and Jewish history when cultures converged and heroic sacrifices were part of the everyday quest for survival.
The Religious Question in Modern China
Vincent Goossaert - 2011
The Religious Question in Modern China highlights parallels and contrasts between historical events, political regimes, and cultural movements to explore how religion has challenged and responded to secular Chinese modernity, from 1898 to the present. Vincent Goossaert and David A. Palmer piece together the puzzle of religion in China not by looking separately at different religions in different contexts, but by writing a unified story of how religion has shaped, and in turn been shaped by, modern Chinese society. From Chinese medicine and the martial arts to communal temple cults and revivalist redemptive societies, the authors demonstrate that from the nineteenth century onward, as the Chinese state shifted, the religious landscape consistently resurfaced in a bewildering variety of old and new forms. The Religious Question in Modern China integrates historical, anthropological, and sociological perspectives in a comprehensive overview of China’s religious history that is certain to become an indispensible reference for specialists and students alike.
Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy
Bryan W. Van Norden - 2011
It provides the beginner with an accurate, sophisticated, yet accessible account, and offers new insights and challenging perspectives to those who have more specialized knowledge. Focusing on the period in Chinese philosophy that is surely most easily approachable and perhaps is most important, it ranges over of rich set of competing options. It also, with admirable self-consciousness, presents a number of daring attempts to relate those options to philosophical figures and movements from the West. I recommend it very highly.--Lee H. Yearley, Walter Y. Evans-Wentz Professor, Religious Studies, Stanford University
Ordinary World
Lu Yao - 2011
A literary masterpiece which has been transformed into a popular television series of the same name. The book presents a panoramic view of modern Chinese life, in both urban and rural areas. For over a decade, the writer portrays the intricate layers of daily life through complex relationships. Work and love, setbacks and pursuits, sorrows and joys, as well as intriguing social conflicts, intertwine to present the unexpected twists and turns of ordinary people during a volatile time.
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang | Summary & Study Guide
BookRags - 2011
61 pages of summaries and analysis on Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang.This comprehensive study guide includes the following sections written by BookRags.com: Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, and Topics for Discussion.
Developing Chinese Intermediate Listening Course 1
You Fu - 2011
Based on the well-designed structure of the first edition, this edition adds more elements in tune with the times. It includes 28 volumes with altogether 34 books. Combining the cultivation of integrated language skills with the training of specific language skills in its compilation, this set of textbooks can be divides into three levels (elementary, intermediate and advanced) and five series (comprehensive, listening, speaking, reading and writing), among which the comprehensive series is the bulk and the others are the accompanying series. The overall purpose is to develop and improve the students' Chinese language skills, Chinese communication skills, integrated Chinese capabilities as well as enhance their interest and ability in learning Chinese. The whole set has made some new attempts to diversify the language styles and registers, to systemize and specialize language elements, language knowledge and the training of language skills, to reveal the rich and varied social life in modern China and to show the diverse and tolerant Chinese culture. The Intermediate Listening Course (I), with altogether 30 lessons, is suitable for learners who have mastered 2,000-2,500 common Chinese words and acquired basic Chinese communication and listening skills. The texts in it encompass a wide range of topics and are practical in content. Integrated with a task-based teaching concept, the exercises are variously and scientifically designed, with attention paid to the combination of listening and speaking. Having finished this textbook, the learners' will make great progress in listening and comprehending intermediate level Chinese. Each volume of the listening textbooks are composed of two sub-volumes, namely "Exercises and Activities" and "Scripts and Answers", which are independently bound to serve the teachers' needs as well as facilitate the students' reviewing or self-teaching.
The Long March Home
Zoë S. Roy - 2011
Shortly after anti-western sentiment sends her home in a hurry she discovers she is pregnant by him. Attempts by her, and later their daughter, to contact him fail. Her daughter, Meihua, goes to China to look for her father and ends up marrying a Chinese man and teaching art. The Cultural Revolution sees her sent to prison as a American spy suspect and anti-revolutionary, and her husband confined to a gulag. Their children, still at home, are raised by the family's illiterate servant, Yao. Yao's crude manner and resourcefulness partly shield Yezi, Meihua's daughter, and the novel's main character, from family tragedy, poverty and political discrimination, negotiating their survival during the revolution that she barely understands. Only after her mother released, does Yezi hear about her foreign grandmother, Agnes, who lives in Boston and has lost contact with the family since Yezi's birth. Curious about her American ancestry, Yezi now a teenager, joins Agnes in the U.S. Reading her grandmother's diaries helps Yezi get to know her grandmother as a young Canadian missionary and her life in China with the man who is her grandfather, and who her mother longed to find.
Gender and Sexuality in Modern Chinese History
Susan L. Mann - 2011
Moreover, China's late imperial government was arguably more concerned about gender and sexuality among its subjects than any other pre-modern state. Sexual desire and sexual activity were viewed as innate human needs, essential to bodily health and well-being, and universal marriage and reproduction served the state by supplying tax-paying subjects, duly bombarded with propaganda about family values. How did these and other late imperial legacies shape twentieth-century notions of gender and sexuality in modern China? In this wonderfully written and enthralling book, Susan Mann answers that question by focusing in turn on state policy, ideas about the physical body, and notions of sexuality and difference in China's recent history, from medicine to the theater to the gay bar; from law to art and sports. More broadly, the book shows how changes in attitudes toward sex and gender in China during the twentieth century have cast a new light on the process of becoming modern, while simultaneously challenging the universalizing assumptions of Western modernity.
Yingelishi: Sinophonic English Poetry and Poetics
Jonathan Stalling - 2011
Asian & Asian American Studies. Music. The nearly supernatural nature of this groundbreaking work can be glimpsed in the book's title: Y�NGĒL�SHI (Chanted Songs, Beautiful Poetry): SINOPHONIC ENGLISH POETRY AND POETICS. When read aloud, Y�NGĒL�SHI (pronounced yeen guh lee shr) sounds like an accented pronunciation of the word "English," while the Chinese reader sees the Chinese characters for "chanted songs, beautiful poetry." Stalling coined this term (and "Sinophonic English") to give a positive name to an increasingly widespread variation of English created by combining the two dominant languages of globalization (Mandarin Chinese and English). With over 350 million English speakers in China (more than there are Americans alive) many of whom speak English by recombining existing Chinese sounds into English words and sentences, this new hybrid language is already overwhelmingly present, yet its aesthetic potential has not yet been explored. Stalling's book complicates any easy dismissal of so-called Chinglish by creating a genuinely uncanny poetry written entirely in Sinophonic English. Stalling rewrites a common English phrasebook into hauntingly beautiful Chinese poetry (which is all translated into English) that when sung, becomes an uncannily accented libretto, a story of a Chinese tourist's one-way journey into this interstitial language and its sonorous, if disastrous, consequences.
Confucian Role Ethics: A Vocabulary
Roger T. Ames - 2011
The book establishes an interpretive context by exploring some of the cosmological foundations of Confucian philosophy through discussion of commentary on the Yijing (The Book of Changes), Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Chinese cosmology. The author proceeds to delineate the morals and ideals of a Confucian life and its foundation in feelings of familial intimacy and its human-centered religiousness. These ideas are contrasted with the principle and virtue based traditions of the Abrahamic religions as well as of the individualistic tradition beginning in ancient Greece. Lastly, Ames attempts to critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of Confucian role ethics as articulated in the early canonical texts, discussing both its return to prominence and feasibility as a system of ethical conduct for the present day.
Demystifying the Chinese Economy
Justin Yifu Lin - 2011
Despite generations' efforts for national rejuvenation, China did not reverse its fate until it introduced market-oriented reforms in 1979. Since then it has been the most dynamic economy in the world and is likely to regain its position as the world's largest economy before 2030. Based on economic analysis and personal reflection on policy debates, Justin Yifu Lin provides insightful answers to why China was so advanced in premodern times, what caused it to become so poor for almost two centuries, how it grew into a market economy, where its potential is for continuing dynamic growth and what further reforms are needed to complete the transition to a well-functioning, advanced market economy.
Liu Xiaobo's Empty Chair: Chronicling the Reform Movement Beijing Fears Most; Includes the full text of Charter 08 and other primary documents
Perry Link - 2011
In China, that same document has caused officials to throw him in jail with an 11-year sentence that is extraordinary even by Chinese standards, while taking drastic measures to silence any mention of the text. But what is Charter 08 and why has it made Liu such a threat to the Chinese government? Perry Link, a Professor of Chinese literature who has worked closely with the Chinese dissidents who wrote the charter with Liu, for the first time brings together a full English translation of this powerful document and an incisive new profile of Liu himself with a series of short essays chronicling his arrest, show-trial, and imprisonment and the crackdown on the Charter 08 movement since its courageous beginnings two years ago. In an epilogue, Link draws on leaked government documents to reveal Beijing's nervous response to the Arab uprisings in the spring of 2011.
The Politics of China: Sixty Years of the People's Republic of China
Roderick MacFarquhar - 2011
The Chinese people had been ravaged by long years of domestic struggle, terrible famine and economic and political isolation. Today, China has the world's second largest economy and is a major player in global diplomacy. This volume, written by some of the leading experts in the field, tracks China's extraordinary transformation from the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, through the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the death of Chairman Mao, to its dynamic rise as a superpower in the twenty-first century. The latest edition of the book includes a new introduction and a seventh chapter which focuses on the legacy of Deng Xiaoping, the godfather of China's transformation, under his successors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao. Under Mao, China challenged the outside world ideologically and militarily. Today China's challenge as an economic and diplomatic superpower may prove even more formidable. As a comprehensive and authoritative appraisal of China's last sixty years, this book will be invaluable for professionals working in the region and for students assessing what China will mean for their futures.
Mao's Invisible Hand: The Political Foundations of Adaptive Governance in China
Sebastian Heilmann - 2011
The Chinese Communist state, however, seems to have become increasingly adept at responding to challenges ranging from leadership succession and popular unrest to administrative reorganization, legal institutionalization, and global economic integration. What political techniques and procedures have Chinese policymakers employed to manage the unsettling impact of the fastest sustained economic expansion in world history?As the authors of these essays demonstrate, China's political system allows for more diverse and flexible input than would be predicted from its formal structures. Many contemporary methods of governance have their roots in techniques of policy generation and implementation dating to the revolution and early PRC--techniques that emphasize continual experimentation. China's long revolution had given rise to this guerrilla-style decisionmaking as a way of dealing creatively with pervasive uncertainty. Thus, even in a post-revolutionary PRC, the invisible hand of Chairman Mao--tamed, tweaked, and transformed--plays an important role in China's adaptive governance.
How the City Moved to Mr. Sun: China's New Megacities
Michiel Hulshof - 2011
Brush Talks from Dream Brook
Shen Kuo - 2011
Highly valued by scholars for its scientific and technological coverage, this encyclopaedic book is probably the most important source text for technological advances and the organization of knowledge in China's golden age, the Song dynasty (960-1279). Author Shen Kuo is the most famous writer in China's scientific history. The significance of Brush Talks From Dream Brook been thoroughly researched by scholars such as Fu Daiwie but it has not yet gained the recognition it deserves in Western studies on the history of science and technology. Written between 1086 and 1093 in note style, it covers astronomy, mathematics, geography, physics, biology, medicine, military, literary, history, archaeology and music. Now translated into English and available outside of China for the very first time, it's rightly recognised as a masterpiece in the history of Chinese scientific and technological development.
Tea Horse Road: China's Ancient Trade Road to Tibet
Selena Ahmed - 2011
It is also one of the oldest and highest trade routes. Accompanying Michael Freeman's spectacular photographers is text drawing on first-hand experiences, primary research and extensive archival research by Dr. Selena Ahmed. Starting in tea forests in the mountains of southern Yunnan, through Tibet and into India, it explores the rich cultural practices and biological diversity of the communities the Tea Horse Road passes. The audience gets to know the plants and people, the lives and landscapes experienced through the exchange of tea. The book places the historical Tea-Horse Road in a contemporary context through a discussion on current issues including biodiversity, livelihoods, organic farming, globalization, health, and antioxidants. The book should thus be attractive to a wide audience, not just tea enthusiasts, geographers, or naturalists. The authors are well-positioned to write this account as experts in their fields. Michael Freeman is one the most widely published photographers. He has published over120 books, was a leading photographer for Smithsonian for 3 decades, teaches courses on photography, and specializes on the cultures of South East Asia. Ethnobotanist Dr. Selena Ahmed specializes in tea research. She spent 4 years in Yunnan studying links between cultural practices, the environment, and human wellbeing associated with tea production and consumption. She is currently continuing research on tea at the Antioxidants Research Lab at Tufts University.
China's Silent Army: The Pioneers, Traders, Fixers and Workers Who Are Remaking the World in Beijing's Image
Juan Pablo Cardenal - 2011
The first book to examine the unprecedented growth of China's economic investment in the developing world, its impact at the local level, and a rare hands-on picture of the role of ordinary Chinese in the juggernaut that is China, Inc. Beijing-based journalists Juan Pablo Cardenal and Heriberto Araújo crisscrossed the globe from 2009-2011 to investigate how the Chinese are literally making the developing world in their own image. What they discovered is a human story, an economic story, and a political story, one that is changing the course of history and that has never been explored, or reported, in depth and on the ground. The “silent army” to which the authors refer is made up of the many ordinary Chinese citizens working around the world - in the oil industry in Kazakhstan, mining minerals in the Democratic Republic of Congo, building dams in Ecuador, selling hijabs in Cairo - who are contributing to China's global dominance while also leaving their mark in less salutary ways. With original and fresh reporting as well as top-notch writing, China's Silent Army takes full advantage of the Spanish-speaking authors' outsider experience to reveal China's influence abroad in all its most vital implications - for foreign policy, trade, private business, and the environment.
China and Orientalism: Western Knowledge Production and the PRC
Daniel Vukovich - 2011
It has shifted from a logic of 'essential difference' to one of 'sameness' or general equivalence. China is now in a halting but inevitable process of becoming-the-same as the USA and the West. Orientalism is now closer to the cultural logic of capitalism, even as it shows the afterlives of colonial discourse. This shift reflects our era of increasing globalization; the migration of orientalism to area studies and the pax Americana; the liberal triumph at the end of history and the demonization of Maoism; an ever closer Sino-West relationship; and the overlapping of anti-communist and colonial discourses.To make the case for this re-constitution of orientalism, this work offers an inter-disciplinary analysis of the China field broadly defined. Vukovich takes on specialist work on the politics, governance, and history of the Mao and reform eras, from the Great Leap Forward to Tiananmen, 1989; the Western study of Chinese film; recent work in critical theory which turns on 'the China-reference; and other global texts about or from China. Through extensive analysis, the production of Sinological knowledge is shown to be of a piece with Western global intellectual political culture.This work will be of great interest to scholars of Asian, postcolonial and cultural studies.
Inseparable, the Memoirs of an American and the Story of Chinese Punk Rock
David O'Dell - 2011
The book is a rich and uniquely personal collection of stories, over one hundred previously unreleased photos and translated song lyrics from the earliest Chinese punk bands and the dizzying development of the scene - it is unlike anything you have ever read, or ever will read, about China.
Protest with Chinese Characteristics: Demonstrations, Riots, and Petitions in the Mid-Qing Dynasty
Ho-fung Hung - 2011
Reviewing nearly one thousand instances of protest in China from the eighteenth to the early-nineteenth centuries, Ho-fung Hung charts an evolution of Chinese dissent that stands apart from Western trends.Hung samples from mid-Qing petitions and humble plaints to the emperor. He revisits rallies, riots, market strikes, and other forms of contention rarely considered in previous studies. Drawing on new world history, which accommodates parallels and divergences between political-economic and cultural developments East and West, Hung shows how the centralization of political power and an expanding market, coupled with a persistent Confucianist orthodoxy, shaped protesters' strategies and appeals in Qing China.This unique form of mid-Qing protest combined a quest for justice and autonomy with a filial-loyal respect for the imperial center, and Hung's careful research ties this distinct characteristic to popular protest in China today. As Hung makes clear, the nature of these protests prove late imperial China was anything but a stagnant and tranquil empire before the West cracked it open. In fact, the origins of modern popular politics in China predate the 1911 Revolution. Hung's work ultimately establishes a framework others can use to compare popular protest among different cultural fabrics. His book fundamentally recasts the evolution of such acts worldwide.
Following Her Beloved: The Memoirs of Henrietta Shuck Missionary Wife and Mother
Henrietta Hall Shuck - 2011
Henrietta was a devoted daughter who loved her parents dearly. Few daughters could more beautifully illustrate what it means to “honor your father and mother.” However, while she loved her family, she loved Christ more. When missionary Lewis Shuck proposed to Henrietta, she wrote, “The life of a missionary is by no means an easy one—to the comfort and ease of this world she is a stranger—but she enjoys what in my estimation is far better—the presence of the Most High.” Her primary reason for accepting the call was to enjoy the manifest presence of Christ. She accompanied her husband to China not only to proclaim the gospel but to partake of it. She was America's first female missionary to China. As a pioneer missionary wife and mother, her primary ministry was in and through the home. She wrote, “I desire to be a comfort to him who shares my best affections, to train up little ones that God has given us for heaven, and to be the means of bringing into the fold of Christ many Chinese.” She maintained a sweet, submissive spirit during sickness and was marked by perseverance. During dark and perplexing providences, she continued to draw life and love from Christ crucified. She wrote, “What would this world be without an interest in Christ? What but Christ can bear us up under the trials of life? What else can cause us to tread, with joyful steps, the sometimes dark and unknown paths of life? Let us then ever rely on Christ.” After ten years of sowing, she and her husband witnessed the Lord raise up the very first Baptist church in China! After her death, her husband said of her, “She was a most faithful, devoted, affectionate wife and mother, a laborious missionary, and a warm-hearted friend of all. Her prayers and anxious labors for her children and the Chinese will not be in vain. I never knew of one whose faith was stronger. She was a believer in minute providence—her devotions were punctual—her confidence in God unwavering. She was a being of love and a lovely being.” Henrietta labored with her husband and children in China for the sake of the gospel that she might manifest Christ's beauty and display His worth.
Shaking the Heavens & Splitting the Earth: Chinese Air Force Employment Concepts in the 21st Century
Roger Cliff - 2011
It describes how those capabilities and concepts might be realized in a conflict over Taiwan, and assesses the implications of China implementing them.
Chinese Martial Arts
Peter A. Lorge - 2011
However, for thousands of years, they were a central feature of military practice in China and essential for the smooth functioning of society. Individuals who were adept in using weapons were highly regarded, not simply as warriors but also as tacticians and performers. This book, which opens with an intriguing account of the very first female martial artist, charts the history of combat and fighting techniques in China from the Bronze Age to the present. This broad panorama affords fascinating glimpses into the transformation of martial skills, techniques, and weaponry against the background of Chinese history, the rise and fall of empires, their governments, and their armies. Quotations from literature and poetry, and the stories of individual warriors, infuse the narrative, offering personal reflections on prowess in the battlefield and techniques of engagement. This is an engaging and readable introduction to the authentic history of Chinese martial arts.
Why Taiwan Matters: Small Island, Global Powerhouse
Shelley Rigger - 2011
Shelley Rigger explains how Taiwan became such a key global player, highlighting economic and political breakthroughs so impressive they have been called "miracles." She links these accomplishments to Taiwan's determined society, vibrant culture, and unique history. Drawing on arts, economics, politics, and international relations, Rigger explores Taiwan's importance to China, the United States, and the world. Considering where Taiwan may be headed in its wary standoff with China, she traces how the focus of Taiwan's domestic politics has shifted to a Taiwan-centered strategy. All readers interested in Asia and international affairs, as well as travelers to the region, will find this an accessible and entertaining overview, replete with human interest stories and colorful examples of daily life in Taiwan.
Sustaining China's Economic Growth: After the Global Financial Crisis
Nicholas R. Lardy - 2011
Prior to the financial crisis, global growth was characterized by growing imbalances, reflected primarily in large trade surpluses in China, Japan, Germany, and the oil exporting countries and rapidly growing deficits, primarily in the United States. The global crisis raises the question of whether the previous growth model of low consumption, high saving countries such as China is obsolete. Although a strong and rapid policy response beginning in the early fall of 2008 made China the first globally significant economy to come off the bottom and begin to grow more rapidly, critics charged that China's recovery was based on the old growth model, relying primarily on burgeoning investment in the short run and the expectation of a revival of expanding net exports once global recovery gained traction. Critics, however, argued that as government-financed investment inevitably tapered off, the likelihood was that global recovery would not be sufficiently strong for China's exports to resume their former role as a major contributor to China's economic expansion. The prospect, in the eyes of these critics, is that China's growth will inevitably falter.This study examines China's response to the global crisis, the prospects for altering the model of economic growth that dominated the first decade of this century, and the implications for the United States and the global economy of successful Chinese rebalancing. On the first it analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of China's stimulus program. On the second it analyzes the nature of origins of the imbalances in China's economy and the array of policy options that the government has to transition to more consumption-driven growth. On the third successful rebalancing would mean that more rapid growth of consumption would offset the drag on growth from a shrinkage of China's external surplus. Successful rebalancing would mean China would no longer be a source of financing for any ongoing US external deficit. From a global perspective China would no longer be a source of the global economic imbalances that contributed to the recent global financial crisis and great recession.
In the Footsteps of Augustine Henry: And His Chinese Plant Collectors
Seamus O'Brien - 2011
This text tells the fascinating story of Augustine Henry's life and work, and documents the expeditions undertaken by a dedicated team of botanists and horticulturalists in the 1990s to revisit Henry's routes, many of which were in danger of being flooded with the installation of the Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze River.
Chinese in Steps: Student Book v. 1
George X. Zhang - 2011
While aiming to deliver an effective result and an enriching Chinese language learning experience, it has also taken into consideration the needs of those who seek externally validated qualifications. Chinese in Steps differs from many other textbooks in its approach to language teaching, and in its conscious effort to make use of adult learners' own experiences in learning Chinese. Its approach is based upon how English-speaking adults learn Chinese and aims to deliver language instruction through a method that integrates a communicative teaching approach, contrastive analyses and cultural awareness. We are very happy to be able to present this brand new edition of Chinese in Steps with Sinolingua London. This is the first new edition of the series since its initial publication in 2005 with Cypress Book. We are also most delighted that with the dedication and support from our users, this series was a recent recipient of the Award for Outstanding International Chinese Language Teaching Materials at the Fifth Confucius Institute Conference in December 2010.
The Wardens of Punyu
D.L. Kung - 2011
With only one more year to go before Beijing reclaims control of the British colony, China's transition to power already reveals its dark and lawless side. And Claire's career as a China hand may be reaching a crossroad now that she has met the dashing Swiss UN delegate Xavier Vonallp on assignment from Geneva to set up operations based in Hong Kong.
A Passion for Facts: Social Surveys and the Construction of the Chinese Nation-State, 1900–1949
Tong Lam - 2011
Lam argues that an epistemological break away from traditional modes of understanding the observable world began around the turn of the twentieth century. Tracing the Neo-Confucian school of evidentiary research and the modern departure from it, Lam shows how, through the rise of the social survey, “the fact” became a basic conceptual medium and source of truth. In focusing on China’s social survey movement, A Passion for Facts analyzes how information generated by a range of research practices—census, sociological investigation, and ethnography—was mobilized by competing political factions to imagine, manage, and remake the nation.
Understanding China through Comics, Volume 1
Jing Liu - 2011
It has lifted over 600 million people out of poverty while half of the world - over three billion people - still live under the poverty line. The astronomical growth and the potential of China to become the next superpower has attracted wide attention.These dramatic changes haven't necessarily come by choice. Internal and external pressures, both deeply rooted in history, have compelled China to metamorphose from being a static agricultural society into a diverse modern nation.As a Beijing resident who has lived through the entire opening-up era that set the stage for today’s China, I’ve experienced the scale and thoroughness of economic and social change. From an historical perspective, such change is irreversible. The great sacrifices and efforts of the Chinese people, both through time and in current events, have not been in vain, despite all the negative implications associated with a country growing at, as some would say, an unsustainable speed.Understanding China through Comics includes 4 volumes:Volume 1: The Yellow Emperor through the Han Dynasty (ca. 2697 BC - 220 AD)Volume 2: The Three Kingdoms through the Tang Dynasty (220 - 907)Volume 3: The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms through the Yuan Dynasty under Mongol rule (907 - 1368)Volume 4: The Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911)
Golden-Silk Smoke: A History of Tobacco in China, 1550–2010
Carol Benedict - 2011
Carol Benedict follows the spread of Chinese tobacco use from the sixteenth century, when it was introduced to China from the New World, through the development of commercialized tobacco cultivation, and to the present day. Along the way, she analyzes the factors that have shaped China’s highly gendered tobacco cultures, and shows how they have evolved within a broad, comparative world-historical framework. Drawing from a wealth of historical sources—gazetteers, literati jottings (biji), Chinese materia medica, Qing poetry, modern short stories, late Qing and early Republican newspapers, travel memoirs, social surveys, advertisements, and more—Golden-Silk Smoke not only uncovers the long and dynamic history of tobacco in China but also sheds new light on global histories of fashion and consumption.
Hungry River: A Yangtze Novel
Millie Nelson Samuelson - 2011
When rebel troops capture them, a fierce-faced commander takes one look at them, then mysteriously shouts to his men, "Where are the foreign devils? I see only white Chinese! Release them!"Hungry River tells the story of these daring "white Chinese" missionary-river-merchants struggling to survive in war-tormented China -- a story highlighted by their granddaughter Abbie's modern-day journal entries. A romance triangle, danger, tragedy and mystery are all part of their story. But so are faith, hope, and overcoming.Hungry River is the first book in the author's Yangtze Dragon Trilogy, followed by Dragon Wall (2012) and Jade Cross (2013/14).
Daxue and Zhongyong
Ian Johnston - 2011
In their original forms, the Daxue and Zhongyong were two of the more than forty chapters of the larger Li ji (Book of Rites), only gaining prominence thanks to the Song Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi.In this groundbreaking text, Ian Johnston and Wang Ping have translated both of these versions of the Daxue and Zhongyong, one version as chapters of the Li ji that contain the influential commentary and notes of Zheng Xuan and Kong Yingda, and the second after they were reorganized into standalone works and reinterpreted by Zhu Xi. Johnston and Wang also include extensive explanatory and supplemental materials to help contextualize and familiarize readers with these supremely influential works.
It's a Long Way from China to Hollywood
Grace Yang - 2011
In this memoir, Yang narrates the story of her journey and the events that molded her life-from her birth in China in 1964, living under the Communist rule of Mao Zedong, growing up with her parents as an only child, immigrating to America, and coordinating a successful entertainment career. From her school days to her friends, to her marriage and daughter's birth, she provides a glimpse of life in China and the many differences between it and life in the United States. A story of life on two continents and in two different cultures, "It's a Long Way from China to Hollywood" communicates the trials and tribulations of one family's struggle to obtain an unimaginable dream. It shows how immigration has become a phenomenal part of our civilization that merges humanity through many generations.
Soldiers of the White Sun: The Chinese Army at War 1931-1949
Philip S. Jowett - 2011
This was followed by a four year civil war in which the Nationalist Army fought the Chinese Communists until its final defeat in 1949. Millions of Chinese soldiers fought and died during this eighteen years of conflict and their sacrifice has been largely overshadowed by the events of the Second World War. This new book presents in a large number of period images the history of the Chinese Nationalist Army and its campaigns."--Publisher's website.
Women of the Conquest Dynasties: Gender and Identity in Liao and Jin China
Linda Cooke Johnson - 2011
Celebrated in the Liao History, they were unprecedented. They rode horseback astride, were good at hunting and shooting, and took part in military battles. Several empresses--and one famous bandit chief--led armies against the enemy Song state. Women of the Conquest Dynasties represents a groundbreaking effort to survey the customs and lives of these women from the Kitan and Jurchen tribes who maintained their native traditions of horsemanship, militancy, and sexual independence while excelling in writing poetry and prose and earning praise for their Buddhist piety and Confucian ethics. Although much work has been devoted in the last few years to Chinese women of various periods, this is the first volume to incorporate recent archaeological discoveries and information drawn from Liao and Jin paintings as well as literary sources and standard historical accounts.Conquest women combined agency and assertiveness drawn from steppe traditions with selected aspects of Chinese culture such as ethics and literacy. Empress Chengtian led Liao armies to victory against the Song, successfully ran the state for thirty years during her son's reign, and enjoyed a lengthy and public liaison with her prime minister. Empress Yingtian, the wife of the Liao founder and his assistant in military affairs, famously refused to comply with the steppe custom of following one's husband in death; instead she cut off her right hand and placed it in the late emperor's coffin as a promise to join him later. These confident and talented women were rarely submissive in matters of sexuality and spouse selection, but they were subject to the restrictions of marriage and the levirate if widowed.The women of the northeast stand in vivid contrast to their counterparts in the south, where female identity was molded by a millennia of Confucian ethics and women were increasingly sequestered in the home and constrained by concepts of virtue. Women of the Conquest Dynasties provides new insights into the history of steppe patterns of feminine behavior and will reveal new areas of comparative study.
Zheng He
Matt Buttsworth - 2011
Captured by the Chinese army as a young boy, castrated to become a eunoch and the future emperor's playmate, he rose to become a successful general and one of the greatest admirals in the history of the world who led gigantic Chinese fleets to Vietnam, Java, Sri Lanka, India, Saudi Arabia, and the east coast of Africa. China was at this time the world leader in all aspects of maritime technology. And yet, at the peak of his unparalleled success, the decision was made to destroy his Great Fleet. Why? This is the gripping story of Zheng He's life. And Fate. And why, at the peak of its maritime success, the Emperor of China made the fatal decision to retreat from the seas. Dr Matthew Buttsworth is an expert on Chinese and World History and has a number of published works including the Polarshift - China, India and the Rise and Fall of the West and the international political analysis article China versus the US - the Challenge to the World Trading System. He is also author of the nuclear thriller Peace.
Shanghai: A History in Photographs, 1842-Today
Liu Heung Shing - 2011
The end of the Opium War in 1842 effected a dramatic transformation, turning a sleepy backwater into a bustling treaty port. Over the intervening 160 years, Shanghai has been shaped by outside forces - foreign concessions, Japanese invasions, the arrival of the Communists and the cult of Mao, they have all played their part in sculpting today's Shanghai. China's turbulent history is traced through Shanghai's evocative, beautiful, and sometimes painful images. As we reach the present day with its helter-skelter development, lavish wealth is juxtaposed against grinding poverty, and documented through the lenses of Shanghai's most important contemporary artists. Told through rare official archive photographs, images taken from private collections, new commissions, and co-author Liu Heung Shing's own work, Shanghai is the definitive history of the most beautiful of China's cities. Shanghai will be available as both hardcover and paperback, and will be for sale inside the Shanghai hall of the World Expo 2010.
Picturing Heaven in Early China
Lillian Lan-ying Tseng - 2011
It had been used since the Western Zhou to indicate both the sky and the highest god, and later came to be regarded as a force driving the movement of the cosmos and as a home to deities and imaginary animals. By the Han dynasty, which saw an outpouring of visual materials depicting Heaven, the concept of Heaven encompassed an immortal realm to which humans could ascend after death.Using excavated materials, Lillian Tseng shows how Han artisans transformed various notions of Heaven--as the mandate, the fantasy, and the sky--into pictorial entities. The Han Heaven was not indicated by what the artisans looked at, but rather was suggested by what they looked into. Artisans attained the visibility of Heaven by appropriating and modifying related knowledge of cosmology, mythology, astronomy. Thus the depiction of Heaven in Han China reflected an interface of image and knowledge.By examining Heaven as depicted in ritual buildings, on household utensils, and in the embellishments of funerary settings, Tseng maintains that visibility can hold up a mirror to visuality; Heaven was culturally constructed and should be culturally reconstructed.
The Columbia Anthology of Chinese Folk and Popular Literature
Victor H. Mair - 2011
Mair and Mark Bender, capture the breadth of China's oral-based literary heritage. This collection presents works drawn from the large body of oral literature of many of China's recognized ethnic groups--including the Han, Yi, Miao, Tu, Daur, Tibetan, Uyghur, and Kazak--and the selections include a variety of genres. Chapters cover folk stories, songs, rituals, and drama, as well as epic traditions and professional storytelling, and feature both familiar and little-known texts, from the story of the woman warrior Hua Mulan to the love stories of urban storytellers in the Yangtze delta, the shaman rituals of the Manchu, and a trickster tale of the Daur people from the forests of the northeast. The Cannibal Grandmother of the Yi and other strange creatures and characters unsettle accepted notions of Chinese fable and literary form. Readers are introduced to antiphonal songs of the Zhuang and the Dong, who live among the fantastic limestone hills of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; work and matchmaking songs of the mountain-dwelling She of Fujian province; and saltwater songs of the Cantonese-speaking boat people of Hong Kong. The editors feature the Mongolian epic poems of Geser Khan and Jangar; the sad tale of the Qeo family girl, from the Tu people of Gansu and Qinghai provinces; and local plays known as "rice sprouts" from Hebei province. These fascinating juxtapositions invite comparisons among cultures, styles, and genres, and expert translations preserve the individual character of each thrillingly imaginative work.
Tao Te Ching in Plain English: An Accurate Translation of The Sacred Ancient Chinese Book, Written in Simple & Easy to Read Modern English
Jing Han - 2011
People have taken to living their lives after this text, and have thrived upon its valuable advice. For centuries, this famous book has inspired, enlightened, and also taught generations the importance of philosophy. Both legal and educational scholars throughout Chinese history have called this book their favorite, and it seems as if a new section of society realizes the Tao Te Ching's beauty every decade.Written by Lao Tzu, also known as the “Old Master,” the Tao Te Ching is known for being both a permanent part of Chinese culture, as well as one of the most famous books of all time in the field of philosophy. You will find that no less than a dozen sayings and idioms that Chinese people use in their daily life were originated from this book.Translations of the Tao Te Ching are often accomplished after a lot of difficulties are overcome in the actual act of translating it. The original text was written in Ancient Chinese, a language that is filled with different connotations, meanings, and nuances to each word. Even modern Chinese speakers have problems translating the original Tao Te Ching; being able to translate it while keeping its rich meaning intact has been a feat that isn't easily accomplished. The biggest problems found in other English versions of the Tao Te Ching are that in many cases extras were added by the translators based on their own understanding; while in other cases words were lost or omitted from original Chinese text. Some translations were gibberish and difficult to understand.Great care has been taken in this version to give a precise translation without adding the translator’s own interpretation. You will find that this new translation is easy to understand, yet virtually unchanged from the original Tao. This new English translation of the Tao Te Ching will enlighten and entertain people for years to come.
Reflections of China
Carlos Aleman - 2011
I made some sketches and took over a thousand photographs of places such as the Grand Canal in Suzhou, the summit of Mount Tai, The Forbidden City, Great Wall as well as the technological marvel that was the World Expo in Shanghai.I returned to my home in Sunrise, Florida, nourished by inspiration and entered a period of intense creativity. The result was several months of mixed media drawings and paintings attempting to capture a surreal aspect of my new muse, China. The work in this book represents my lifelong love of Asian art, modernity and the ancient, the Yin of the east as admired by western eyes. —Carlos Alemán
The Water Margin
Christine Sun - 2011
But Song is in trouble. A series of unfortunate incidents have led to him being arrested, and his political enemies are keen to see him sentenced to death. There is still hope, however. One hundred and eight brave bandits from Mount Liang have heard of Song s good name they are willing to rescue him as long as Song will lead them in rebelling against the corrupt government. Will Song agree to become an outlaw? Will he be able to tread the narrow path between right and wrong? Will justice eventually prevail over corruption and the misuse of power? Real Reads are accessible texts designed to support the literacy development of primary and lower secondary age children while introducing them to the riches of our international literary heritage. Each book is a retelling of a work of great literature from one of the world s greatest cultures, fitted into a 64-page book, making classic stories, dramas and histories available to intelligent young readers as a bridge to the full texts, to language students wanting access to other cultures, and to adult readers who are unlikely ever to read the original versions.
Rectifying God's Name: Liu Zhi's Confucian Translation of Monotheism and Islamic Law
James D. Frankel - 2011
The restoration of native Chinese rule by the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), after nearly a century of Mongol domination, helped transform Chinese intellectual discourse on ideological, social, political, religious, and ethnic identity. This led to the creation of a burgeoning network of Sinicized Muslim scholars who wrote about Islam in classical Chinese and developed a body of literature known as the Han Kitab. Rectifying God's Name examines the life and work of one of the most important of the Qing Chinese Muslim literati, Liu Zhi (ca. 1660-ca. 1730), and places his writings in their historical, cultural, social, and religio-philosophical context. His Tianfang danli (Ritual law of Islam) represents the most systematic and sophisticated attempt within the Han Kitab corpus to harmonize Islam with Chinese thought.The volume begins by situating Liu Zhi in the historical development of the Chinese Muslim intellectual tradition, examining his sources and influences as well as his legacy. Delving into the contents of Liu Zhi's work, it focuses on his use of specific Chinese terms and concepts, their origins and meanings in Chinese thought, and their correspondence to Islamic principles. A close examination of the Tianfang dianli reveals Liu Zhi's specific usage of the concept of Ritual as a common foundation of both Confucian morality and social order and Islamic piety. The challenge of expressing such concepts in a context devoid of any clear monotheistic principle tested the limits of his scholarship and linguistic finesse. Liu Zhi's theological discussion in the Tianfang dianli engages not only the ancient Confucian tradition, but also Daoism, Buddhism, and even non-Chinese traditions. His methodology reveals an erudite and cosmopolitan scholar who synthesized diverse influences, from Sufism to Neo-Confucianism, and possibly even Jesuit and Jewish sources, into a body of work that was both steeped in tradition and, yet, exceedingly original, epitomizing the phenomenon of Chinese Muslim simultaneity.A compelling and multidimensional study, Rectifying God's Name will be eagerly welcomed by interested readers of Chinese and Islamic religious and social history, as well as students and scholars of comparative religion.
In the Eye of the China Storm: A Life Between East and West
Eileen Chen Lin - 2011
With the establishment of the People's Republic, and growing Cold War sentiment, Lin abandoned his doctoral studies, moving to China with his wife and two young sons. He spent the next fifteen years participating in the country's revolutionary transformation. In 1964, concerned by the political climate under Mao and determined to bridge the growing divide between China and the West, Lin returned to Canada with his family and was appointed head of McGill University's Centre for East Asian Studies. Throughout his distinguished career, Lin was sought after as an authority on China. His commitment to building bridges between China and the West contributed to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Canada and China in 1970, to US President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972, and to the creation of numerous cultural, academic, and trade exchanges. In the Eye of the China Storm is the story of Paul Lin's life and of his efforts - as a scholar, teacher, business consultant, and community leader - to overcome the mutual suspicion that distanced China from the West. A proud patriot, he was devastated by the Chinese government's violent suppression of student protestors at Tiananmen Square in June 1989, but never lost faith in the Chinese people, nor hope for China's bright future.
Developing Chinese (2nd Edition) Advanced Speaking Course, #I
Shuhong Wang - 2011
Based on the well-designed structure of the first edition, this edition adds more elements in tune with the times. It includes 28 volumes with altogether 34 books. Combining the cultivation of integrated language skills with the training of specific language skills in its compilation, this set of textbooks can be divided into three levels (elementary, intermediate and advanced) and five series (comprehensive, listening, speaking, reading and writing), among which the comprehensive series is the bulk and the others are the accompanying series. The overall purpose is to develop and improve the students’ Chinese language skills, Chinese communication skills, integrated Chinese capabilities as well as enhance their interest and ability in learning Chinese. Advanced Speaking Course Ⅰ, following Intermediate Speaking Course Ⅱ, is suitable for learners who have already finished learning Intermediate Speaking Course Ⅱ or other textbook at the same level and who have acquired intermediate Chinese proficiency, mastered Chinese grammar at the basic or intermediate level and roughly grasped a vocabulary of 3,500-4,000 Chinese words. The contents are up-to-date, interesting and extensive; the texts are representative, diversified and reproducible; and the activities, being task-based and flexible, pay attention to the learners’ sense of achievement.
China: Its Environment and History
Robert Marks - 2011
Focusing on the interaction of humans and their environment, the author traces changes in the physical and cultural world that is home to a quarter of humankind. Through both word and image, this work illuminates the chaos and paradox inherent in China's environmental narrative, demonstrating how historically sustainable practices can, in fact, be profoundly ecologically unsound. The author also reevaluates China's traditional "heroic" storyline, highlighting the marginalization of nature that followed the spread of Chinese civilization while examining the development of a distinctly Chinese way of relating to and altering the environment. And also, he makes the compelling argument that all of humanity has a stake in China's environmental future.
Deep China: The Moral Life of the Person, What Anthropology and Psychiatry Tell Us about China Today
Arthur Kleinman - 2011
Sharing a medical anthropology and cultural psychiatry perspective, Arthur Kleinman, Yunxiang Yan, Jing Jun, Sing Lee, Everett Zhang, Pan Tianshu, Wu Fei, and Guo Jinhua delve into intimate and sometimes hidden areas of personal life and social practice to observe and narrate the drama of Chinese individualization. The essays explore the remaking of the moral person during China's profound social and economic transformation, unraveling the shifting practices and struggles of contemporary life.
After Leaning to One Side: China and Its Allies in the Cold War
Zhihua Shen - 2011
Underscoring the theme of inherent conflict within the communist movement, this book shows that while that movement was an international campaign with an imposing theory and an impressive party structure, it was also a collection of sovereign states with disparate national interests. This book explains how this dissonance was further complicated by the unequal development of the Chinese and Soviet states and their communist parties, and traces some of China's actions to Mao's grasping at leadership of the communist movement after the death of Stalin.Part of the Cold War International History Project Series from Woodrow Wilson Center Press
Understanding China's Economic Indicators: Translating the Data Into Investment Opportunities
Tom Orlik - 2011
Orlik introduces 35 of China's most significant economic statistics. Orlik explains why each indicator matters, how it is collected and computed, and its impact on equity, commodity, and currency markets. As China has emerged as a central player in the global economy, more and more investors are seeking profitable opportunities there. To choose the right investments, it's crucial to understand China's economic environment-and that means finding, interpreting, and utilizing China's growing base of economic indicators. Orlik helps investors make sense of data on everything from Chinese GDP growth to inflation, unemployment, bond yields, electricity production, and aircraft passenger numbers. He draws on the best information supplied by the Chinese government's statistical agency, ministries, and industry associations, as well as private sources. Each indicator is clearly described, along with a practical discussion of its implications for investors.
Religion and the Making of Modern East Asia
Thomas David DuBois - 2011
In this engaging and informative book, Thomas David DuBois sets out to explain how religion has influenced the political, social, and economic transformation of Asia from the fourteenth century to the present day. Crossing a broad terrain from Tokyo to Tibet, the book highlights long-term trends and key moments, such as the expulsion of Catholic missionaries from Japan, or the Taiping Rebellion in China, when religion dramatically transformed the political fate of a nation. Contemporary chapters reflect on the wartime deification of the Japanese emperor, Marxism as religion, the persecution of the Dalai Lama, and the fate of Asian religion in a globalized world.
People's Republic of China
Wil Mara - 2011
Describes the geography, plants, animals, history, economy, language, sports, arts, religions, culture, and people of China.
The Chinese Origin of the Age of Discovery
Chao C. Chien - 2011
Extant maps and documents of the period are meticulously researched and analyzed to arrive at the unexpected but clear reconstruction. The evidence is shown in over 300 illustrations. Debates on the subject have raged for years. The new research promises to settle the dispute once and for all, or inflame the issue in a big way.
Learning Chinese, Turning Chinese: Challenges to Becoming Sinophone in a Globalised World
Edward McDonald - 2011
He takes the viewpoint of the university student of Chinese with the ultimate goal of becoming 'sinophone': that is, developing a fluency and facility at operating in Chinese-language contexts comparable to their own mother tongue. While the entry point for most potential sinophones is the Chinese language classroom, the kinds of "language" and "culture" on offer there are rarely questioned, and the links between the forms of the language and the situations in which they may be used are rarely drawn. The author's explorations of Chinese studies illustrate the crucial link between becoming sinophone and developing a sinophone identity - learning Chinese and turning Chinese.Including chapters on:relating text to context in learning Chinese the social and political contexts of language learning myths about Chinese characters language reform and nationalism in modern China critical discourse analysis of popular culture ethnicity and identity in language learning.This book will be invaluable for all Chinese language students and teachers, and those with an interest in Chinese linguistics, linguistic anthropology, critical discourse analysis, and language education.Edward McDonald is currently Lecturer in Chinese at the University of Auckland, and has taught Chinese language, music, linguistics and semiotics at universities in Australia, China, and Singapore.
American Wheels, Chinese Roads
Michael J. Dunne - 2011
This book reveals how extraordinary people, remarkable decisions and surprising breaks made triumph in China possible for General Motors. It also shows just how vulnerable that winning track record remains.No small part of GM's success in China springs from its management of shifting business and political relationships. In China, the government makes the rules for--and competes in--the auto industry. GM's business partner, the City of Shanghai, is both an ally and a competitor. How does such an unnatural relationship work on a day-to-day basis? Where will it go on the future? General Motors also engages in constant battles with other global and Chinese car makers for the hearts of demanding Chinese consumers. Dunne gives us rare glimpses into the mindsets and behavior of this new moneyed set, the worlds newest class of wealthy consumers.China is already the number one car market in the world. During the next ten years, China will export millions of cars and trucks globally, including to the United States. American Wheels, Chinese Roads presents readers with fascinating illustrations of what to expect when Chinese cars, companies, and business people arrive on our shores.
Ancestral Memory in Early China
K.E. Brashier - 2011
The interconnections among the tangible elements of the sacrifice were overt and almost mechanical, but extending those connections to the invisible guests required a medium that was itself invisible. Thus in early China, ancestral sacrifice was associated with focused thinking about the ancestors, with a structured mental effort by the living to reach out to the absent forebears and to give them shape and existence. Thinking about the ancestors-about those who had become distant-required active deliberation and meditation, qualities that had to be nurtured and learned.This study is a history of the early Chinese ancestral cult, particularly its cognitive aspects. Its goals are to excavate the cult's color and vitality and to quell assumptions that it was no more than a simplistic and uninspired exchange of food for longevity, of prayers for prosperity. Ancestor worship was not, the author contends, merely mechanical and thoughtless. Rather, it was an idea system that aroused serious debates about the nature of postmortem existence, served as the religious backbone to Confucianism, and may even have been the forerunner of Daoist and Buddhist meditation practices.
Small Works
John A. Donaldson - 2011
However, this dominant hypothesis offers few alternatives for economies that are unable to grow, or in places where economic growth fails to reduce or actually exacerbates poverty. In Small Works, John A. Donaldson draws on his extensive fieldwork in two Chinese provinces--Yunnan and Guizhou--that are exceptions to the purported relationship between economic growth and poverty reduction.In Yunnan, an outward-oriented developmental state, one that focuses on large-scale, urban development, has largely failed to reduce poverty, even though it succeeded in stimulating economic growth. Provincial policy shaped roads, tourism, and mining in ways that often precluded participation by poor people. By contrast, Guizhou is a micro-oriented state, one that promotes small-scale, low-skill economic opportunities--and so reduces poverty despite slow economic growth. It is no coincidence that this Guizhou approach parallels the ideas encapsulated in the scientific development view of China's current president Hu Jintao. After all, Hu, when Guizhou's leader, helped establish the micro-oriented state in the province. Donaldson's conclusions have implications for our understanding of development and poverty reduction, economic change in China, and the thinking behind China's policy decisions.
Manifest in Words, Written on Paper: Producing and Circulating Poetry in Tang Dynasty China
Christopher M.B. Nugent - 2011
Tang poems exist today in stable written forms assumed to reflect their creators' original intent. Yet Tang poetic culture was based on hand-copied manuscripts and oral performance. We have almost no access to this poetry as it was experienced by contemporaries. This is no trivial matter, the author argues. If we do not understand how Tang people composed, experienced, and transmitted this poetry, we miss something fundamental about the roles of memory and copying in the circulation of poetry as well as readers' dynamic participation in the creation of texts.We learn something different about poems when we examine them, not as literary works transcending any particular physical form, but as objects with distinct physical attributes, visual and sonic. The attitudes of the Tang audience toward the stability of texts matter as well. Understanding Tang poetry requires acknowledging that Tang literary culture accepted the conscious revision of these works by authors, readers, and transmitters.
How Buddhism Acquired a Soul on the Way to China
Jungnok Park - 2011
While Indian Buddhists had constructed their ideas of self by means of empiricism, anti-Brahmanism and analytic reasoning, Chinese Buddhists did so by means of non-analytic insights, utilising pre-established epistemology and cosmogony. Furthermore, many specific Buddhist ideas were transformed when exchanged from an Indian to a Chinese context, often through the work of translators concept-matching Buddhist and Daoist terms. One of the key changes was the Chinese reinterpretation of the concept of shen - originally an agent of thought which died with the body - into an eternal essence of human spirit, a soul. Though the notion of an imperishable soul was later disputed by Chinese Buddhist scholars the idea of a permanent agent of perception flourished in China. This historical analysis of the concept of self as it developed between Indian and Chinese Buddhism will be of interest to readers of Buddhist Philosophy as well as the History of Ideas.
The Art and Alchemy of Chinese Tea
Daniel Reid - 2011
In his latest book, Daniel Reid explores Chinese tea in its manifold varieties, its long and colorful historical development in China, and its refinement as a mainstay of Chinese culture.He describes the principles that lie at the heart of tea culture in China, the potent medicinal properties of Chinese tea, and how to cultivate Cha Dao, the Daoist way of tea, in daily life. A central section of the book explores for the first time the alchemy of Chinese tea, an esoteric aspect of Chinese tea culture that remains unexplored by modern science but was known and cultivated in ancient China. Jin Dan, the `golden elixir of life' is the elusive essence that resides dormant within tea (as in some other plants and minerals) and can be extracted, activated and transferred to the human system to protect health, prolong life, and enhance mental performance. The author looks at how and why this works, and explains the chemical transformations that take place as well as explaining the energetic transfer that takes place when tea is prepared by a Master.Illustrated with many photographs, by Christan Janzen, the book contains detailed descriptions of many Chinese tea varieties, especially the High Mountain Oolong Tea of Taiwan, which is considered by many to be the pinnacle of perfection in both the art and alchemy of Chinese tea. The book also contains entertaining tea anecdotes from the author's 'Tea Tidings' bulletin, and a useful glossary of Chinese tea terms.Tea lovers, as well as those with an interest in tea culture, the Dao, and Chinese history and culture, will find this book an absorbing and revelatory read.
Yours Truly & Other Poems
Xi Chuan - 2011
He has published four collections of poems, including A Fictitious Family Tree (1997) and Roughly Speaking (1997), two books of essays, and one book of criticism, in addition to a play and translations ranging from Ezra Pound to Jorge Luis Borges to Czeslaw Milosz.Lucas Klein—a former radio DJ and union organizer—is a writer, translator and editor if CipherJournal.com. He is Assistant Professor in the Department of Chinese, Translation & Linguistics at City University of Hong Kong. Endure, a small collection of Bei Dao poems translated with Clayton Eschleman, is now out from Black Widow Press.
The Chinese Question in Central Asia: Domestic Order, Social Change, and the Chinese Factor
Marlène Laruelle - 2011
At the economic level, China has positioned itself among the largest traders and investors in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. This growing Chinese presence has drastically challenged the traditional influence of Russia and weakened that of the United States and Europe. The purpose of this book is to go beyond a geopolitical analysis by articulating an external influential factor, namely China, and changes in the domestic order in neighboring Central Asia. It engages in an analysis of the contemporary transformations that are occurring within the systems and societies of Central Asia. China has become a subject of public debate, academic and expert knowledge. New cultural mediators, petty traders, lobby groups, migrants, and diasporas, have also emerged. China's rise to power has worked as a catalyst compound of the anxieties and phobias associated with the major social transformations that have occurred in Central Asia over the last two decades. Sinophobia and Sinophilia are now closely associated.