(no subject)

[coraa]

For a Sekrit Project, I'm looking for books about Chinese history and culture. Non-fiction, please, and I know embarrassingly little -- pretty much nothing, really, so I'm going to need to start with overviews.

I realize that this is sort of like saying: "Recommend me books about Science!" in terms of scope -- China is huge and diverse and has a long recorded history, and I feel like I'm trying to scale a glacier -- but I need to start somewhere, and right now I don't know enough to know how to narrow down yet, if you understand my meaning. The books don't have to all be General Overview; since I'm generally mildly suspicious of survey books, I'd actually rather read a diverse spread of reasonably accessible books on specific topics. (By 'accessible' I mean 'don't assume a ton of prior knowledge of the subject;' I'm willing and able to wade through academic-speak. I'm also not embarrassed to read children's books, as long as they're reasonably accurate.)

Doesn't have to be all history, either. Books about modern society and culture are also welcome.

I know so little about China, it's embarrassing, but I'm trying to correct that!

Comments

[triath.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine who just moved back to town, got her B.A. in Chinese history. I'll pass along your request and see what she has to say. Is it alright if I give her your email address for further conversation?

[coraa.livejournal.com]

Please! I'd appreciate it very much.

[zalena.livejournal.com]

Well, Wild Swans by Jung Chang is a classic starting place for a women's memoir of 20C Chinese history. A pretty good read. I've read a couple of other memoir-type books on the subject, but it will take some time to recall titles as it's been a long time.

[coraa.livejournal.com]

Excellent. I'll put that on the bookstore list. (Memoirs are probably perfect as a starting place.)

[morganlf.livejournal.com]

Maxine Hong Kingston's work is very well-regarded; she also writes really well. Her p.o.v. is Chinese American, but she throws in a lot of Chinese folklore and the like.

[coraa.livejournal.com]

Wonderful! Thank you. I'll put that on the bookstore list.

[porfinn.livejournal.com]

I know of a great piece of fiction that's about feudal Japan. The Otori trilogy is really great! But not especially useful.

[coraa.livejournal.com]

But good to know when next I hit the bookstore for fiction!

[porfinn.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I'm doing something excruciatingly dull. No...not watching dry, but sanding glass. I think I would prefer to watch paint dry. So making not-so-useful suggestions, and jumping on anything that posts on lj to break up the monotony. Okay. Breaks over, and I'm racing against the sun to get this finished. Good luck on research.

[coraa.livejournal.com]

Don't apologize; I was being entirely sincere. I love good fic recs; I spend a lot of time wandering around the sf/f section, wondering whether all the writers whose names I don't know are any good.

[coraa.livejournal.com]

Also, good luck getting the glass-sanding done!

[donaithnen.livejournal.com]

The fourth book is rather depressing though =/ (Just as a warning to cora)

[fairmer.livejournal.com]

I've been on this search (albeit without any real follow-through) and have come up somewhat empty-handed. My criteria is a little stricter, though: I want something engaging, something that's like "the good parts" history of China. Or at least knows how to make the boring parts good. I've struck out nearly every time. I finally decided the book I want exists, it's just not in English. :/

[coraa.livejournal.com]

That's unfortunate!

Well, I'll see what I can find.

[donaithnen.livejournal.com]

Well you could always read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but i'm sure jmpava has already suggested that :)

Depending on which version you get it problem falls somewhere between King Arthur and Robin Hood as far as actual history goes. Or perhaps it's better to say that it's rather more historical than Robin Hood, but it has some mythical King Arthur-like elements thrown in. (But of the Chinese rather than European variety of course.)

Other than that, uh, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_history ? ;)

[coraa.livejournal.com]

I definitely intend to read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, yes. :D

[cwendy41.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest "The Good Earth" by Pearl S Buck but I think that's a fictional piece of work. So if you wanted something to complement the non-fictional reading, that might be good. I haven't read the book in a while. The author is a white woman who spent her formative years growing up in China with her missionary parents.

[coraa.livejournal.com]

Pearl S. Buck! I had forgotten all about her. Thank you.

[jmpava.livejournal.com]

Cartoon history of the universe pt. 2! :->

[coraa.livejournal.com]

:D

[zalena.livejournal.com]

Since I worked on the Asian Studies list, we had a lot of books about China. One of the more accessible books of essays was called China's Transformations. (edited by Weston and Jensen). It really challenged me to think about contemporary issues in different ways. Unfortunately, the more I learn about China, the more I fear it.

[coraa.livejournal.com]

Oh, useful. Thank you!

[ceph.livejournal.com]

I realize it's fiction, but you should read Monkey if you haven't yet, purely for awesomeness value. Arthur Waley has the definitive translation.

I haven't read these myself, but the Rough Guide to China recommends Peter Hopkirk's Foreign Devils on the Silk Road and The Great Game, as well as The Gate of Heavenly Peace by Jonathan Spence.

[coraa.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! *adds*

[clairebaxter.livejournal.com]

If you want more memoir, Emily Hahn wrote China to me about her years living in China and Hong Kong, including during WWII. She also wrote a book about the Soong sisters, who were incredibly influential (one married Sun Yat-sen, another Chiang Kai-shek). I haven't read it, but I probably should, as they didn't often let anyone get close enough to write biographies of them.

I love her memoirs, all of them. She was a very adventurous women in a time that didn't particularly encourage that. (She wanted, as a child, to go to China and become an opium addict, and she did it.)

[coraa.livejournal.com]

That sounds excellent, thank you.

[avani.livejournal.com]

You might also want to try some of the old, classic Chinese movies (ala _Fairwell my Concubine_).

[coraa.livejournal.com]

Oh, movies! I hadn't even thought of that.