“You could say that its story is the story of all China, passed down from father to son. It is one of China’s four great classical novels, which also include the Journey to the West . But only with Romance of the Three Kingdoms did old Chinese stories really become Chinese literature. It’s also beautifully written. A reader can harvest a lot of history and knowledge from this book, because it chronicles all aspects of China. You can discover in it the entirety of the Chinese character, ancient and modern. All Chinese people today can find themselves in the Three Kingdoms , whether you are rich or poor, old or young.” Read more...
The Best Chinese Dissident Literature
Ma Jian ,
Novelist
“It’s a story of bandits – in a way it’s like a Chinese equivalent of Robin Hood, based upon some historical facts. There was a bandit called Song Jiang who rebelled against the Song dynasty in the early 12th century. The novel takes the story of this bandit and his companions, and puts them into a kind of epic tale of rebellion against tyranny, which has been thrilling and inspiring Chinese readers for centuries. It’s very vivid, and it shows the reactions of ordinary Chinese people: how they have a sense of justice, generosity, and humanity.” Read more...
The best books on Life in China
Marianne Bastid-Bruguière ,
Historian
“The Water Outlaws never slows its pace. Huang makes it clear early on in the novel that horrific things can and will happen to people in this world, and are difficult to predict, depending as they do on the whims of the powerful. This ensures your rapt attention at every half-sign of danger. The bandits are loveable and varied, the villains truly teeth-grindingly villainous.” Read more...
New Sci-Fi & Fantasy Novels: The 2024 Nebula Awards Shortlist
Sylvia Bishop ,
“It’s one of those books that if you grow up in China, you know the story, even if you haven’t read the book…It’s a quintessentially Chinese work, it’s fundamental to Chinese culture and, yet, it has elements in it that do not fit in at all with the stereotyped vision of China as this place of Confucian hierarchies where familial ties and stability are all that matters. It’s the story of an adventure, a trip on the road by these characters with magical capabilities. The Monkey King, the novel’s provocative and provoking protagonist, likes to turn the world upside down and revels in chaos.” Read more...
The Best China Books of 2021
Jeffrey Wasserstrom ,
Historian
“This book is believed by many to be the greatest Chinese novel ever written. For me, it is like a bible for everything to do with Chinese culture. Cao belonged to the Han Chinese clan and the book is a huge family novel written in the 18th century…It really is a wonderful book which has been translated by Penguin since 1970 and reprinted again and again. But many Westerners don’t know about this book, which is a shame because it is such a powerful book” Read more...
The best books on Understanding China
Xinran ,
Nonprofit Leaders & Activist
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