Ethnic China Living Books
Since I started with the page more than 10 years ago I have been posting some book reviews and news. Now that information is going to be expanded with the small summaries that I make (sometimes) for myself after reading a book or an article, or some of the notes that I take after the readings. In some interesting books that I have not been able to read or of which I do not keep any notes, I may put the text provided by the publisher.
I think all readers will be able to distinguish when it is a personal opinion, when it is an excerpt from the work, and when it is material provided by the publisher.
I have organized the material in the following sections. If you think something is missing, please write to me at the address below.
– Art
– Buddhism
– Classics of Chinese culture
– Daoism or Taoism
– Ethnic groups
– Folklore
– Gender, women and matriarchy
– History
– Idiom and language
– Journeys and travels
– Literature and poetry
– Myths, tales and legends
– Novels
– Orientalisms. Novels set in China.
– Philosophy
– Qi Gong, taiji and health techniques.
– Religion
– Society
– Tibet
– Zoom on politics and current affairs
LAST POSTS ABOUT BOOKS ON CHINA
Linghu Zhuan’s Skepticism Leads Him to the Underworld
Linghu Zhuan’s Skepticism Leads Him to the Underworld Linghu Zhuan was a man of great integrity who did not believe in gods or spirits. Whenever someone spoke of ghostly transformations or divine retribution in the afterlife, he refuted their words with compelling...
The economics of human plowing
The economics of human plowing According to “The Exploitation Of The Works Of Nature”, a 17th century Chinese book. In farming households where there are no oxen to use, farmers fix a pole to the plough and two men pull the plough by placing the pole on their...
The Muslim rebellion in 19th century Yunnan
The Muslim Rebellion in Yunnan in 19th century. This is the first English translation of Émile Rocher’s book on the Panthay Rebellion. Originally published in 1879 as La Province chinoise du Yunnan, is a valuable firsthand account of Yunnan during the mid-19th...
The book Hanzi for HSK 1-3 now available in Greek language
The book “Hanzi for HSK 1-3” now available in Greek language This April, the translation of my book Hanzi for HSK 1-3 has been published in the main digital bookstores in Greece. The Greek version of this book, from the pen of Stefanos Karampalis, has been one of...
Buddhist Monks in Medieval China
Buddhist Monks in Medieval China That is the subject of John Kieschnick's book. The book analyzes the contents of the three collections of biographies of monks that became famous in medieval China, through them he tries to give us first a characterization of the...
Manual of Taoist Architecture
Manual of Taoist Architecture There are some illustrated books that produce in the reader a contradictory feeling, because the images that explain what the text is about are sometimes accompanied by an exposition of ideas that is too superficial. Therefore the reader...
How the presence of goddesses paves the way for female power
How the presence of goddesses paved the way for female power One of the theses of my book Matriarchy in China: mothers, goddesses, queens and shamans (Madrid, 2011) was to assert that the presence of goddesses with prominent roles in a culture could signal the past or...
The Adventures of the Mad Monk Ji Gong
The Adventures of the Mad Monk Ji Gong The past few days I have been reading a novel about China's most famous rogue monk. About the Monk Ji Gong, better known for his fondness for wine and meat than for his religious merits. His kindness and continuous desire to help...
The Stories of Beijing of David Kidd
The Stories of Beijing of David Kidd This book narrates some events in the life of an aristocratic family during the years in which China ended its traditional history and became a communist country. The author arrived in Beijing as an English teacher two years...
Chinese characters
Praise for the book on Chinese characters
Praise for the book on Chinese characters Good News! I'm happy to share that my book Chinese Characters: An Easy Learning Based on Their Etymology and Evolution has been selected by BookAuthority.org as one of The Best Etymology Books for Beginners! BookAuthority...
Ethnic groups
The Lahu Matriarchy: An Egalitarian Dyadic Society in China
The Lahu Matriarchy: An Egalitarian Dyadic Society in China From the book: Mothers, Queens, Goddesses, Shamans: Matriarchy in China (Miraguano, Madrid, 2011) The egalitarian society of the Lahu drew academic attention with Du Shanshan’s study Chopsticks Only Work in...
Chinese culture
Most Frequent Scenes from the Life of the Buddha in Tibetan Art
Most Frequent Scenes from the Life of the Buddha in Tibetan Art In fact, only a few moments are repeated very frequently in Tibetan paintings. In some versions there are eight—an auspicious number for Tibetans, corresponding to the Noble Eightfold Path and the eight...