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
Cheng Naishan and the Shanghai aristocratic families
Cheng Naishan. The Blue House. Panda Books. 1989. "Cheng Naishan captivates readers with stories about the present lives of Shanghai capitalists, who have overcome 30 years of political vicissitudes, as well as the lives of their children." So begins the presentation...
The metamorphosis of communism in China
The metamorphosis of communism in China The Communist Party of China (CPC) will be 100 years old in 2021. Of these, more than two thirds have been in power since the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Its evolution has been far from straight, but...
Yan Lianke. The Four Books
Yan Lianke. The Four Books The Four Books refers to the famous Four Books of Confucius, the basis of Chinese thought for two millennia. And like those of Confucius, these by Yan Lianke could become a new model for understanding the glories and miseries of human...
Lao She Cat Country
Cat Country - Lao She Sometimes we say that a poet or a writer writes with his blood, and there are many occasions in which writers end up paying with their lives for having written a book. This is possibly one of them, and we can say that Lao She paid with his life...
Discover the secret of the dances of Chinese minorities
Li Beida. Dances of the Chinese minorities. Beijing, China Intercontinental Press, 2006 Though readers fond of Chinese ethnic groups will welcome the publishing of this new book about the minorities' dances, many will feel disappointed after its reading. This is...
The world of Shanghai courtesans
The world of Shanghai courtesans The Sing-song girls of Shanghai. A novel by Han Bangqing. The action of this novel takes place, as its title indicates, in the world of the singing girls of Shanghai, of which it is also a description. The singing girls were a type of...
Classics of Filial Piety
Classics of Filial Piety Since the establishment of a Confucian society in the Han dynasty, some two thousand years ago, filial piety could be considered the central pillar around which Chinese society has been built. The behavior of each person towards his father...
Teahouse: A Drama by Lao She
In Brief: One of the best contemporary plays compels multiple reflections on hope and power, and perhaps that universal dream of living in a just society. A drama that unfolds in a limited space spanning half a century of Chinese history. In the three acts in which it...
To Serve the People, a satire by Yan Lianke
To Serve the People, a satire by Yan Lianke In Brief: A biting satire in which the small longings of each person are exposed as the inevitable substratum on which great ideals, such as "serving the people" are built. The censorship of a Chinese work is a powerful...
Chinese characters
Confucius, sacrifice and Chinese characters
Confucius, sacrifice and Chinese characters Most books that attempt to show the etymology of Chinese characters take for granted that the character ren 仁benevolence, is composed of person 人and two 二, which makes it very easy to recognize that "person 人" gives it the...
Ethnic groups
Fascinating art of Gonkar Gyatso
Fascinating art of Gonkar Gyatso Gonkar Gyatso is one of the most popular contemporary Tibetan artists, famous in the art scene for his unique and thought-provoking artwork that often blends traditional Tibetan artistic elements with modern and global themes. His work...
Chinese culture
Polo in Ancient China: A Sport of Emperors
Polo in Ancient China: A Sport of Emperors Polo: A Sport of Emperors Anyone who has delved into Chinese art, especially that of the Tang Dynasty, would be surprised by the multitude of images depicting polo players. Noble women (and some men), elegantly dressed, are...