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
The value of the Taotejing, the sacred book of the Taoists
In Peter Goullart The Monastery of the Jade Mountain. Unlike the Bible and the Koran. the Taoteking does not refer to the historical processes which led men, or rather a particular tribe among men, to the idea of One God. Neither does it describe in detail how this...
The path to Nirvana in the Kunming Dharani Pillar
The path to Nirvana in the Kunming Dharani Pillar The main courtyard of the Kunming Municipal Museum houses one of the most original art-works from the time of the Dali Kingdom (937-1253 CE) in Yunnan. It is called the Dharani Pillar of the Dizang Temple. It is a...
Legends of the Mother Goddess: Intro
From Leyendas de la Diosa Madre. Pedro Ceinos Arcones. Miraguano, 2007. Anyone who approaches the literature of the minorities of Southern China will discover numerous works where the leading role is played by a female goddess or deity. Whether dedicated to the...
Yu garden in Shanghai: Archetype of Chinese garden
Pedro Ceinos Arcones. Yu garden in Shanghai: Archetype of Chinese garden. Dancing Dragons Books. 2019. (Excerpts from the book) The Yu Garden is Shanghai's main monument and the one that best summarizes the city's history over the past few centuries. A private garden...
The dog in China’s ancient tombs
Pedro Ceinos Arcones. La Magia del perro en China y el mundo. Dancing Dragons Books. 2019. (Excerpts from the book) The dog in China’s ancient tombs In China, dogs buried with their owners have been discovered in archaeological sites belonging to the most important...
Chinese characters
The magic of Chinese characters
The magic of Chinese characters The written word, the Chinese characters, have had from their very origin, a magical meaning for the Chinese. There is no doubt that for them a character is not only a symbol of the concept it claims to represent but the object itself....
Ethnic groups
The Local Lords cult of the Bai nationality
The worship of the Local Lords (benzhu) is the most characteristic of the Bai people. Their religious life revolves around the Benzhu temple of each village, as each village venerates a local lord, sometimes a historical figure who sacrificed for the people. In other...
Chinese culture
The art of laying out gardens among the Chinese
The art of laying out gardens among the Chinese In the 1740s, William Chambers travelled on three trading voyages to China with the Swedish East India Company. He was the first European to study Chinese architecture methodically. In a book published in 1757, Designs...