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 promotes some titles with the motto: “Start your journey with the best etymology books for beginners, recommended by leaders, experts, and readers worldwide.”
What makes this especially meaningful for me is that the book was originally published on Amazon’s self-publishing platform as a provisional edition, while I searched (in theory) for the time and energy to reach out to publishers and literary agents.
That was over two years ago.
That shows that I’m much more enthusiastic about researching and writing than pitching to publishers, I haven’t even started compiling a list of potential publishers or agents who might be interested in this project.
So, as I add this task (once again) to my 2025 to-do list, I’d like to celebrate this small milestone by sharing a page from the book along with this post.
About me: I have spent 30 years in China, much of the time traveling and studying this country’s culture. My most popular research focuses on Chinese characters (Chinese Characters: An Easy Learning Method Based on Their Etymology and Evolution), Matriarchy in China (there is a book with this title), and minority cultures (The Naxi of Southwest China). Yo can see my mis videos in Youtube, and more pictures about China in Instagram (pedroyunnan).
In travel, I have specialized in Yunnan, Tibet, the Silk Road, and other lesser-known places. Feel free to write to me if you’re planning a trip to China. The agency I collaborate with offers excellent service at an unbeatable price. You’ll find my email below.
Last posts
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...
Chronicle of a Blood Merchant by Yu Hua
Chronicle of a Blood Merchant by Yu Hua One of the best Chinese novels of the 20th century. Without the apparent search for big ideas, it seduces the reader by its simplicity, and ends up entangling him in its plot. Chronicle of a blood seller, in reality, it is only...
The Grand Canal and the Great Wall
The Grand Canal and the Great Wall In Brief: A brief review showing some of the similarities between the two iconic works of Chinese history and culture, their goals, and their differences. As well as how they both ended up shaping this country. I have always been...
The decapitated Buddhas of the Fahua Temple in Anning
The decapitated Buddhas of the Fahua Temple in Anning In Brief: One of Yunnan's most important cultural heritages destroyed by political fundamentalism, a thought-provoking visit. On the outskirts of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, near the city of Anning, there are...
Duanwu Festival at a Taoist temple
Duanwu Festival at a Taoist temple Last Saturday I received news that during the Duanwu festival there would be a small ceremony at the Zhenqing Taoist temple. According to the information received throughout the day, there would be different cultural activities,...
The Canon of the Yellow Emperor
The Canon of the Yellow Emperor In Brief: The last great work of Chinese philosophy discovered so far, deserves to be known by all those interested in this country. Almost 50 years ago, in 1973, an important quantity of artistic objects was discovered in an ancient...