Chinese history through the prism of its leaders
A review of David Shambaugh's latest book, "China’s Leaders From Mao to Now."
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China’s left-behind villages and the people in them
Overburdened grandparents, children who don’t see their parents, workers straining to make a living in unwelcoming cities: Liang Hong's book, "China in One Village" (tr. Emily Goedde), gives a platform for these voices from the countryside.
Did silver cause China’s decline? ‘Empire of Silver,’ reviewed
A new book by Jin Xu (translated by Stacy Mosher) argues that imperial China's choice of currency curtailed its development during the Industrial Revolution, and led to collapse.
China’s New Youth: The diverse post-Tiananmen generation shaping the country
The Chinese youth of today are largely divorced from history. But like generations of Chinese youth in the century before them, they are making their own.
Words on the street: ‘Beijing Graffiti’ examines street art in the Chinese capital
A new book examines Beijing's small but vibrant graffiti scene, via photographs and interviews with 25 of the city’s graffiti artists.
What a John le Carré novel can teach about China
John Le Carré’s Asia-set magnum opus is his 1977 novel "The Honourable Schoolboy." The book is one of le Carré’s most personal, offering us a number of insights into Asia and China that are key to understanding the trajectory of Western relations with China after World War II.
Dilemmas at the start of a new administration — in 2021 America and 1801 China
William Rowe's "Speaking of Profit: Bao Shichen and Reform in Nineteenth Century China," about the transition from the Qianlong Emperor to the Jiaqing Emperor, is particularly meaningful to read on this day, as America faces a strange mix of optimism and dread, the end of one administration and the start of another.
Our future tech dystopia begins in China
Kai Strittmatter's recent book, "We Have Been Harmonized: Life in China’s Surveillance State," examines how the Chinese government is using technology to censor, surveil, and control its population. Does it read like a warning, or merely a glimpse of what awaits us all?
Macau as a refuge for Jews: Paul French novella ‘Strangers on the Praia’
“Stories on the margins are good,” says bestselling author Paul French. In his latest book, the novella "Strangers on the Praia," he tells the story of young Jewish women who fled Japanese-occupied Shanghai to Portuguese Macau, a city that represented for them one thing: hope.