Book Reviews

Peter Goullart: Forgotten Kingdom

Peter Goullart: Forgotten Kingdom

20 years after “Shangri-La” was coined in the Western imagination, a Russian adventurer published a memoir from the valley of Lijiang, southwest China, that is strikingly similar yet a world apart.

Ellen La Motte: An American Nurse in Peking

Ellen La Motte: An American Nurse in Peking

In 1916, an American activist and writer traveled to China from the frontlines of World War I. What she saw in the city delighted her; what she saw in the opium trade appalled her.

Asymmetrical warfare in the battle over China’s past

Asymmetrical warfare in the battle over China’s past

Chinese history — very distant and very near — is filled with people who did not, and do not, abide by the government's "official" version of events. Ian Johnson gives them a voice in his latest book, Sparks.

Blood on the Tracks: The Story of China’s Greatest Train Robbery

Blood on the Tracks: The Story of China’s Greatest Train Robbery

Author James Zimmerman’s new book examines the surprising stories behind the 1923 robbery of the Peking Express, China’s most modern train at the time

Travelers, Trains, and Tartary: China Literary Journeys To Inspire Your Next Adventure

Travelers, Trains, and Tartary: China Literary Journeys To Inspire Your Next Adventure

Here are a few great travelogues by intrepid foreign writers who documented their own journeys through China and beyond.

Mistrust on Both Sides: On Terry Lautz’s “Americans in China” and John Delury’s “Agents of Subversion”

Mistrust on Both Sides: On Terry Lautz’s “Americans in China” and John Delury’s “Agents of Subversion”

“The success of US-China relations relies on forging relationships at a personal level,” writes Jeremiah Jenne reviewing John Delury’s “Agents of Subversion” and Terry Lautz’s “Americans in China."

On Thin Ice: When Dutch Traders Challenged the Qing Empire for Skating Glory

On Thin Ice: When Dutch Traders Challenged the Qing Empire for Skating Glory

Historian Tonio Andrade recalls a mostly forgotten moment of 18th-century Chinese diplomacy and winter sports history

Book Review: Exploring The Soong Sisters, Their Famous Marriages and Getting Their Story Right

Book Review: Exploring The Soong Sisters, Their Famous Marriages and Getting Their Story Right

Jung Chang's latest book promises a fresh take on the story of the Soong Sisters but ultimately falls short.

What to Read in Beijing: 10 Books to Keep you Inspired in the Middle Kingdom's Capital

What to Read in Beijing: 10 Books to Keep you Inspired in the Middle Kingdom's Capital

From the Cultural Revolution and Chinese millennials to the Kangxi Emperor and hutongs, this list of books to read on your trip through Beijing will keep you entertained, informed, and enlightened.