By Beth Green
One of the biggest thrills for me when researching a place to
visit—whether for tourism or for living abroad—is reading about its history. I
have written here before about reading a book just because I like the setting.
But I also seek out works of both fiction and nonfiction to flesh out my
concept of what a place was like at particular moments in time.
Following is a short list of a few historical books about China I often
recommend to friends and other travelers.
* Wild Swans: Three Daughters of
China, by Jung Chang, is one of those sweeping, epic tales that makes you
want to flip right back to the start after finishing the last page. Part
memoir, part novelized biography of the author’s mother and grandmother, Wild Swans tells the story of a family
as well as a nation. From her grandmother’s bound feet to her mother’s work
with the Communist Party, and finally to Chang’s emigration, Wild Swans illustrates the great changes
China has undergone better than any other book I’ve read on the subject. At the
time I read it, the book was banned in China. I got it from an expat friend,
who got it from a friend, who brought it in from Hong Kong. And yes, I passed
it on.
*Journey to the West,
attributed to Wu Cheng’En. Often called just Monkey when in translation in the West, this is one of the four
great classical novels of China. It describes the pilgrimage of a monk from
China to India, on a quest to bring Buddhist scrolls back to his homeland.
There is evidence the monk, Xuan Zang, was a real historical figure, but I’m
guessing that the tale’s other characters are not: Sun Wu Kong, a monkey king;
Zhu Bai Jie, an awakened pig; and Sha Wu Jing, an immortal general fallen from
service in the heavenly court. If you travel in Xi’an or the western parts of
China you’ll often find references to this party’s legendary journey.
*River Town and Oracle Bones, by Peter Hessler. These two books about journalist Hessler’s
experiences, travels, and friendships in China since the 1990s are titles I
often recommend to people who ask me for something to read about China’s
contemporary history. (I mentioned River
Town in my post about the Yangtze River, here.) Hessler
moved to a small town in Sichuan province in the 1990s as a Peace Corps
volunteer. His books reflect the amazing cultural and social changes that have
taken place since that time, and also the changes in his own perceptions of
China. He’s got a third book now, Country
Driving, which I keep meaning to read.
*1491: The Year China Discovered
the World, by Gavin Menzies. Probably known to my friends and family as the
book I love to hate, I often recommend people read this book even though I
doubt it’s historically accurate. (I’m not the only one. There was considerable controversy about this book’s claims.)
Basically, the author asserts that China discovered the Americas and Antarctica
before Columbus. I’m willing to accept that as a possibility, but then Menzies
goes on to say that the Chinese influence from landings and shipwrecks on their
voyages forms the basis for much of indigenous tradition in the Americas.
That’s where I get skeptical. However, what is fascinating to me about
this book is the reception it got within China—my students loved it. The
government loved it. It was featured on the news. It was widely available for
sale (unlike Wild Swans, as I
mentioned above, which features actual history.) So I recommend this book,
because it has resonated with a huge population—it shows what they would like
their history to reveal. Menzies followed up this book with two books I’ve yet
to read: 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited
the Renaissance and The Lost Empire
of Atlantis.
Do you have some favorite titles about the history of a place? Add them
in the comments!
Wild Swans is definitely among my all-time favorites. A very poignant read (I'll never forget the author's great-grandmother at the beginning of the book, a girl child whose parents don't even give her a name) and, as you mentioned, just a look at how each of China's government systems directly affects it people. I'll add the other books you mention to my TBR list (I love Chinese fiction). Except maybe 1491... One to recommend to you is Waiting, by Ha Jin. Another one of my all-time faves. Richly deserves all the awards and accolades it's received.
ReplyDeleteSupriya, glad you enjoyed Wild Swans too. I've seen Waiting around, but have yet to pick it up. I'll keep an eye out next time I feel like buying a book.
DeleteI stumbled over a Chinese detective fiction series set in 8th century China. The first book, translated into English by Robert Hans Van Gulik (18th century London), was set during the Ming dynasty. Van Gulik went on to write his own books featuring the same character, Judge Dee (Dee Goong An). I read a number of these, and they are a fascinating look into life in China during that period.
ReplyDeleteJudge Dee--I remember someone else told me about this series once. I'll have to look for it! Thanks Patricia.
DeleteI'll have to check that series out---sounds interesting! You also reminded me, Patricia, of another of my favorites---the Red Princess series by Lisa See. Highly recommend.
ReplyDeleteSo many books, so little time!
DeleteI loved "Wild Swans", one of the best books of this kind ever written, in my humble opinion. I have read quite a few books about China, both its history as well as its present day politics but this is by far my favourite. My blogpost ist not half as interesting as yours but if anyone would like to, you can check it out on my page Let's Read.
ReplyDeleteI have recently read a few books about Australia and its settlers that were quite informative, my favourite here is perhaps “For the Term of His Natural Life” by Marcus Clarke.
Marianne, thanks for the links. I'll be sure to check out your blog!
DeleteGreat post, Beth! I haven't read any of these yet, but will add them to my list. I just finished Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe about a fictional Nigerian community up through the beginning of colonial times. It was a fascinating look at the culture and how it changed.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite novels of all times was Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh, first book in a trilogy, which is mostly fictional but features the novelist's grandfather or great grandfather as one of the characters. The novel is set just before the outbreak of the Opium Wars. I loved it partly because at the end of the novel, Ghosh included what he calls a Chrestomathy which is essentially a dictionary of Lascari and other Asian words which have made their way into the English language. Wonderful to know where words like loot and dinghy came from. :)
Thanks Jenni--a Chrestomathy, huh? What a fun word!
DeleteI loved Amitav Gosh's The Glass Palace and this is on our list for the Chunky Reading Challenge. Maybe you would like to take part?
ReplyDeleteOh, wow, Marianne. I would love to. I read constantly anyway. Last year I did a reading challenge of 50 books, and I passed it. I was going to cut back my reading to spend more time writing this year, but I might be able to do the first level - especially if I can read more of Amitav Ghosh's books. :)
ReplyDelete