China Book Reviews

As I live and work in China I have an unusual amount of travel time—which means that I have a lot of time to read. In fact, I’ve polished off about 35 books in the last couple of years, most about China, as I’ve traveled to and from factories.So, I’m going to make some general book recommendations and then review, each month, a couple of books dealing with China. I’ll start here with the recommended reading list and add reviews each week or so as I finish new books and review older ones. All of the books in the following list, and another 20 or so books that I’ll finish this year will be reviewed in by the end of the year.Recommended China Reading:• 1421—Gavin Menzies; A foreign addition to the new “China-did-it-first” literature, this is an pseudo-academic look at China’s claim to mapping out the world long before the West.• Art of War, The—Sun Tzu, translated by Ralph D. Sawyer; The classic book of Chinese strategy for war and business.• China CEO—Juan Antonio Fernandez and Laurie Underwood. Very general information that tries not to stereotype or offend and so fails to deliver the punch or detail necessary that could make it really useful. Chapters are more experiencial than practical/applicable and reads more like a textbook for a “international business class.” Does offer “todo” lists in each chapter, but their vagueness is frustrating.• China Hands: Nine Decades of Adventure, Espionage, and Diplomacy in Asia—James R. Lilley; A really cool personal history of a foreign famly’s life and work in China over almost the entire 20th century. Lots of famous names, dates and people. An easy read.• China Inc.—Ted C. Fishman; quick review and preview of the largest and fastest growing economy in the history of the world. Hope on board, the bandwagon isn’t full yet.• China Shakes the World—James Kynge. Not a book about the business implications of the new Chinese economy (which I thought it would be—my mistake), but rather an interesting collection of narratives and business experiences in China over the last 25 years. Disappointing because of my expectations, but interesting nevertheless.• Chinese Business Etiquette—Scott D. Seligman; The best book I’ve ever read on what it’s like to “live” in the Chinese business environment! He knows the Chinese. MUST READ!• Chinese Cinderella—Adeline Yen Mah; An emotional personal history of life as a women in “modern” China. Another depressing look at the history of women in China.• Chinese Family and Kinship—Huge D.R. Baker; Academic look at Chinese family relationships and the networks they create. More academic than practical, I first read this in college—and only have read it again since I’ve married into a Chinese family.• Coming Collapse of China, The—Gordon Chang; Every reason you’ve ever heard why to never work with China—a perceptive but long winded balance to the ever present optimism about China. If you can get past the obvious paranoia/grudge there is a lot of wisdom in the cautions presented.• Flow of Gifts, The—Yunxiang Yan; Reciprocity and social networks in a Chinese Village. More of an academic look than an easy read. But the practical and real-world application of guanxi is both interesting and useful for learning more about Chinese relationships.• Gifts Favors and Banquets—Mayfair Mei-hui Yang; This book is the standard on Chinese relationships. An academic look at the influence of thousands of years of history on business relationships in China.• Harvard Business Review on Doing Business in China, The—Various authors. Unfortunately, the content does not live up to it’s name sake. This book is simplistic, outdated, and focuses exclusively on marketing to the domestic Chinese market.• Joy Luck Club, The—Amy Tan; two generations of Chinese women in three families deal with modernity, relationships and their own history. Great book, great movie too.• Kitchen God’s wife, The—Amy Tan. Not nearly as good as The Joy Luck Club. If you’re not a woman having a midlife crisis or addicted to everything Chinese you can skip this.• Life and Death in Shanghai—Nian Chen; a personal look at the politics and life in Communist China’s cosmopolitan center. Gets better reviews than I think it deserves, but it so commonly read that you can blow though it quickly and know what everyone is talking about.• One Billion Customers—James McGregor; “Lessons from the front lines of doing business in China.” Probably the most honest and accurate book on doing business in China. Another MUST READ.• One Couple, Two Cultures—Dan Roberts; Nice book to validate the fact that all marriages have communications issues. Not much on research or contextual analysis. Unless your in a mixed-racial relationship don’t bother. And even then, think twice.• Myths About Doing Business in China—Harold Chee and Chris West; I was excited to read a book by a Chinese for foreign businesspeople. Unfortunately it’s of little or no value as a guide to China. It serves as more a soapbox for Mr. Chee’s anti-Western Racism and stereo-types. Skip this book.• Seach for Modern China, The—Jonathan Spence; the best history of modern China available. A MUST READ.• The New Chinese Empire, And What it Means for the United States—Ross Terrill; Winner of the LA Times Book Prize, it clearly and with great detail explains where China is headed and how to become a part of that future. Very good, if not overly optimistic.• The Rape of Nanjing—Iris Chan. This book will make you vomit—it’s that good. It will make clear why the Chinese hate the Japanese still. A must read for anyone trying to understand the current Chinese psyche.• Three Billion New Capitalists—Clyde Prestowitz. Very similar to “The World is Flat” but without all of the leftist political prescriptions. It does paint the same very bleak picture for the future of the US though.• Tiananmen Papers, The—Zhang Liang, et al; Insider details about the Chinese government’s decisions leading up to the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. A very interesting look into the mindset of Chinese leadership—I liked the psychology much more than the history.• Wild Swans—Jung Chang; a very emotional and personal history of three generations of Chinese women in China during the first 30 years of the “new China.” Another book that everyone who comes to China reads—this one is worth it though.• Will the Boat Sink the Water?—Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao. A FANTASTIC look at the reality of the Chinese country side and the peasants’ problems with agriculture, government, poverty, taxes and opportunity. Originally written in Chinese and since translated, it was banned in China. Totally corroborates any and all corruption stories you’ve ever heard.