Chinese Poems Bookstore

Chinese Poems Bookstore
The following are recommended works for those wishing to learn more about Chinese poems, other literature, the language or Chinese culture.
Click on the picture of the book you are interested in to reach the relevant Amazon.com page; non-US customers can look up books in their local online or real-life bookshop!

Literature

The Selected Poems of Du Fu
by Burton Watson
Click here for full review! Chinese Poetry
by Wai-lim Yip
Click here for full review!

Li Po and Tu Fu
by Arthur Cooper
Click here for full review! One Hundred Poems from the Chinese
by Kenneth Rexroth
Click here for full review!
An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911
by Stephen Owen
A huge book about a huge subject: more than a thousand pages of Owen's own translations of a wide range of works from every period of classical literature. The Tang poetry translations in particular are unrivalled for their elegance and fidelity. If you buy only one book of Chinese literature, this should be the one. Personae: The Shorter Poems of Ezra Pound
by Ezra Pound
This collection of Pound's earlier poetry is included here for Cathay, his versions of poems by Li Bai and other writers. The much-criticised inaccuracies of these translations are often overstated, and judged in poetic terms they stand head and shoulders over almost all others.

Soul Mountain
by Gao Xingjian, translated Mabel Lee
Gao is China's only Nobel prizewinner, and Soul Mountain is his masterpiece: a semi-autobiographical odyssey through the western fringes of China. A difficult but rewarding read. Fifty Tang Poems
by Stephen M. Johnson
This book presents a short selection of poems in a similar format to this site, with Chinese texts and literal as well as literary translations. A good choice for Chinese speakers or those learning the language.

Selected Stories of Lu Hsun
by Lu Xun, translated Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang
Lu Xun was a doctor who turned to writing, and his engagement with his country's social problems is obvious in his writing. This collection includes his most famous story, The True Story of Ah Q. Rickshaw: The Novel Lo-T-O Hsiang Tzu
by Lao She, translated Jean M. James
Less well known than Lu Xun, Lao She is similar in purpose and style. He was killed during the Cultural Revolution.

Language

New Age Chinese English Dictionary
This is an up to date dictionary produced in China. Its 2000 pages include 120,000 entries, covering both the classical and modern languages very comprehensively. The indexing system is also clear and easy to use. The best choice for intermediate to advanced students. Concise English-Chinese Chinese-English Dictionary
This pocket-sized, two-way dictionary is a classic. It can be hard to obtain in the US, but it is readily available in the UK and in China (the Chinese printing is clearer). Pinyin is used extensively, making this a good dictionary for the beginner.

An Introduction to Literary Chinese
by Michael A. Fuller
For those with a fair knowledge of modern Chinese, this is a good introduction to the classical language. Fuller provides a good introduction to the challenges of interpreting literary texts, followed by lessons of increasing difficulty. Chinese Characters
by L. Wieger
This is a classic work on the derivation of Chinese characters in the best 19th century tradition: eccentric, full of character and often inaccurate, but none the worse for that. The etymologies are useful mnemonics even when historically incorrect.

Culture
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
by Jung Chang
A deservedly popular autobiographical account of 20th century China through the eyes of one family's women. Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now
by Jan Wong
A good contrast to Wild Swans, this memoir by a Canadian journalist (and former Red Guard) presents the comic as well as the tragic side of the Mao years.
The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci
by Jonathan D. Spence
The "Memory Palace" of the title is a mnemonic system which Ricci used to learn the Chinese language, and which he attempted to teach to the Chinese. Spence uses it as a frame for the story of Ricci himself, who secured for his Jesuit order an important role in Chinese society, but who failed in his real ambition of converting the nation to Catholicism. To Change China: Western Advisers in China, 1620-1960
by Jonathan D. Spence
In this work, Spence as usual combines scholarship and accessibility in his discussion of Westerners' efforts to reshape China in their own image.

God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan
by Jonathan D. Spence
One of Spence's denser works, this is nevertheless a fascinating account of the Taiping rebellion, led by a Christian fundamentalist who believed himself to be the son of God. Hong Xiuquan is regarded by modern Chinese as something of a folk hero, giving the book particular contemporary resonance. The Search for Modern China
by Jonathan D. Spence
Spence traces China's history from the fall of the Ming dynasty down to the modern era. The thrust of the book is his convincing argument that the modern country can be understood only by understanding its roots in this period.

Mandate of Heaven: The Legacy of Tiananmen Square and the Next Generation of China's Leaders
by Orville Schell
An examination of the repercussions of the Tiananmen massacre on the country's future, this is a very readable book by one of the leading journalistic commentators on China. The China Reader: The Reform Era
(ed) Orville Schell, David Shambaugh
Co-edited by Schell, this is a compilation of documents and articles surveying the social, economic and political changes in China since 1972.

Literature

	The Selected Poems of Du Fu by Burton Watson Click here for full review!	Chinese Poetry by Wai-lim Yip Click here for full review!
	Li Po and Tu Fu by Arthur Cooper Click here for full review!	One Hundred Poems from the Chinese by Kenneth Rexroth Click here for full review!
	An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911 by Stephen Owen A huge book about a huge subject: more than a thousand pages of Owen's own translations of a wide range of works from every period of classical literature. The Tang poetry translations in particular are unrivalled for their elegance and fidelity. If you buy only one book of Chinese literature, this should be the one.	Personae: The Shorter Poems of Ezra Pound by Ezra Pound This collection of Pound's earlier poetry is included here for Cathay, his versions of poems by Li Bai and other writers. The much-criticised inaccuracies of these translations are often overstated, and judged in poetic terms they stand head and shoulders over almost all others.
	Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian, translated Mabel Lee Gao is China's only Nobel prizewinner, and Soul Mountain is his masterpiece: a semi-autobiographical odyssey through the western fringes of China. A difficult but rewarding read.	Fifty Tang Poems by Stephen M. Johnson This book presents a short selection of poems in a similar format to this site, with Chinese texts and literal as well as literary translations. A good choice for Chinese speakers or those learning the language.
	Selected Stories of Lu Hsun by Lu Xun, translated Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang Lu Xun was a doctor who turned to writing, and his engagement with his country's social problems is obvious in his writing. This collection includes his most famous story, The True Story of Ah Q.	Rickshaw: The Novel Lo-T-O Hsiang Tzu by Lao She, translated Jean M. James Less well known than Lu Xun, Lao She is similar in purpose and style. He was killed during the Cultural Revolution.
Language
	New Age Chinese English Dictionary This is an up to date dictionary produced in China. Its 2000 pages include 120,000 entries, covering both the classical and modern languages very comprehensively. The indexing system is also clear and easy to use. The best choice for intermediate to advanced students.	Concise English-Chinese Chinese-English Dictionary This pocket-sized, two-way dictionary is a classic. It can be hard to obtain in the US, but it is readily available in the UK and in China (the Chinese printing is clearer). Pinyin is used extensively, making this a good dictionary for the beginner.
	An Introduction to Literary Chinese by Michael A. Fuller For those with a fair knowledge of modern Chinese, this is a good introduction to the classical language. Fuller provides a good introduction to the challenges of interpreting literary texts, followed by lessons of increasing difficulty.	Chinese Characters by L. Wieger This is a classic work on the derivation of Chinese characters in the best 19th century tradition: eccentric, full of character and often inaccurate, but none the worse for that. The etymologies are useful mnemonics even when historically incorrect.
Culture
	Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang A deservedly popular autobiographical account of 20th century China through the eyes of one family's women.	Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now by Jan Wong A good contrast to Wild Swans, this memoir by a Canadian journalist (and former Red Guard) presents the comic as well as the tragic side of the Mao years.
	The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci by Jonathan D. Spence The "Memory Palace" of the title is a mnemonic system which Ricci used to learn the Chinese language, and which he attempted to teach to the Chinese. Spence uses it as a frame for the story of Ricci himself, who secured for his Jesuit order an important role in Chinese society, but who failed in his real ambition of converting the nation to Catholicism.	To Change China: Western Advisers in China, 1620-1960 by Jonathan D. Spence In this work, Spence as usual combines scholarship and accessibility in his discussion of Westerners' efforts to reshape China in their own image.
	God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan by Jonathan D. Spence One of Spence's denser works, this is nevertheless a fascinating account of the Taiping rebellion, led by a Christian fundamentalist who believed himself to be the son of God. Hong Xiuquan is regarded by modern Chinese as something of a folk hero, giving the book particular contemporary resonance.	The Search for Modern China by Jonathan D. Spence Spence traces China's history from the fall of the Ming dynasty down to the modern era. The thrust of the book is his convincing argument that the modern country can be understood only by understanding its roots in this period.
	Mandate of Heaven: The Legacy of Tiananmen Square and the Next Generation of China's Leaders by Orville Schell An examination of the repercussions of the Tiananmen massacre on the country's future, this is a very readable book by one of the leading journalistic commentators on China.	The China Reader: The Reform Era (ed) Orville Schell, David Shambaugh Co-edited by Schell, this is a compilation of documents and articles surveying the social, economic and political changes in China since 1972.