Best Chinese History Books

Explore modern-day China and its links to the Western world through the lives of ordinary people in Oracle Bones. Peter Hessler illuminates the contrast between past and present and the evolving rhythms of a country in transformation. Follow a diverse cast, including an American writer living in Beijing, a forgotten ethnic minority member seeking freedom in the United States, and a scholar of oracle-bone inscriptions, all struggling to understand the historical forces that have shaped their lives. Hessler excavates the past, putting a human face on the history of China and capturing its soul as it undergoes a momentous change.

Explore the complexities and nuances of modern Chinese society through the eyes of one of China's most acclaimed writers. Framed by ten common words in Chinese culture, China in Ten Words is a candid and intimate portrait of the world's most populous nation. Through personal stories and astute analysis, Yu Hua delves into issues such as wealth inequality, piracy, and fraud, offering a unique perspective on the Chinese experience over the last several decades. Provocative and insightful, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of modern China.

Explore the fascinating and previously untold lives of the migrant factory population in China, the largest migration in human history. Follow the stories of two young women, who over the course of three years attempt to rise from the assembly lines of Dongguan, an industrial city in China’s Pearl River Delta. Discover a world where nearly everyone is under thirty, where a few computer or English lessons can catapult you into a completely different social class, and where poverty and idleness of rural life drive young girls to leave home. With personal and historical frames of reference, author Leslie T. Chang provides new insight into China and demonstrates how this mass movement is changing individual lives and transforming Chinese society.

A chilling personal account of one woman's imprisonment during Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, Life and Death in Shanghai is a story of heroic resistance and courageous perseverance. Educated in London, and a widow of an official of Chiang Kaishek's regime and an employee of Shell Oil, Nien Cheng refused to confess to being an enemy of the state, leading to six years of solitary confinement. The book highlights the fight for power and party factions of Mao's China and portrays an astounding portrait of one woman's courage.

Discover the birth of the Communist movement in China through the eyes of the first Westerner to meet Mao Tse-tung and the Chinese Communist leaders in 1936. In Red Star Over China, Edgar Snow gives us the first authorized account of Mao's life and a history of the famous Long March. This classic work includes extensive notes on military and political developments in China, further interviews with Mao Tse-tung, and a chronology covering 125 years of Chinese revolution. Learn about the men and women who were instrumental in making China what it is today in nearly a hundred detailed biographies.

Discover the unsettling reality of late-imperial China and the revolutionary Republic that followed in this collection of short stories by one of the founding figures of modern Chinese literature. Lu Xun's celebrated works, including 'The Real Story of Ah-Q' and 'Diary of a Madman,' paint a vivid picture of superstition, poverty, and complacence. With a new translation by Julia Lovell and additional features such as an introduction to Lu Xun's life and suggested reading, this edition is a must-read for anyone interested in Chinese literature and history.

Explore five millennia of Chinese history in this authoritative account. Author John Keay's illuminating overview highlights China's unique identity rooted in its rich history. Examining everything from the Three Dynasties to Chairman Mao and beyond, this crisp and engaging read is a must for understanding the present and future of this powerhouse nation.

This award-winning book follows author Peter Hessler's travels across China in the early 2000s, exploring how the rise of cars and improved roads impacted the country's economy and society. Through his travels, Hessler shares moving stories of the average people who have reshaped China during this critical period in its history. He investigates the abandonment of rural regions, the transformation of small farming villages, and the hope for industrial growth in previously agricultural areas. This compelling and insightful narrative provides a unique perspective on modern China.