In the forward to his book Voices from the Past, Andrew Kaiser quotes Ellen N. La Motte, author of Peking Dust, on the perils of writing about China.
Two classes of books are written about China by two classes of people. There are books written by people who have spent the night in China, as it were, superficial and amusing, full of the tinkling of temple bells; and there are other books written by people who have spent years in China and who know it well,—ponderous books, full of absolute information, heavy and unreadable.
Books of the first class get one nowhere. They are delightful and entertaining, but one feels their irresponsible authorship. Books of the second class get one nowhere, for one cannot read them; they are too didactic and dull. The only people who might read them do not read them, for they are possessed of deep, fundamental knowledge of China, and their views agree in no slightest particular with the views set forth by the learned scholars and theorists.
Andrew recently joined Joann Pittman and Amy Young for a discussion on ChinaSource Conversations about China books that are worth reading.
Having studied China academically and having lived in China for the better part of two decades, Andrew brings both a scholarly and a very practical perspective to his choice of books. Likewise both Joann, who is Senior Vice President of ChinaSource, and Amy, who serves with the online community Velvet Ashes, have spent decades in China, where their work included helping those who were new to China to make sense of life in the Middle Kingdom.
Their conversation starts with the question, “Why read books on China?” In an age of instant information, with social media overflowing with the latest in China news, is it even necessary to spend time on books?
The response (as might be expected from these three avid book lovers) is a resounding “Yes!” The historical perspective and deep analysis found in books is essential for appreciating the context of China. Within this larger picture, the latest political events—or one’s latest perplexing encounter with neighbors or colleagues—begin to fall into place.
The discussion turns to books they’re currently reading, as well as those considered to be “China classics.” Familiar names such as Buck, Spence, Shambaugh, and Link punctuate the conversation, but there are also less familiar authors. These include Adam Chau, who offers a very different take on Chinese religion, and May Fong and Kay Ann Johnson, both of whom have written recent critiques of China’s one-child policy.
As all three are working with individuals or teams engaged in China, they touched on books, not necessarily China-specific, they’ve found useful in helping people make the cross-cultural transition to living and serving in China. Books by Duane Elmer, Ajith Fernando, and Dietrich Bonheoffer rise to the top of this list.
The conversation closes with a discussion of books on the church in China, as well as books written by the discussants themselves.
If you don't have time to listen now, check out the list of mentioned books below!
Books Mentioned
- Imperial Women: The Story of the Last Empress of China, by Pearl S. Buck
- City of Tranquil Light: A Novel, by Bo Caldwell
- Snowflower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See
- China’s Millions (Studies in the History of Christian Missions), by Alvyn Austin
- Redeemed by Fire: The Rise of Popular Christianity in Modern China, by Lian Xi
- Evening Chats in Beijing: Probing China’s Predicament, by Perry Link
- China’s Future, by David Shambaugh
- The Art of Crossing Cultures, by Craig Storti
- Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christ-like Humility, by Duane Elmer
- An Authentic Servant: The Marks of a Spiritual Leader, by Ajith Fernando
- Barbarians, by Robert Carter
- God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan, by Jonathan Spence
- Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China, by Evan Osnos
- Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine, 1958-1962, by Yang Jisheng
- In Manchuria: A Village Called Wasteland and the Transformation of Rural China, Michael Meyer
- The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City, by Michael Meyer
- Street of Eternal Happiness: Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road, by Rob Schmitz
- Miraculous Response: Doing Popular Religion in Contemporary China, by Adam Chau
- One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment, by Mei Fong
- China's Hidden Children: Abandonment, Adoption, and the Human Costs of the One-Child Policy, by Kay Ann Johnson
- Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, by Jung Chang
- Son of the Revolution, by Liang Heng & Judith Shapiro
- China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
- China Can Say No – The Post-Cold War Era of Political and Emotional Choices, by Song Qiang, et.al. (In Chinese)
- Shantung Compound: The Story of Men and Women Under Pressure, by Langdon Gilkey
- The Ugly American, by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick
- Life Together, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- God Is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China, by Liao Yiwu
- China's Urban Christians: A Light that Cannot Be Hidden, by Brent Fulton
- The Chinese Puzzle, by Michael Falkenstine
- The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices, by Xinran
- Looming Transitions: Starting and Finishing Well in Cross-Cultural Service, by Amy Young
- Voices from the Past: Historical Reflections on Christian Missions in China, by Andrew Kaiser
- Survival Chinese Lessons, by Joann Pittman
Image credit: Bargain Books by FromSandToGlass via Flickr.
Brent Fulton
Brent Fulton is the founder of ChinaSource. Dr. Fulton served as the first president of ChinaSource until 2019. Prior to his service with ChinaSource, he served from 1995 to 2000 as the managing director of the Institute for Chinese Studies at Wheaton College. From 1987 to 1995 he served as founding …View Full Bio
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