Best books to read about China

1.
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China 4.30 avg rating — 120,282 ratings
2.
The Color of Jadeite
The Color of Jadeite 4.26 avg rating — 27 ratings
3.
Monkey: The Journey to the West
Monkey: The Journey to the West 4.04 avg rating — 7,819 ratings
4.
Three Kingdoms (4-Volume Boxed Set)
Three Kingdoms (4-Volume Boxed Set) 4.38 avg rating — 6,321 ratings
5.
Dream of the Red Chamber
Dream of the Red Chamber 4.01 avg rating — 2,775 ratings
6.
CHINA: Portrait of a People
CHINA: Portrait of a People 4.23 avg rating — 184 ratings
7.
The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II
The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II 4.24 avg rating — 50,743 ratings
8.
The Search For Modern China
The Search For Modern China 4.20 avg rating — 3,182 ratings
9.
The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1)
The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1) 4.01 avg rating — 257,768 ratings
10.
T'ai chi ch'uan. Wisdom in Action
T'ai chi ch'uan. Wisdom in Action 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings
10.
Inconvenient Memories: A Personal Account of the Tiananmen Square Incident and China Before and After
Inconvenient Memories: A Personal Account of the Tiananmen Square Incident and China Before and After 3.96 avg rating — 91 ratings
12.
The Analects
The Analects
by: Confucius
3.81 avg rating — 23,508 ratings
13.
The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber, Vol. 3: The Warning Voice
The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber, Vol. 3: The Warning Voice 4.44 avg rating — 877 ratings
14.
The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices
The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices
by: Xinran
4.31 avg rating — 12,973 ratings
15.
Country Driving: A Chinese Road Trip
Country Driving: A Chinese Road Trip 4.26 avg rating — 8,012 ratings
15.
Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present
Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present 4.22 avg rating — 7,536 ratings
17.
Journey to the West (4-Volume Boxed Set)
Journey to the West (4-Volume Boxed Set) 4.34 avg rating — 2,581 ratings
18.
The Cambridge Illustrated History of China
The Cambridge Illustrated History of China 3.88 avg rating — 575 ratings
19.
River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze
River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze 4.28 avg rating — 13,672 ratings
20.
Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio
Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio 4.05 avg rating — 2,454 ratings
21.
Wish Lanterns: Young Lives in New China
Wish Lanterns: Young Lives in New China
by: Alec Ash
4.19 avg rating — 1,055 ratings
22.
The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom
The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom 3.84 avg rating — 4,777 ratings
23.
The Battle of Chibi
The Battle of Chibi 4.09 avg rating — 45 ratings
23.
Journey of the North Star
Journey of the North Star 4.26 avg rating — 27 ratings
23.
China's Wings: War, Intrigue, Romance, and Adventure in the Middle Kingdom During the Golden Age of Flight
China's Wings: War, Intrigue, Romance, and Adventure in the Middle Kingdom During the Golden Age of Flight 4.34 avg rating — 219 ratings
23.
Chinese fairy tales: Forty Stories Told by Almond-Eyed Folk
Chinese fairy tales: Forty Stories Told by Almond-Eyed Folk 3.69 avg rating — 42 ratings
23.
Unsavory Elements: Stories of Foreigners on the Loose in China
Unsavory Elements: Stories of Foreigners on the Loose in China 3.59 avg rating — 197 ratings
23.
Mao's China and After: A History of the People's Republic
Mao's China and After: A History of the People's Republic 4.08 avg rating — 437 ratings
23.
The Girl with Ghost Eyes
The Girl with Ghost Eyes 3.86 avg rating — 4,419 ratings
23.
Shanghai Nobody (Master Shanghai, #1)
Shanghai Nobody (Master Shanghai, #1)
by: Vann Chow
3.56 avg rating — 97 ratings
23.
China Simplified: History Flashback
China Simplified: History Flashback 4.39 avg rating — 38 ratings
32.
God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan
God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan 3.94 avg rating — 1,247 ratings
33.
Poorly Made in China: An Insider's Account of the Tactics Behind China's Production Game
Poorly Made in China: An Insider's Account of the Tactics Behind China's Production Game 4.09 avg rating — 2,415 ratings
34.
Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 2: History of Scientific Thought
Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 2: History of Scientific Thought 4.42 avg rating — 36 ratings
35.
Emperor of China: Self-portrait of K'ang-Hsi: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi
Emperor of China: Self-portrait of K'ang-Hsi: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi
by: Kangxi
3.91 avg rating — 436 ratings
35.
The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber, Vol. 1: The Golden Days
The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber, Vol. 1: The Golden Days 4.20 avg rating — 2,418 ratings
37.
Red Sorghum
Red Sorghum
by: Mo Yan
3.80 avg rating — 8,539 ratings
38.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
by: Dai Sijie
3.64 avg rating — 67,012 ratings
39.
Waiting for the Dalai Lama: Stories from All Sides of the Tibetan Debate
Waiting for the Dalai Lama: Stories from All Sides of the Tibetan Debate 3.79 avg rating — 43 ratings
39.
Wearing Chinese Glasses: How (not) to Go Broke in Chinese Asia
Wearing Chinese Glasses: How (not) to Go Broke in Chinese Asia really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings
39.
The Wardens of Punyu
The Wardens of Punyu
by: D.L. Kung
4.08 avg rating — 59 ratings
39.
Governing China: From Revolution Through Reform, 2nd Edition
Governing China: From Revolution Through Reform, 2nd Edition 3.90 avg rating — 143 ratings
39.
Out of Mao's Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China
Out of Mao's Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China 4.10 avg rating — 1,577 ratings
39.
A Sudden Dawn: A Martial Arts Novel
A Sudden Dawn: A Martial Arts Novel 4.30 avg rating — 128 ratings
39.
The Cult of the Fox: Power, Gender, and Popular Religion in Late Imperial and Modern China
The Cult of the Fox: Power, Gender, and Popular Religion in Late Imperial and Modern China 4.11 avg rating — 28 ratings
39.
Mythbusting the Cult of Confucius: What the Chinese Really Are, How to Understand Them and Why We Need to
Mythbusting the Cult of Confucius: What the Chinese Really Are, How to Understand Them and Why We Need to 4.40 avg rating — 10 ratings
39.
Watering Heaven
Watering Heaven 4.16 avg rating — 152 ratings
39.
The Broken Seals: Part One of the Marshes of Mount Liang
The Broken Seals: Part One of the Marshes of Mount Liang 4.24 avg rating — 66 ratings
39.
Making the China Connection
Making the China Connection
by: Tom Galey
it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
39.
Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China
Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China 3.98 avg rating — 631 ratings
39.
Strange Tales from Liaozhai - Vol. 1
Strange Tales from Liaozhai - Vol. 1 4.09 avg rating — 33 ratings
39.
How China Became Capitalist
How China Became Capitalist 4.20 avg rating — 230 ratings
39.
You May as Well Sing, Brother: Seventy Years of Strange but True Stories of Adventure, Determination, Cruelty, Bravery, Survival and Especially Love from Inside a Chinese Village
You May as Well Sing, Brother: Seventy Years of Strange but True Stories of Adventure, Determination, Cruelty, Bravery, Survival and Especially Love from Inside a Chinese Village 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings
39.
Learning Mandarin for the Fish and Chips: Learning Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan and Mandarin Legal Work in London (Some Ideas Over a Cup of Tea Book 1)
Learning Mandarin for the Fish and Chips: Learning Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan and Mandarin Legal Work in London (Some Ideas Over a Cup of Tea Book 1) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
39.
The Ming Storytellers
The Ming Storytellers 3.92 avg rating — 173 ratings
39.
Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits
Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits 4.16 avg rating — 540 ratings
39.
The Transport of Reading: Text and Understanding in the World of Tao Qian (365–427) (Harvard East Asian Monographs)
The Transport of Reading: Text and Understanding in the World of Tao Qian (365–427) (Harvard East Asian Monographs) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating
39.
Mort in China Comic Issue 1 (Funny, Chinese, Indie, Comic Book For Kids, Teens, Adults, Short Read):: Understanding Modern China and Chinese Culture Through Comics (Final Destinations)
Mort in China Comic Issue 1 (Funny, Chinese, Indie, Comic Book For Kids, Teens, Adults, Short Read):: Understanding Modern China and Chinese Culture Through Comics (Final Destinations) 4.36 avg rating — 14 ratings
39.
A Call to China
A Call to China 4.36 avg rating — 33 ratings
39.
China's Great Wall of Debt: Shadow Banks, Ghost Cities, Massive Loans, and the End of the Chinese Miracle
China's Great Wall of Debt: Shadow Banks, Ghost Cities, Massive Loans, and the End of the Chinese Miracle 4.13 avg rating — 1,165 ratings
39.
China In Another Time: A Personal Story
China In Another Time: A Personal Story 4.34 avg rating — 35 ratings
39.
Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China's Drive for Global Supremacy
Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China's Drive for Global Supremacy 3.96 avg rating — 222 ratings
39.
Gift of the Fox
Gift of the Fox 4.75 avg rating — 20 ratings
39.
Brushstrokes in Time
Brushstrokes in Time 4.69 avg rating — 58 ratings
39.
Two Oceans to Canton, the Story of the Old China Trade
Two Oceans to Canton, the Story of the Old China Trade 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
39.
Yellow Sky Revolt (The Three Kingdoms Chronicles, #1)
Yellow Sky Revolt (The Three Kingdoms Chronicles, #1) 4.22 avg rating — 165 ratings
39.
Her Lotus Year: China, the Roaring Twenties, and the Making of Wallis Simpson
Her Lotus Year: China, the Roaring Twenties, and the Making of Wallis Simpson 3.72 avg rating — 247 ratings
39.
Wuhan: How the COVID-19 Outbreak in China Spiraled Out of Control
Wuhan: How the COVID-19 Outbreak in China Spiraled Out of Control 4.33 avg rating — 30 ratings
39.
Outlaws of the Marsh (4-Volume Boxed Set)
Outlaws of the Marsh (4-Volume Boxed Set) 4.12 avg rating — 3,006 ratings
70.
The End of May Road (Handover Mysteries, #2)
The End of May Road (Handover Mysteries, #2)
by: D.L. Kung
3.50 avg rating — 24 ratings
70.
What the Chinese Don't Eat
What the Chinese Don't Eat
by: Xinran
3.60 avg rating — 409 ratings
70.
Hungry Ghosts: Mao's Secret Famine
Hungry Ghosts: Mao's Secret Famine 4.02 avg rating — 619 ratings
70.
Gaokao: A Personal Journey Behind China's Examination Culture
Gaokao: A Personal Journey Behind China's Examination Culture 4.17 avg rating — 12 ratings
70.
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China 3.93 avg rating — 9,485 ratings
70.
Made in China: A Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America's Cheap Goods
Made in China: A Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America's Cheap Goods 4.35 avg rating — 2,144 ratings
70.
Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China
Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China 3.91 avg rating — 10,431 ratings
70.
Heroes of Chaos (The Three Kingdoms Chronicles, #2)
Heroes of Chaos (The Three Kingdoms Chronicles, #2) 4.41 avg rating — 73 ratings
78.
All Men Are Brothers
All Men Are Brothers 4.12 avg rating — 3,006 ratings
78.
The Shadows of Shigatse
The Shadows of Shigatse
by: D.L. Kung
4.18 avg rating — 22 ratings
78.
The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China, #1)
The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China, #1) 3.76 avg rating — 587 ratings
78.
Excess Baggage
Excess Baggage
by: Karen Ma
4.19 avg rating — 31 ratings
78.
China: A New History
China: A New History 3.87 avg rating — 956 ratings
78.
The Moon in the Palace (Empress of Bright Moon, #1)
The Moon in the Palace (Empress of Bright Moon, #1) 4.01 avg rating — 7,970 ratings
78.
Understanding China through Comics, Volume 1
Understanding China through Comics, Volume 1
by: Jing Liu
3.99 avg rating — 124 ratings
78.
Dragon Ride: True Stories of Adventure, Miracles, and Evangelism from China
Dragon Ride: True Stories of Adventure, Miracles, and Evangelism from China 4.54 avg rating — 258 ratings
78.
Dynasty Killers (The Three Kingdoms Chronicles, #3)
Dynasty Killers (The Three Kingdoms Chronicles, #3) 4.65 avg rating — 48 ratings
87.
When Huai Flowers Bloom: Stories of the Cultural Revolution
When Huai Flowers Bloom: Stories of the Cultural Revolution 3.33 avg rating — 6 ratings
87.
Berg van de ziel
Berg van de ziel 3.60 avg rating — 5,712 ratings
87.
798: Inside China's Art Zone
798: Inside China's Art Zone 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings
87.
The Empress of Bright Moon (Empress of Bright Moon, #2)
The Empress of Bright Moon (Empress of Bright Moon, #2) 4.23 avg rating — 4,072 ratings
87.
Understanding China through Comics, Volume 2
Understanding China through Comics, Volume 2
by: Jing Liu
4.15 avg rating — 72 ratings
87.
Tao Te Ching
Tao Te Ching
by: Lao Tzu
4.29 avg rating — 176,922 ratings
87.
The Chief Witness: escape from China’s modern-day concentration camps
The Chief Witness: escape from China’s modern-day concentration camps 4.55 avg rating — 883 ratings
94.
The Vermilion Bird: T'ang Images of the South
The Vermilion Bird: T'ang Images of the South 4.38 avg rating — 26 ratings
94.
Journey to the Forbidden China
Journey to the Forbidden China 3.33 avg rating — 6 ratings
94.
Kikkers
Kikkers
by: Mo Yan
3.81 avg rating — 5,244 ratings
94.
Redemption (The Legend of Snow Wolf, #2)
Redemption (The Legend of Snow Wolf, #2) 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings
94.
Chiang Kai Shek: China's Generalissimo and the Nation He Lost
Chiang Kai Shek: China's Generalissimo and the Nation He Lost 3.93 avg rating — 384 ratings
94.
The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge To China's Future
The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge To China's Future 3.76 avg rating — 172 ratings
94.
Celebrated Cases Of Judge Dee
Celebrated Cases Of Judge Dee 3.92 avg rating — 2,521 ratings
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