When the novel Beijing Coma by the Chinese writer Ma Jian came out last year, I had little interest in reading it. Something about the structure of the novel — which is narrated by a man in a coma who is able to perceive, though unable to respond, to what is going on around him [...]
Out of Mao’s Shadow (2008), by Philip Pan, is not only one of the best books about China that I’ve read recently, it’s also one of the best books that I’ve read recently, period. Pan, a former Beijing correspondent for the Washington Post, focuses on problems with China’s authoritarian state: its refusal to acknowledge its [...]
Lost on Planet China made me laugh. Sometimes, it made me laugh hard. But it also made me want to strangle Maarten Troost, its author.
Troost embarked on a several-months-long journey in China as, admittedly, no expert on China. He is supposedly considering moving his children to China so that they will be prepared for the [...]
