Fiction. Asian &amp; Asian American Studies. Translated from the Chinese by Haili Kong and Howard Goldblatt. A major work by a towering figure in twentieth century Chinese literature, WARD FOUR intimately reveals the frailties and strengths of the human spirit and the will to survive. Set in a hospital in rural China during World War II, it provides a haunting window into the isolation and displacement faced by ordinary citizens. Ba Jin's hospital ward is a dark corner where life and death intersect and the absurd is transformed into the comic. Amid the uncertainties of war are the foundations of strength and the will to survive during one of the darkest periods of Chinese history. "A triumph of humanism in war-ravaged China of the 1940s, this work of autobiographical fiction not only shows Ba Jin at his best, but also demonstrates why he is rightly viewed as the 'conscience of China.'"—Michelle Yeh, department of East Asian languages, University of California, Davis Haili Kong is professor of Chinese literature at Swarthmore College. Howard Goldblatt is professor of Chinese literature at Notre Dame University.

Ward Four: A Novel of Wartime China

Literature & Fiction

Jin, Ba

Genre Fiction

China Books

[ Snow Wolf ] is set to turn Wuxia into a household word by introducing English-speaking fans to this traditional genre's intrigue, romance, wandering warriors and amazing martial artists."- Kung Fu Magazine An epic tale of betrayal, revenge, violence, love, and intricate strategies set amidst the magnificent background of legendary China and Mongolia. The Legend of Snow Wolf is to martial arts what Harry Potter is to wizards! Book Two: Redemption continues the action immediately following Book One: Reincarnation, with the young alchemist Li Kung, who now finds himself as Snow Wolf's chosen warrior, forged by her hand in a plot carefully formed decades ago to assume the burden of destroying the Dragon Houses. The great warrior Suthachai, with Fei Fei, makes plans to leave for Mongolia, but is intercepted by her father's elite warriors.Li Kung, armed with Snow Wolf's ancient strategies, incites lethal violence between the two Dragon Houses, pushing them to the brink of full-scale war. Suthachai returns from Mongolia alive and well, not to save Li Kung's life, but to save his soul. Together, they work to reverse Snow Wolf's complex plot of revenge and turn the cycle of war into one of peace."

The Legend of Snow Wolf: Book Two: Redemption

Children's Books

Yu, F. Lit

Action & Adventure

Written in 1957, Teahouse is Lao She's tour de force masterwork of Chinese drama: a play in three acts spanning fifty years with a cast of over sixty characters drawn from all levels of society. Brought together over the daily ritual of tea and conversation, the characters reflect, via a masterful recreation of the language and dialogue of old Beijing, upon the changes in their own lives, and the changes that were taking place in Chinese society from the twilight of the dynastic era to the dawn of the People’s Republic of China. Teahouse is a window into the heart and soul of the Chinese people at a crucial moment in history. In comparing the “old” China with the “new” Chia, the appeal of Teahouse through the decades reaches well beyond the borders of social criticism and extends into a complex and living work of art. Standing as it does between two distinct Chinas (the old and the new), and with its feet firmly rooted in both, Teahouse, even in the 21st century, has remained true to its author, true to its time, and true to China. It is this rare quality that makes it a masterpiece of modern theater beloved by audience worldwide.

Teahouse

She, Lao

Dramas & Plays

This compelling autobiography takes the traditional sent-down-to-the-countryside Chinese Cultural Revolution memoir and turns it on its head. Using years of turmoil and despair during the Cultural Revolution as the launching point for an incredible true story of dedication and single-minded determination against impossible odds, My Chinese Dream is a study in contrasts: a startlingly frank, warts-and-all, rags to riches tale that reveals the excruciating years of mass cultural reform in China in the 1960s and 1970s, while at the same time perfectly capturing the early entrepreneurial spark of the "opening up" period of the early 1980s into the 1990s, when many hard working, forward thinking Chinese businesspeople rewrote the rule book for achieving success within the rigidly defined social structure. This incredible true story is a must-read for anyone interested not only in China, but in entrepreneurship, personal development, and overcoming adversity.Ping Liu was born in Liaoning province, China, in 1955. When she was fifteen, she was sent to work in a phosphate mine where she became an underground electrician and explosive maker. After graduating from college she became a teacher as well as an interpreter for China's Ministry of Chemical Industry. When she was in her thirties, she joined one of China's largest travel and tourism companies and was heavily involved in professional and cultural exchanges with many foreign companies. Her interpersonal skills would eventually launch her on a solo career as one of China's most successful female entrepreneurs. Today she is CEO of the China Star Group, a private company which is one of China's most successful DMCs (Destination Management Company) and PCOs (Professional Conference Organizer) with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

My Chinese Dream: From Red Guard to CEO

Biographies & Memoirs

Liu, Ping

Community & Culture

Excess Baggage is Karen Ma’s exciting debut novel. The story follows two Chinese sisters, one raised in China during the desolate Cultural Revolution; the other in Japan during the freewheeling years of bubble capitalism. They reunite as adults in Tokyo in the early 1990s and their family history soon catches up with them. Zhang Peiyin, ‘the forgotten’ sister left behind in China, is hell-bent on making up for lost time after growing up with little more than political slogans and has abandoned her children to join her family in Japan, imagining riches, fame and comfort. She instead receives a wary welcome from her estranged parents and insecure, competitive younger sister, Vivian, who not-so-secretly wants to drive her back to China. Not only aren’t the streets paved with gold, her family is struggling financially. As the sisters circle warily, navigating their mother’s death and other setbacks, their distrust grows, fueled by family lies and secrets. Ultimately each must confront a fundamental question: what’s the meaning of home when your roots aren’t secure? Excess Baggage is at one level a fresh look at dislocation from an Asian perspective in an Asian setting, taking off where other immigrant stories end with a more complex look than the stereotypical happily ever after reunification tale. At another level, though, it’s a universal tale about identity, alienation, love, jealousy, and family obligations in the face of adversity.

Excess Baggage: A Novel

Ma, Karen

United States

Folktales of Old China: An Introduction to the Literary and Cultural Origins of People and Places

Nianpei, Li

History & Criticism

Short Stories of Imperial China

Yen, W. W.

Short Stories & Anthologies

Spring Silkworms

Tun, Mao

This new memoir shows how Westerners with an entrepreneurial spirit are attracted to China and how they have succeeded in creating a new life for themselves. Debra Lane Wright originally thought she would come to China for a short-term job. The end result was a life-changing experience, and in her book Wright shows how China gave her a “gift” more profound than she could have imagined.

Why China?: Finding My Way in a Land of 1.4 Billion

Wright, Debra Lane

Professionals & Academics

"Gaokao" (pronounced “gow cow”) is the term used since the days of Imperial China when the only way to advance in society was to undertake the rigorous examinations to be promoted into the civil service system. Today, the word is still very much in use to describe the fervor surrounding many Chinese, Asian, and even non-Asian parents and students as they prepare for exam taking in China and in the other countries, including the United States. Whether it be AP, SAT, GRE, Med School, Law School, etc., where success in the Gaokao is seen as the key to success in life. Growing up in both Chinese and American cultures, Yanna Gong reveals the incredible details of her own life experiences to show how the often relentless drive toward academic excellence is de rigeur for many Asian and Asian American kids, as well as entire families, whose collective devotion (and neurosis) is fast becoming and global phenomenon. What, however, is the cost, both physically and psychologically? For anyone who has read about the Tiger Mother or Wolf Dad, Gaokao, is a must-read book to bring this fascinating story full circle.

Gaokao: A Personal Journey Behind China's Examination Culture

Education & Teaching

Gong, Yanna

Schools & Teaching

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