Watch Li Na winning at the Australian Open. Now read her life story. Li Na claimed an unprecedented victory at the 2011 French Open at age 29, and became the first player from an Asian country to win a Grand Slam singles title. Outspoken and likeable, the "late-blooming" Chinese tennis superstar is one of the world's top 10 players, and has championships on grass, clay, and hard courts to her name. Li Na is a tennis player few forget. Beyond the rankings and million-dollar endorsements is a life just as remarkable as her success. Li Na grew up within a rigid national sports system, living away from home and training six days a week, and spent years struggling to believe in herself. Her outstanding feats in a sport she grew to love, recovering from three knee surgeries, and conquering her own demons, are nothing short of inspirational. Told with honesty and humor, Li Na: My Life is the moving story behind an extraordinary sporting icon.

Li Na: My Life

Na, Li

Literature & Fiction

Viking China

The only battle of World War I to be fought in East Asia, how it came about, and why its aftermath is still relevant today In 1914, Europe was not the only continent coming to terms with a new form of conflict. Through a mix of complex alliances and global ambition, the war had spread to northern China, where the German-held port of Tsingtao became a key battleground. To strike a blow at Kaiser Wilhelm's naval forces, Britain and its ally Japan lay siege to the port during October and November. In The Siege of Tsingtao, the first of the Penguin China Specials on World War I, celebrated historian Jonathan Fenby examines the causes of the battle, the ulterior motives for it, and the path it helped set East Asia on for decades to come.

The Siege of Tsingtao: Penguin Special (Penguin Specials)

History

Fenby, Jonathan

Asia

An evocative account by Paul French, author of the acclaimed Midnight in Peking, of the infamous nightlife district of pre-communist Beijing Through portraits of eight White Russians, Americans, and Europeans who lived and worked in the Badlands in the 1920s and 1930s, Paul French brings the area and its era vividly to life. A small warren of narrow hutongs, the Badlands sat just inside the eastern flank of the Tartar Wall, which at that time enclosed the old Imperial City of Peking. Its habitués were a mix of the good, the bad, and the poor unfortunates, among them the fiery brothel madams Brana Shazker and Rosie Gerbert; the pimp Saxsen, who had no regard for the women he exploited; and the young prostitutes Marie and Peggy, whose dreadful working lives drove them into separate pits of madness and addiction. There was the cabaret dancer Tatiana Korovina, a White Russian girl who did not succumb to the vice of the district but instead married, had a family, and eventually left China to lead a long and happy life. There was the American Joe Knauf, who dealt violence and fear as well as drugs, and finally the enigmatic Shura Giraldi, of indeterminate sex, who was to some a charmer and to others a master criminal, but to everyone the uncrowned King of the Badlands.

Badlands: Decadent Playground of Old Peking

French, Paul.

From the survey beforehand to the foundations, the core, and eventually the ruins, this book explores the majesty of the Wall through the objects it has inspired such as the appearance of the Wall in Ortelius’ atlas of the world to the unexpected origins of ‘wolf smoke’, proliferation of the blunderbuss in the 15th century Great Wall theatre of war, and Kafka’s classic short story "At the Building of the Great Wall".

The Great Wall in 50 Objects

Lindesay, William

Religion & Spirituality

At first glance, the Li family looks like any other: one grumpy grandfather, two overworked parents, four siblings, and one small house for them all to live in. Still, with a journalist in the mix, its members can hardly hide their countless misfortunes. Xiaohan, the youngest daughter, shares her family’s unconventional life and exposes the depth of what it means to live in contemporary China today. Through sketches dedicated to each person in the Li clan, she shows how those close to her are forced to find new ways to survive, like wild fruit falling from a tree.

Wild Fruit (Penguin Viking)

Keyi, Sheng

Literary

Yunnan, at the southernmost tip of China, is a cradle of cultural and culinary diversity. Many people know it as the origin of Shangri-la, but it is also home to the region of Dali, a place that has become synonymous with the province. If you go to Yunnan, you must go to Dali. The region is cherished for its unique food—famed ham, mushrooms varietals, cheese-making (a rarity in China), and rare herbs; temperate climate, surrounding rivers and mountains; ethnic diversity—bordering Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar it has been a cultural blotter; and overwhelming hospitality—many a traveler has settled in Dali having fallen in love with the Old Town. Mei returns to her childhood home and journeys through the region, collecting personal stories and rare and authentic home recipes that bring to life the history, heritage, and changing landscape of Dali. Includes metric measures.

Travels Through Dali: With a Leg of Ham

Cookbooks, Food & Wine

Zhang, Mei

Regional & International

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