This is an excellent practical explanation of the I Ching, making it easy to use. I have a few I Ching books, but this is by far the easiest to understand and use for daily divination. Even the book construction makes it an awesome tool - the page edges are rough, making it easy to flip through and the back page diagram of upper/lower trigrams makes finding the right trigram number simple.

OK, maybe I'm slightly biased (co-author Amy __is__ my mom and I __did__ write the foreward) but I still think this is one of the best new books on the I-Ching in twenty years. The fact is, most books on the I-Ching are arcane and difficult to understand and make this wonderful tool for decision-making almost impossible to use. Amy and Rod's book makes it easy for regular (i.e. non-academic) people to use the I-Ching in their daily life. What more could you want?

If you're an academic student of the I-Ching, then you'll want to review this book for general ideas about a different, more "utilitarian" approach than Wilhelm and others. However, if you're a person who just wants to find an interesting entry into a thousand-year-old divination tool, then you'll LOVE this book.

And please, let me know if you disagree.

Charlie

I just bought this book today (3/3/99) and I think it's an amazing ride through the world of I-ching beliefs! What's even more astounding, is a complete moron would easily understand the ideas expressed in this book!

I live in Shanghai, and usually write guidebooks, not read them. When I do, it's usually to wince at all the things the writers who came here for a mere month or so of research got wrong. Even those without glaring errors tend to be off by angle, such as raving about the rather dull Yu Gardens and failing to notice the incredible living history museum, Shanghai's Old City (aka Chinatown), that it is situated in. They only offer the stupidly obvious destinations, like the Bund, Huaihai Lu, and Nanjing Lu, to the neglect of fascinating, cultural history spots like Sichuan Lu and the Jewish Ghetto.

I was handed the compact guide as a reference for a project I was working on, and it pleasantly surprised me. Amazingly, I found nothing to criticize, nothing to wince at. I was impressed to discover in it city trivia that even I consider obscure, like the history of the Broadway Mansions as the old Foreign Correspondents Club.

But nicest of all is its refusal to patronize. Many guidebooks take the attitude, "You're a stupid Western tourist,doesn't speak any Chinese, so here's what to do!" So, if you pick them up having read anything - anything! - about Shanghai previously, you're likely to feel put off. The Compact Guide refreshingly presents the facts without too much condescending background but also without playing insider baseball. It's very accessible.

Only two quibbles: the maps are confusing, have a number of typos, don't have characters along with the pinyin, and are so small, listing so few streets, to be useless unless you already know where you are/where you're going (and then, why do you need a map?). Also, Shanghai changes so quickly that, being written three years ago, it is rather woefully out of date. Use its listings with caution.

I bought this book and also Fodor's Pocket Shanghai. This book has better print/paper quality. Has more maps. For each attraction, there is a color photo so that you can decide if you would like to go there. The photo also helps to identify the attraction if you do decide to go there.
The Fodor's book has no photos, looks [inexpensive], but is actually [$] more.

I was plesantly surprised by this compact book. I didn't know that it was associated with the Discovery Channel. The book has outstanding print/paper quality. It has plenty of maps and lots of pictures. This helps me to find the place. I can also decide, from the pictures, if I would be interested in visiting such an attraction.
The best surprise is that this book is actually listed [$$$] less than the Fodor's compact book.

I've done martial arts for a few years now (Hapkido, Shaolin Kung Fu), and I can honestly say that this book is worth every penny. It's packed full from beginning to end with training techniques and applications -- everything from warming up and stretching every joint to stance training and putting power and better root into all of your moves. While the applications are pretty much all Sanshou (which is a little like long fist, and a lot like kickboxing), they're still very practical applications to learn. The more advanced qigung training techniques are enough to keep one striving for many years to come, and the appendices have a wealth of general information about weapons, forms, styles, and training. All in all, a wonderful book for the price.

After reading through this book I was completely impressed on how much there was to learn. The authors take two approaches, the external and internal. It goes over methods for training Iron Palm, and others, but to do the internal training outlined here the reader needs the book titled "Qigong Empowerment" by the same authors. There is so much to learn, get it and start practicing as soon as possible.

A must have book, invaluable to anyone who needs a tool for learning the basic of wushu.

Almost everyone who knows little about China is enthralled by the opportunity to sell products to all those people who live there. Those with a little more knowledge also get excited about having products made for export from Mainland China. Those with still more knowledge look forward to outsourcing services to China. Beyond that, some speculate that Mandarin Chinese will even become the dominant language of the Internet, and see amazing opportunities to buuild new economy businesses from a Chinese base.

But those speculations all beg the question: What should your company be doing today?

The New Silk Road is the first book I have read that reflects the views of my friends who have 20 plus years of experience doing business there. As such, it counters much of the overoptimism that makes American companies too anxious to expand there, and leads to mistakes that hurt short and long term results.

Any company that is considering its first stake in China, or re-evaluating the stakes it has today, should be sure that those involved read this book.

The key lessons are that company goals must be more carefully considered, partners chosen more thoughtfully, expectations of near-term profits lowered, a focus shifted to developing Chinese management and workers, and a longer-term perspective taken on developing and maintaining relationships. Perhaps the most fundamental point of the book is that things are very uncertain in China. With lots of effort you can reduce the uncertainty, but it will still be higher than in almost any other country. So there will be a premium placed on making decisions that will be good ones regardless of what happens in the Chinese business environment.

When you do your homework, you will find that China has more competition than almost any other country and lots of excess capacity. A small percentage of the people can afford to buy what you want to sell. Regulation and bureaucracy will keep you out of the best markets for what you want to do. The rules will change tomorrow. Everything will take a long time. Political tensions among your home nation and China will be used against you in business. Sounds challenging, doesn't it?

While China is underdeveloped economically and in entrepreneurial and business skills, the people are well educated and know a lot of things you do not. For one thing, they know the many different markets in China and how to do business there. They have local connections that you need. They also have skills in negotiation and strategy that you may not have. So seek out how to make the best of both worlds, rather than just plan to do business like you do in your home country. In fact, your product will probably have to be customized for the Chinese market.

Mr. Stuttard does an excellent job in his essay, "Reflections on China at the End of the Second Millennium," of summarizing the lessons from the case histories. Be sure to reread this essay after you finish the book. It will help put the case histories in perspective for you.

He has done well in choosing a variety of case histories, that reflect varying levels of success. The book is especially lucky to have the perspectives of comapnies with a great deal of Chinese experience like American International Group, John Swire, United Technologies, and Shell. In each case, either the company's CEO or the operating head in China is the person interviewed.

The people who run the business in China for you will be very vulnerable. When unpredictable shifts cause results to fall, their heads will be on the chopping block in some companies. That's not a good idea, because the set-backs will often not be due to any fault of their own.

You will also get helpful hints on the best ways to recruit talent, conduct training, and integrate expatriates.

After you have finished reading and enjoying this valuable book, I suggest that also consider where else the lessons of this book apply. I suspect that your success in many other parts of the world would be enhanced if you employed these lessons there, as well. Also, how else can you overcome communications stalls among your various operations and with your various stakeholders?

Focus on what needs to be done now to develop your short and long term potential!

This short book consists of the reflections of John B. Stuttard, former Chairman and CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers China (1994-1999), and summaries of his interviews with 11 top executives working in Western companies in China. Each interview runs 8-10 pages and includes a short bio of the exec along with a quick snapshot of the company's current Sino-standing. The first chapter is Stuttard's and is a fine read that perfectly sets the context and perspective of the 21st century business environment in the country destined to one day overtake America as the world's single largest consumer economy.

Everyone featured in the book, including the author, is an "Old China Hand". Several of the companies are legacy firms, those with pre-WWII and pre-Mao histories who returned after the country turned face forward once again. Others are case study JV's with relatively short, 10-20 year pasts. Each chapter is compelling.

There is some flag waving for the Chinese. These are people who have listened to countless stories at countless banquets about the Chinese fear of chaos and the cultural scar tissue of 150 years (roughly 1790-1940) of shameless behavior by colonial minded Westerners in China. These stories are, after all, Inculcation 101 for any Westerner attempting even superficial commerce or business in the Middle Kingdom. Let's not forget the Chinese did a pretty good job of creating 25+ years of chaos themselves during the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution. The Japanese were several degrees beyond shameless during World War II. These events are much fresher in the Chinese consciousness than King George III, yet he and Emperor Qianlong still seem to dominate every conversation that explains and/or justifies Chinese desire to top down control all macro and micro aspects of their economy, firms and even routine business transactions.

Still, there is sage wisdom on every page. The book is best when the execs tell what they did in China to be successful. Some of the common themes are the need for good local managers and training programs, a corporate culture of equality with your Chinese partners regardless of equity division, the success of long term strategies versus short term. The deliberate love each exec feels for what they are doing and, in some ways, for China, is clear. The awesome change taking place in this country is also reflected in these interviews. A difference in attitude and tone can be seen between execs in consumer product industries versus sensitive and still restricted ones like oil.

Very little happens fast in China, except the neckbreaking pace at which Western funds are being spent to form infrastructure and modern physical assets. These are the people who have footed a noteworthy part of the bill. They have alot of value to say and this is a rare peak at thinking at their rung of the international corporate business ladder.

China has made such enormous strides towards liberalising its economy over the past decade that it is now the world's second largest recipient of foreign investment after the United States. Yet, in some very important ways, Chinese customs, practices, and values remain alien to Western business thinking and practice as they ever were. As many a hapless expatriate manager has discovered to their cost, gaining a foothold in the vast Chinese market can be an uphill battle on a slippery slope of tradition, conflicting objectives, bureaucratic wrangling, ever-shifting laws and regulations, and regional differences. Despite this, as the stories chronicled in this insider's guide to doing business in China demonstrate, it is a battle that can be and is being won.

The New Silk Road is based on extensive interviews conducted by the author with business leaders who have many years of experience with the country. It features a series of lively narratives in which these experts share their insights into and observations of all the important aspects of doing business in China. These are important lessons they've learned about everything from making sense of, and marketing to, the patchwork of striking different regions that make up China, to building trust and negotiating with the Chinese.

This long-awaited insider's view of doing business in China informs you of the pitfalls and tells you what you need to know to succeed in the twenty-first century's great new business frontier.

John B. Stuttard is a Senior Partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers. From 1994 to 1999, he was Chairman and CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers China, operating in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dalian. In his 32-year career with PricewaterhouseCoopers, he has also worked with the UK Government's Cabinet Office think tank advising on privatisation, and for services to Finnish industry was made a Knight First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

See also my review of: CHINA'S FUTURES Scenarios for the World's Fasting Growing Economy, Ecology, and Society James Ogilvy & Peter Schwartz with Joe Flower Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2000 ISBN 0-7879-5200-1

Ray offers an accessible introduction to the origins, cosmos and cultural context of Tibetan Buddhism. Easier to follow than other intros (like Thurman's Essential Tibetan Buddhism), but doesn't ignore important details. Especially good delineation of the four principal schools. If Ray included a discussion of the important role of the indigenous Bon religion in shaping modern Tibetan Buddhism, I missed it. Focused more directly on the knowledge component of wisdom than on experience. Still Ray's explanations burned through the fog of my confusion

"By reconnecting with the wisdom, sanity and warmth that . . . characterize our most basic nature," Tibetan Buddhism offers us a way to address the suffering and alienation in our lives, Reginald Ray writes (p. 449). Professor Ray teaches Buddhism at both Naropa University and the University of Colorado in Boulder. Focusing on Tibetan Buddhism, his 495-page book is among the best introductions to Buddhist history, teachings, and meditation practice that I have ever read. Ray's goal is to demonstrate that Tibetan Buddhism offers us a "living truth" powerful enough to lead "us ever more deeply into the unknown territory of what our life is" (p. 1). "Beneath the surface of our modern speed, ambition, and self-importance," he writes, Tibetan Buddhism provides "an ancient path" and a "way back" to a more meaningful experience of human life than the scientific and materialistic one evolving today (pp. 2; 57).

Ray approaches his often esoteric subject matter in terms readily accessible to those of us without his scholarly background in Tibetan Buddhism. His book unfolds in four parts. Part One, "The Sacred Environment" (pp. 15-63), presents the traditional Tibetan view of "the sacred cosmos, with its living elements, forces, and beings and the critical role of ritual as a means for communicating with the unseen world" (pp. 3, 450). In Part Two, "Tibet's Story" (pp. 65-225), Ray travels to "wild and remote places" (p. 173) to describe the Buddhist history of Tibet beginning in India, and examines practitioners including Naropa (pp. 154-159), Marpa (pp. 159-164) and Milarepa (pp. 165-172), whose struggles enabled the lineage of Buddhist dharma to be transmitted from generation to generation (p. 450). In Part Three, "Core Teachings" (pp. 227-360), he describes the sophisticated teachings, practices, and results of the Buddhist path in nontechnical terms, frequently using personal anecdotes to illuminate his points. Part Four, "Buddhist Philosophy" (pp. 361-449) discusses Tibetan Buddhist perspectives of "the three turnings of the wheel of dharma" (pp. 450-51).

For anyone interested in Tibetan Buddhism, its history, culture, teachings or practices, or for anyone curious about how simply "sitting down to explore one's own mind" (p. 450)is relevant to our modern world "with its unprecedented levels of technology, information, and materialism" (p. 449), this book should not be missed.

G. Merritt

This engrossing book promises to be of enduring value to those with an interest in Tibetan Buddhism, or the history and culture of Tibet itself. Ray is a student of Chogyam Trunpa Rinpoche and an accomplished teacher in his own right, benefitting students at Naropa University and Rocky Mountain Shambhala Center, both in Colorado. His decades of experience and thoughfulness shine through in this text, reportedly the first of two volumes providing historical and cultural context to the practice of Tibetan Buddhism.

"Indestructible Truth" does not attempt to address every aspect of Buddhism as it has developed in various countries. Rather, it examines how Tibetans have traditionally viewed the teachings and the cosmos from within their own cultural framework. Ray skillfully blends objective data, personal experience, and teachings from accomplished masters to relay this perspective.

The book provides portraits of each of the four principal schools of Tibetan Buddhism and the great masters and teachers that founded each. The reader is left with a strong preliminary understanding of the differences between the lineages, which can sometimes seem overly subtle to the beginner. A recurring theme is the varying emphases placed on meditation versus study among the four schools. Ray cogently describes how the four lineages approach the Dharma differently, without diluting the power and importance of any. His careful attention to the Nyingma and Kagyu schools, typically downplayed in many introductions, is alone a valuable addition to the literature. In addition, he provides a short but insightful introduction into the Rime tradition that highlighted the value and usefulness of all the lineages.

Another section describes the principal views of the Buddhist paths of Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana, both in theory and practice. This is a useful outline of the practices and study points Buddhism makes available to interested students and practitioners. It shows how each is interrelated and yet can also stand alone, depending on the needs and inclinations of the practitioner.

One small caution. Ray's identification with the Kagyu tradition (one I admittedly share) is subtle, but noticeable in his selection of quotations from teachers to describe various Buddhist views. I personally found the approach interesting and the descriptions cogent, and certainly the teachers are themselves above reproach. Students of, for example, the Gelug view of emptiness, however, may prefer an explanation delivered from an adherent. On the other hand, this approach does provide a strong foundation for describing each of the three Turnings of the Wheel of the Dharma with continuity in the teachers' voices. The discussion of the "shentong," or empty-of-other view of buddhanature is as good an introduction as is possible for so profound a topic, and again, an unusual find in an introductory text.

I eagerly await the companion volume, "Secret of the Vajra World," which is to focus on the esoteric views and practices of Tantric Buddhism, due later this year.

Jonathan Dimbleby's The Last Governor is a tour de force that gives the reader an insider's perspective into the tenure of Hong Kong's last colonial leader, Chris Patten. Dimbleby treats the reader to a narrative account of the trials and tribulations that Patten faced as he attempted to enact democratic reforms in Great Britain's last colonial jewel. Although one would undoubtedly expect the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to be vociferously opposed to any belated attempt by the British colonial authorities to bequeath a semblance of democracy on Hong Kong, Dimbleby makes the case that Patten's biggest enemies often came from within his own government. Dimbleby's revelations that selected British cabinet and Foreign Office officials shamelessly sought to downgrade the importance of Hong Kong and sacrifice Patten's proposed reforms on the alter of commercial relations with the PRC, resulted in Dimbleby being investigated by the Foreign Office for possible receipt of secret intelligence materials. Dimbleby was cleared of these allegations, but the vast array of insider information that Dimbleby amassed for this book strengthens the strident arguments that Dimbleby advances. Only a handful of participants in The Last Governor emerge with their reputations unscathed. Hong Kong's local and international business elite is portrayed as willing supplicants in the PRC's efforts to scale back personal and political liberties after Hong Kong's reversion to PRC sovereignty, a position easily enforced by PRC threats to their commercial interests. Martin Lee and Emily Lau, two of Hong Kong's leading democracy advocates, are portrayed as actually weakening Patten's push for democratic reforms through their uncompromising approach. The various representatives of the PRC are painted as unbending ideologues with little appreciation of Hong Kong's way of life. Dimbleby is most critical of the British officials, past and present, who acted to either inadvertently or deliberately sabotage Patten's governorship. Most prominent on this list is Sir Percy Cradock, Great Britain's lead negotiator in the 1984 Joint Declaration and former Ambassador to the PRC. Cradock comes off as a modern-day Neville Chamberlain, willing to cut a bad deal with an unsavory power for the sake of diplomatic expediency. Cradock compounded this error by working both privately and publically to weaken Patten's political position and policies. Dimbleby also argues that the Cradock mentality had infected the entire Foreign Office and selected members of John Major's cabinet, who worked to undercut Patten and sell-out Hong Kong in favor of better commercial relations with the PRC. The greatest strength of The Last Governor is also its greatest weakness. While such open access to Patten gives this book the necessary dramatic propulsion, it also strikes the reader as serving as Patten's mouthpiece. While Dimbleby does downgrade Patten for underestimating the challenges he was to face as Governor, Dimbleby's portrayal of Patten as the lonely David fighting against the multi-headed Goliath seems to diminish the numerous allies Patten needed to help him accomplish the limited reforms he was able to enact. Dimbleby could have also delved deeper into the political rationale behind the PRC's bargaining position and policies regarding Hong Kong. The Last Governor is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in Hong Kong, Chinese, or British affairs and to readers interested in how bureaucratic politics affects international diplomacy. Dimbleby's prose is brisk and should easily captivate and entrance the reader. Keep in mind that this is not an academic tome, so Dimbleby's point of view is repeatedly expressed without reservation or apology.

I loved this book. I thought it was a great narrative on Chris Patten and his governorship and the hardships he endured. The book spares almost no detail, but I would have liked to see more of the Democrat's point of view. This book is absolutely necessary for people who wish to know in-depth about his governorship.

After reading the online review of Theroux's Kowloon Tong (a fictional account of the 1997 Handover of Hong Kong), I am surprised to find that only one customer have contributed a review to Dimbleby's marvelous work on the historical events. Dimbleby provided an excellent and comprehensive account of the political events that led to the signing of the 1984 Sino-British agreement, the arrival of Chris Patten, the introduction of legislative reform, and the eventual derailment of the democratic movement by the Communist Chinese Government. Dimbleby also tell the stories of several Hong Kong citizens and their views of the Handover. Being a native of Hong Kong who have spent my last 12 years in the States, Dimbleby's book brought me up-to-date on the big political stride taken by and the obstacles awaiting the people of Hong Kong.

If you want to understand the world of today you have to work at understanding how it got to be the way it is. This is one of those books that is critical to doing that, I don't say that lightly. This book is what is known as a primary source. It is the record of one, actually several, of the crucial political battles of the last century, told by some of the leading participants in their own words. It is not a history written decades later by someone to explain what went wrong, but a record of a battle as it progressed.

Reading this book you get a better understanding of the following: How it was that the domestic and foreign policy of the new Soviet Union began to deteriorate from a revolutionary one to one that put the narrow needs of day to day diplomacy and deal making first. How the Chinese Communist Party was formed and how it developed. What type of revolution was it's leadership trying to make? Why were the U.S., England, Japan and France so hostile to it? How and why did the Stalinists and Maoists gain leadership and themselves come into being? And much else.

This book is made up of an impressive number of documants, speeches and reports principally by Trotsky, one of the central leaders of the Russian revolution who would not sell out and died fighting Stalin and the destruction of the revolution. The introduction adds much to the book in bringing things up to date. I think this book is useful for historians, anyone wanting to know more about China and the revolution there, and any revolutionaries of today who want to learn from one of the best. It can be particularly useful to political minded workers and young people from Asia

What impresses me about this book is Trotsky's impassioned duty and determination to build a world revolution of the oppressed and to clear the way for the working people of China from the waste, confusion, and defeats that Stalinism of the Stalin and Mao varieties have imposed on them.

Thirty years ago many people would have thought reading a book about the liberation of a country from semicolonialism would no longer be necessary as we enter the 21st Century. However, it seems that lead by the USA, the imperialist powers of Western Europe and Japan are in a growing drive to deepen their control over countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Sadly, the lessons in this book drawn from the struggle of peasants and workers in China in the first 40 years of this century, are becoming more and more applicable around the world.

The Chinese Revolution was one of the great developments of the 20th century, and the challenges and lessons it provides remain of great importance today. Imperialism and imperialist war, colonialism, revolutionary Marxism vs. Stalinism and Maoism, concepts of armed struggle, mass struggle, of constructing a revolutionary party, the character of a workers and peasants government, of a workers-peasant alliance-- all were tested in the turbulent, living experience of social crisis, repression, war and massive worker and peasant uprisings.

This lengthy collection brings together the writings of Leon Trotsky on China from 1925 to his death in 1940. Trotsky was, along with V. I. Lenin, a central leader of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and the early years of the Communist International. After the death of Lenin in 1924, Trotsky led the fight against the degeneration of that revolution and the rise of a conservative, privileged bureaucracy headed by Josef Stalin. Revolutionary policies in China at the time were at the heart of the differences between revolutionaries and Stalinists. Trotsky gives detailed and extensive analysis very useful today, both for the issues covered and as an example of how to use the Marxist method to orient revolutionary fighters in the living world.

The collection includes a substantial introduction by long-time Chinese revolutionary Peng Shu-tse, covering the history of China during these years, which I found useful for putting Trotsky's writings in context.

Also recommended: The Chinese Communist Party in Power, by Peng Shu-tse; The History of the Russian Revolution, by Leon Trotsky; and Capitalism's World Disorder, by Jack Barnes.

A nice intro to Monkey King & a beautiful book. I could see reading it to a 1st or 2nd grade class as part of an intro to China. If you've talked about collages & how Eric Carle does his books, this would also be a fun book to see. There are also differences the Adventures of Monkey King told by Cheng-En Wu to spot. (My 6 y.o. & I make a game of that at home as we read Wu's version first.)

Title: Monkey King
Author: Ed Young
Reading Level: 5-8

This is a great book. I would recommend this book for ages 5-8. This book is about a monkey that is clever and courageous, with an appetite for mischief and showing off. This book has many other characters. It is adventurous book with magic and fun. This is a good book. J

"Monkey King," by Ed Young, is a visually striking children's book whose story evokes Chinese folklore. The art is a lot of fun; the collages burst with color and energy. The only unnecessary element is an unwieldy gimmick involving pages that fold out of the book. Fortunately, this fold-out gimmick is only a very small part of the book.

The many colorful characters in the book include Red Beard Bandit, Dragon King, Jade Emperor, and the monk Tang. The wildly multicolored title character is a trickster, magician, and likeable rogue. His character is nicely complemented by Guan Ying, the serene Goddess of Mercy. All in all, a good job by Ed Young.

Mrs. Pollifax is thrilled when Mr. Carstairs, her boss at the CIA, gives her an assignment to China. As luck would have it, Mrs. P. has recently completed a course in Chinese history, so she is primed and ready to go. She joins a tour group and is told that one of the other group members is actually a CIA agent who will become her partner later on. She tries unsuccessfully to detect her future partner and is very surprised when the agent's identity is revealed. She sees a lot of interesting Chinese countryside and tries to get acquainted with other tour group members. Later in the book, she rides a runaway horse and encounters some rough stuff from a Russian spy. This book, as the others in the series, is charming, and a little romance adds some pizzazz to this one.

Dorothy Gilman rarely ceases to amaze with her talent at keeping the pages turning. In "Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station," Gilman once again creates plausible situations that never fail to catch the reader off guard. Again it is nearly impossible to decide whom to trust. A very fun read!

I'm a big fan of the intrepid Mrs. Pollifax and especially enjoy this book. The intrigue, adventure and characters are wonderful and I find real involvement with the plot. Don't miss a chance to live the spying life vicariously through Emily Pollifax - especially the earlier novels which I have found are much better than her more recent additions!

The "Two Women of China" of this novel's subtitle are one and the same: Mulberry is a Chinese woman who has witnessed the major upheavals of twentieth-century China before fleeing to the United States in the 1960s, while the defiant, "Americanized" Peach is her "liberated" alterego borne of a traumatic past.

Nieh presents Mulberry/Peach's story in four sections. In the first part, while China is suffering from the final attacks of the Japanese invaders at the end of World War II, Mulberry is a teenage runaway stranded with other refugees on a boat caught in the rapids of the Yangtse River. A few years later, she is trapped in Peking with her fiance and his dying mother as the Communists surround the city. In the late 1950s, Mulberry is imprisoned in an attic in Taiwan, hiding from the authorities who are seeking her husband on embezzlement charges. And, in the final section, she has emigrated to the United States, where she is being pursued by the INS and haunted by her other identity, Peach.

Mulberry's plight is, at best, bleak, but Nieh manages to balance an astonishing sense of humor with the description of the calamities and isolation faced by her protagonist. Hauntingly written and beautifully translated, the novel can be read on many levels: historical and cultural allegory, political satire, a treatise on the immigrant's schizophrenic experience, a commentary on Eastern and Western sexual mores and gender identity. As a bonus, Sau-ling Cynthia Wong's discerning afterword amplifies these and other themes and provides useful background for understanding the novel, but (fortunately) "Mulberry and Peach" will be immediately accessible to any reader.

This qualifies as one of the most remarkable novels I have ever read. The title character Peach, in declaring her freedom, careens on as wild and uninhibited a course as any character in literature much in contrast to her meek and terrified now subaltern Mulberry. Try to buy the version which has an afterword by the translator: read this as you're reading the novel as the comments are interesting, informative, and enlightening. The novel's form, its literary roots, its themes all evade any fixed classification--no one can lay claim to any advocacy unless it is on its plea for the individual's integrity in the face of the attempts by societies, historical forces, and governments to quantify and stratify our lives. But even that claim cannot come close to revealing the complexity and exquisite craft of the work itself. Only on a second reading do I start to discover how much a treasure of telling detail "Mulberry and Peach" is. For you analytical types, there are multiple levels of allegory threading through the work. The caveat to "not overinterpret" seems not to apply. Such compelling writing deserves to become better known, more widely read and reread, and extensively broadcast to college literature classes around the world. Let's get it back in print, and then keep it in print. Although I am given to enthusiasms, I'm not given to hyperbole--I say, this is the work of a most masterful author. Please, someone, translate more of her work!

Hua-Ling Nieh's writing is tantamount to dreaming a song/story, it does not directly appeal to the senses but rather, enters the reader's mind subconsciously. A fascinating portrayal of a woman surviving post World War II turmoil in China, it blatantly and delicately explores the impact of the cultural, lingual, political, and social upheaval that is part of revolution. Mulberry herself undergoes a complete dissociation of her 'hated', 'weaker' Chinese self and morphs into Peach, the 'liberated', 'strong' American self. A wonderful story of survival, mental illness, and cultural transplantation, something many Americans do not appreciate. Should appeal to anyone interested in Chinese or Chinese/American history, feminism, or mental illness in literature.