Enhanced with 190 color illustrations and 50 b/w photographs, Asian art expert Stephen Little's Taoism And The Arts Of China is an impressive, erudite compendium of art from one of China's most ancient and influential philosophical and religious traditions. This scholarly and informative historical artwork survey begins with the Zhou dynasty (fifth to third century B.C.E.) down to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). With insightful essays by Kristofer Shipper, Wu Hung, Patricia Ebrey, and Nancy Steinhardt, Taoism And The Arts Of China is a core addition to any personal, academic, or community library art history, Asian Studies, or Taoism reference collection. This superbly presented art history is also available in hardcover (0-520-22784-0).

The book Taoism and the Arts of China was compiled to accompany the first major exhibit of Taoist art, which I saw at the Art Institute of Chicago. These centuries-old works are astonishing. I couldn't get enough of the exhibit, and now I can't get enough of the book. Considerable scholarship went into both.

The curators begin with the sage Laozi and his cognition of an unmanifest source of creation, which is called the Tao, or "way." As the collection progresses, the viewer sees the universal principle of the Tao enter the weave of Chinese culture. The teaching becomes visibly more elaborate and eventually the Way becomes a religion, acquiring deities, priests, rituals, and magic elixirs. Like an alchemist in reverse, the cycle of time takes a transcendent reality and turns it into the denser element of doctrine, right before our very eyes.

Some say the artists that served Taoism mixed potent elixirs into the paints they used. Whether or not this is true, I couldn't stop looking at their work. I wish the printed page could capture the exquisite detail, color and charisma of the originals. Still, Taoism and the Arts of China achieves its purpose. I showed the book to friends at a dinner party. They huddled over it a while, then resolved to drive off that very night to reach Chicago by morning, the last day of the exhibit. It was the right idea. This art should not be missed.

In "A Thousand Moons on a Thousand Rivers" translator Michelle Wu delivers competently and faithfully the daunting task of translating Chinese (a visually stunning but grammatically simplistic language) into English (a language that is descriptive but mostly through explanation).

The story reads like a soft breeze in midsummer; Hsiao is a master at communicating complex traditional Chinese ideas through descriptive and humorous prose. The understated (and sometimes overstated!) emotions of the story reflect an essential aspect of the Taiwanese culture.

Wu Hung does a superb job analyzing the Wu Liang Shrine. His comprehensive narrative is written in a highly readable style, with excellent discussions of the history of the site, the interpretation of the bas-reliefs, and the philosophy of the age. Wu's personal conclusions are debatable, but valid within the framework of his thesis. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Han cosmology, architecture, or social history.

This book cannot be avoided if you are studying Chinese art history, however, since each section is written by a different author, the result is not homogeneous in quality, readability, or helpfulness. It's a nice resource for images of Chinese painting you might not otherwise find elsewhere. Which chapter you prefer will vary according to which author's style you prefer. The book does provide a sort of timeline of Chinese painting from its origins until the Qing dynasty, however since each chapter is whole unto itself, there is a gap in continuity from one section to the next.

Chinese painting is full of wonders. While three thousand years in one volume seems quite ambitious, this book provides an useful introduction to the subject with clear historical outlines and good selection of images. I would think that the texts sometimes might appear lacking of details and thorough researches to students and scholars of Chinese art, but they would still appreciate large and good quality color reproductions and well-organized structure of the book.

Painting is always important in CHinaes culture.Based on different ideology of paiting, this bookcan provide audience fresh view to the CHinese culture. 3000 years also give a evolution view of the culture. GO, get it! Right now!