{"id":2904,"date":"2017-12-28T15:19:11","date_gmt":"2017-12-28T04:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.com.au\/blog\/?p=2904"},"modified":"2019-01-02T13:37:55","modified_gmt":"2019-01-02T02:37:55","slug":"read-before-travelling-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendywutours.co.nz\/blog\/read-before-travelling-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Must-Read Books Before Travelling to China"},"content":{"rendered":"

China has a complex 5,000-plus-year history with much of its rapid development happening in the last 20 years \u2013 independent of the West.<\/p>\n

The culture is very different from what you will find at home, and while Australia is a big country, China is enormous.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to get a head start on the quirks and complexities of China, some background reading will make for a great place from which to build your knowledge and sidestep culture shock.<\/p>\n

Here is a quick guide to the 8 books we recommend to do just that.<\/p>\n

RED STAR OVER CHINA<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

AUTHOR: EDGAR SNOW<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Classification:<\/strong> Non-fiction (1937)
\nSynopsis:<\/strong> This book recounts the years before China\u2019s Communist Party came to power. Edgar Snow spent time with members of the Red Army and was the first Westerner to meet Chairman Mao. His account became most influential on the Western understanding of China.<\/p>\n

WILD SWANS: THREE DAUGHTERS OF CHINA<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

AUTHOR: <\/strong>JUNG CHANG<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Classification:<\/strong> Biography (1991)<\/p>\n

Synopsis:<\/strong> Three generations of women tell their story, spanning a 100-year period. The author\u2019s grandmother tells of growing up in imperial China under the rise of the Communist Party, the Cultural Revolution and the death of Chairman Mao.<\/p>\n

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RIDING THE IRON ROOSTER: BY TRAIN THROUGH CHINA<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

AUTHOR: <\/strong>PAUL THEROUX<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Classification:<\/strong> Non-fiction, Travel (1998)
\nSynopsis:<\/strong> An account of Paul Theroux\u2019s journeys through China in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

He writes about the China of old and now through his conversations and encounters with various local characters.<\/p>\n

RIVER TOWN: TWO YEARS ON THE YANGTZE<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

AUTHOR: PETER HESSLER<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Classification:<\/strong> Non-fiction, Travel (2001)<\/p>\n

Synopsis:<\/strong> Hessler spent two years by the Yangtze River, teaching English in the small city of Fuling.<\/p>\n

He shares stories about his life there, learning the language, getting to know the local people and seeing the city go through great change due to China and the Yangtze\u2019s development in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n

SOUL MOUNTAIN<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

AUTHOR: GAO XINGJIAN<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Classification:<\/strong> Novel, translation (1990)<\/p>\n

Synopsis:<\/strong> Lightly based on the author\u2019s experiences, the novel tells of a man searching for the sacred mountain Lingshan through rural China.<\/p>\n

Folktales and legends are woven magically through his tale.<\/p>\n

AGE OF AMBITION: CHASING FORTUNE, TRUTH AND FAITH IN THE NEW CHINA<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

AUTHOR: EVAN OSNOS<\/strong><\/h4>\n