The Search for Modern China

Beijing Jeep

KFC in China

Mr. China

China Road

Lonely Planet: China

Wow, these are all very old.
Beijing Jeep was published in the 80s. In China this is like 100 years ago. Things change quickly in China.

All these "how to book" get outdated quickly. To follow what is happening in China and get a source of serious news, best is to subscribe to this guy's very high quality newsletter: www.sinocism.com

Thanks for the link; I am trying to subscribe.

I admit that my list in post 1 is old, but the Spence book is timeless (I challenge you to find a history book in any language that comes close to it in terms of detail and lucidity of narrative), and KFC/Beijing Jeep are still awesome case studies. If you know of anything of comparable quality from the BAT era, please advise, and add to this thread.

"The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers" is a good book if you want some insight into how government and business interact in the PRC.

Search for Modern China and Mr. China are solid. I'll throw some fiction in as well...

1. The Bridegroom by Ha Jin
2. Brothers by Yu Hua
3. Factory Girls by Leslie Chang
4. Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler (I liked it more than Rivertown)
5. Red Dust by Ma Jian

As someone who loves to travel & loves history but is not experienced in China, I read The Man Who loved China last year - fabulous! (I really like Simon Winchester and have read many of his books) Also read Oracle Bones a couple years ago - that was a work book club sort of option. I've really enjoyed Lisa See's books (Shanghai Girls, Dreams of Joy) Finished Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement about 2 weeks before I found out I get to go to Shanghai - thought that was timely.

And last year, the ultimate fun beach read - Crazy Rich Asians. (not China but can't resist - it's a fun read) I'll look up some of these others - thank you for this timely thread! Reading really gets me in the mood for travel!

Thanks for this recommendation! I am almost done and absolutely love it! Li Yue-se is pretty impressive, and definitely makes me even more excited about coming to China.

Dr. PITUK

My Chinese mentor, an old family friend, professor and Ph.D likes to read books on I Ching in foreign languages as he claims not to have found anything useful on the subject in putonghua...

Any recs more in this direction on Chinese philosophy, culture and arts?

I am personally reluctant to read anything on current affairs in business and politics as the Middle Kingdom is too vast and complicated for one person, especially non-Chinese, to decipher. Rather leave that part to the excellent China board on FT.

Actually, the books that best prepared myself for China, if any, were Ephraim Kishon's lovely and satirical descriptions of life in Israel. There is something in his sense of humour and intellectual, skeptical fatalism that reminds me of the Chinese attitude towards life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephraim_Kishon