This Tuesday, April 23rd, marks International Book Day, aimed at promoting the habit of reading and the publishing industry. We asked Ismael Girón, PhD student at ICLAC, and Keke Wang, visiting researcher, what book they would recommend for learning more about Chinese culture, history, and poetry. Here’s what they told us:
ISMAEL GIRÓN – PhD Student in History at UC
- What book about China would you recommend for those interested in learning more about China’s history? What is it about?
If someone is very interested in contemporary Chinese history, I would recommend the classic work Searching for Modern China by Jonathan Spence. In this book, the Anglo-American historian outlines the paths China took to become one of the great powers of the contemporary world. Spence starts his analysis in the 17th century with the end of the Ming dynasty and the rise of the Qing dynasty, extending it to the late 20th century. Although it is an older work, I still consider it an important reference for approaching and deepening the understanding of Chinese history.
- Do you have a favorite novel about China? What is it about?
My favorite novel about China is To Live! by Yu Hua. The novel begins with a narrator traveling through rural China searching for folk songs and legends. During his journey, he meets the old peasant Xu Fugui, who recounts the story of his life. Fugui was the son of a once-wealthy landowning family who lost all their land due to his gambling addiction before the revolution. Soon after, the civil war, the Japanese invasion, and the Revolution occurred. The book introduces us to Fugui and his family’s experience of the transformations in China during the Mao era. Despite the harshness of Fugui’s experience, the old peasant never loses his sense of humor or his will to live.
- Which Chinese author or author would you recommend? Any specific book?
I would recommend Gao Xingjian, who won the Nobel Prize for Soul Mountain. However, I would specifically recommend One Man’s Bible. This novel is an autobiographical fiction in which Gao confronts his youthful memories of the violent excesses of the Cultural Revolution.
- Finally, your favorite book about China? What is it about and why?
It is difficult to choose a favorite book, but I might say that Yu Hua is one of the authors I have read the most, and besides To Live!, I would highlight his work The Past and the Punishments, which delves into the painful experience of the Cultural Revolution. It is a collection of short stories where the protagonists, obsessed with the past, cannot move past the traumas of the Revolution and, crossing all moral boundaries, elevate violence and torture to a kind of art and redemption.
KEKE WANG – PhD Student at the Autonomous University of Madrid and Visiting Researcher at ICLAC
- What book about Chinese poetry would you recommend?
Chen, G.J. (2022). Chinese Poetry(11th Century BC to 20th Century). (11th edition). Cátedra Letras Universales.
This is a compilation of Chinese poetry from the Book of Songs (Shijing, the first poetry collection in China) to the poems of Ai Qing (a friend of Neruda), translated by the master Chen Guojian.
–- Do you have a favorite novel about China? What is it about??
Yes, Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin. It is difficult to define in a sentence. It’s about the story of a family during the Qing dynasty. You can read about love, politics, society, architecture, Chinese medicine… everything! It even includes a poetry workshop among the young protagonists. I recommend it because it is very beautiful and makes you think a lot.
- Which Chinese author or author would you recommend? Any specific book?
The poet Li Qingzhao. The poetry collection Complete Poems: 60 “Ci” Poems to Sing, translated by Pilar González España.
- Finally, your favorite book about China (can be any genre)? What is it about and why?
Well, there are many. One I recently read: Driving China: From Farm to Factory by Peter Hessler. It talks about an American journalist’s journey in China in the early 21st century.
I recommend it because you can get an up-close view of modern China (though not so much now, as China develops rapidly and every day is different). His experiences, observations, and descriptions are very interesting, especially as he traces history along the Great Wall.
- Would you like to add anything else?
Chinese literature is a great treasure to discover.
Regarding poems, I think reading in the original Chinese is much more impressive due to the rhythm, Chinese characters, and direct feeling that poets want to express. Although it takes time to learn, it is worth it; the language opens the door to a different world.