Blog Entries

On the China Bookshelf


In the forward to his book Voices from the Past, Andrew Kaiser quotes Ellen N. La Motte, author of Peking Dust, on the perils of writing about China.

Two classes of books are written about China by two classes of people. There are books written by people who have spent the night in China, as it were, superficial and amusing, full of the tinkling of temple bells; and there are other books written by people who have spent years in China and who know it well,—ponderous books, full of absolute information, heavy and unreadable.

Books of the first class get one nowhere. They are delightful and entertaining, but one feels their irresponsible authorship. Books of the second class get one nowhere, for one cannot read them; they are too didactic and dull. The only people who might read them do not read them, for they are possessed of deep, fundamental knowledge of China, and their views agree in no slightest particular with the views set forth by the learned scholars and theorists.

Andrew recently joined Joann Pittman and Amy Young for a discussion on ChinaSource Conversations about China books that are worth reading. 

Having studied China academically and having lived in China for the better part of two decades, Andrew brings both a scholarly and a very practical perspective to his choice of books. Likewise both Joann, who is Senior Vice President of ChinaSource, and Amy, who serves with the online community Velvet Ashes, have spent decades in China, where their work included helping those who were new to China to make sense of life in the Middle Kingdom.

Their conversation starts with the question, “Why read books on China?” In an age of instant information, with social media overflowing with the latest in China news, is it even necessary to spend time on books?

The response (as might be expected from these three avid book lovers) is a resounding “Yes!” The historical perspective and deep analysis found in books is essential for appreciating the context of China. Within this larger picture, the latest political events—or one’s latest perplexing encounter with neighbors or colleagues—begin to fall into place.

The discussion turns to books they’re currently reading, as well as those considered to be “China classics.” Familiar names such as Buck, Spence, Shambaugh, and Link punctuate the conversation, but there are also less familiar authors. These include Adam Chau, who offers a very different take on Chinese religion, and May Fong and Kay Ann Johnson, both of whom have written recent critiques of China’s one-child policy.

As all three are working with individuals or teams engaged in China, they touched on books, not necessarily China-specific, they’ve found useful in helping people make the cross-cultural transition to living and serving in China. Books by Duane Elmer, Ajith Fernando, and Dietrich Bonheoffer rise to the top of this list.

The conversation closes with a discussion of books on the church in China, as well as books written by the discussants themselves.

If you don't have time to listen now, check out the list of mentioned books below!

Books Mentioned

Image credit: Bargain Books by FromSandToGlass via Flickr.
Share to Social Media
Brent Fulton

Brent Fulton

Brent Fulton is the founder of ChinaSource. Dr. Fulton served as the first president of ChinaSource until 2019. Prior to his service with ChinaSource, he served from 1995 to 2000 as the managing director of the Institute for Chinese Studies at Wheaton College. From 1987 to 1995 he served as founding …View Full Bio


Are you enjoying a cup of good coffee or fragrant tea while reading the latest ChinaSource post? Consider donating the cost of that “cuppa” to support our content so we can continue to serve you with the latest on Christianity in China.

Donate