There are numerous titles on and about China, which make for excellent reading. Here we make a few suggestions. Guide Books There are numerous China guidebooks in publication, some of which are better than others. A few of the more widely available books are: Insight Guides: great photography and good coverage of the main 'tourist' sights. This guide also has an interesting history section. Separate Beijing city guide also available. Frommers: good introduction to the main tourist sights in China and well presented. Fodors: standard Fodors offering though lacks detail. Lonely Planet: covers all of China in about 1,000 pages. Reasonable introduction though designed more for lower budget travellers. Modern China A very popular style of recent writing has been for Chinese authors to reminisce about their experiences growing up in 20th century China or their experiences during the Cultural Revolution. There are so many titles on the bookshelves nowadays though the following offer interesting insights: 'Life and Death in Shanghai' by Nien Cheng - the story of Ms. Cheng's life during the Cultural Revolution in Shanghai. One of the leading accounts of this period. 'Falling Leaves' by Adeline Yen Mah - true story of an unwanted daughter from a wealthy Shanghai family and chronicling the upheaval as the Communist take-over approaches. A fantastic book as is her 'Chinese Cinderella's'. 'Wild Swans' by Jung Chang - an account of the lives of three women from three generations and the struggles they faced living in an ever-changing China. Well written and an unforgettable account of what life in China was. 'Red China Blues' by Jan Wong - the story of a Canadian Chinese woman who embraced Maoism in the early 1970's and moved from Canada to Beijing. An at times humorous look at this terrible period of China's history. 'The Good Women of China' by Xinran - a moving account of the lives of women in China and how they were affected by the Cultural Revolution. 'Red Dust' by Ma Jian - part novel, part travelogue with a view of what China was like in the 1980's and a non-conformist's escape from traditional Societal norms. 'Beijing Doll' by Chun Sue - setting out to shock, the views of a Chinese Punk! 'Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud' by Sun Shuyin - a delightful account of Xuanzang who travelled the Silk Road and brought Buddhism to China set against an enjoyable modern day family story. A superb book for anyone visiting the Silk Road. 'Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress' by Dan Sijie - set against the back-drop of the Cultural Revolution, this is classic story telling. 'One Man's Bible' by Gao Xingjian - a weightier novel with deep personal insights into 20th century China by a winner of a Nobel prize for literature. China's History Weightier books, which look at China's history and its 20th Century leaders are: 'China: A Travellers' History' by Stephen Haw - a very concise and factual history recommended for its content as opposed to its style of writing - a bit text-book style but an informative introduction. 'The New Emperors' by Harrison Salisbury - a historical and well informed account of Mao and Deng and the history of the Communist takeover as well as how the two leaders shaped China as it is today. 'The Private Life of Chairman Mao' by Li Zhisui - a fascinating glimpse into the very personal life one of the world's 20th century dictators, written by his private physician. At about 600 pages, lots of history, detail and innuendo. 'The Rape of Nanking' by Iris Chang - an excellent and powerful account of this tragic war-time event. Jonathan Spence, an American academic, has written a number of excellent books that are worth looking out for with 'The Search for Modern China' and 'Mao' being particularly good. Others 'The River at the Centre of the World' by Simon Winchester - travelogue about the Yangtze River. 'River Town' by Peter Hessler - chronicles China in the late 1990's against the backdrop of life in a small town on the banks of the Yangtze as the Dam is being built. 'Behind the Wall' by Colin Thubron - a poetic description of a 10,000 mile journey from Beijing to Tibet. 'Travellers Tales of Old Hong Kong' compiled by Michael Wise - a fascinating compilation of memoirs from Hong Kong's early colonial days. 'Hong Kong' by Jan Morris - a great read, introducing the 'old' Hong Kong (as a British colony), from beginning to end! 'Gweilo' by Martin Booth - a fascinating memoir of a British kid's childhood in 1950's Hong Kong. 'The Gunpowder Gardens' by Jason Goodwin - sort of travelogue, sort of tea primer and makes for a humorous read. 'The Coming Collapse of China' by Gordon Chang - doom and gloom writing on China's recent economic and social development. 'Mr China' by Tim Clissold - interesting experiences of a Venture Capitalist when things go wrong....