Category: Culture

Uncover the hidden dramas of Ming Dynasty China in Ma Boyong’s “A Detailed Examination.” Explore intriguing historical cases involving taxes, feng shui, legal battles, and bureaucratic corruption, revealing the everyday lives of ordinary people in a vast empire.

Uncover the geographical secrets behind 2,000 years of Chinese warfare in Guo Jianlong’s “Military Secrets of the Middle Kingdom.” From the Guanzhong Plain to the Yangtze River, explore five epochs of strategic evolution, revealing how mountains and rivers shaped the destiny of dynasties. A captivating journey through Chinese military history, debunking myths and offering crucial…

Journey through Chinese philosophical history with Guo Jianlong’s “Password to the Central Empire.” Explore how philosophy intertwined with political power, from legitimizing emperors to fueling rebellions. Discover the evolution of Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the rise of heart-mind philosophy. Uncover China’s intellectual history and its enduring influence.

Unravel the mysteries of Chinese state finances across 2,000 years. Explore how state-owned enterprises, land control, and financial monopolies shaped dynasties in Guo Jianlong’s “Decoding the Fiscal Secrets of the Central Empire.” Discover historical parallels to modern China’s economic model and understand the recurring cycles of fiscal boom and bust.

Sun Ping’s Transitional Labor explores the precarious lives of China’s food delivery riders in the platform economy. Through ethnographic research, the book reveals the challenges of algorithmic control, precarious work, and the search for community and resilience in the gig economy. A must-read for understanding the human cost of convenience.

The speed at which China has built up its high-speed rail network is nothing short of astonishing. In a country where, just a few decades ago, train travel meant slow, crowded journeys on aging lines, gleaming bullet trains now whisk passengers between major cities at speeds exceeding 350 kilometers per hour.

Dive into the diverse world of working life in China with this captivating book review. Explore the stories of ordinary people navigating a changing market, from gold analysts and TV shopping hosts to locksmiths and wind turbine technicians, offering a glimpse into the human experiences behind the economic powerhouse.

“Takeout in China” by Yang Liping delves into the lives of China’s food delivery drivers, exploring their struggles, resilience, and aspirations. Through intimate stories, the book reveals the human cost of convenience, challenges stereotypes, and highlights the vital role these often-invisible workers play in modern Chinese society.

Discover the fascinating history of high-speed rail, from its humble beginnings to China’s modern marvel, in “High-Speed Rail in Color.” Explore the key innovations, visionary engineers, and global impact of this transformative technology, a captivating read for anyone interested in the evolution of transportation and China’s rise as a technological powerhouse.