Our Books on China, Taiwan and Tibet

A select list of some of the books about China, Taiwan and Tibet and authors from these countries.

Raiders, Rulers and Traders by David Chaffetz

December 29, 2023

Forthcoming, July 30, 2024. In Raiders, Rulers and Traders | The Horse and The Rose of Empires, scholar of Asian history David Chaffetz tells the story of the steppe raiders, rulers, and traders who amassed power and wealth on horseback from the Bronze Age through the twentieth century. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources—in Persian, Turkish, Russian, and Chinese—Chaffetz presents a groundbreaking new view of what has been known as the “Silk Road,” and a lively history of the great horse empires that shaped civilization.

I Have No Enemies: The Life and Legacy of Liu Xiaobo

I Have No Enemies by Perry Link and Wu Dazhi

May 10, 2023

I Have No Enemies | The Life and Legacy of Liu Xiaobo by Perry Link and Wu Dazhi is a fascinating biography of Liu, a Chinese political and human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. A powerful record of Liu’s life and times, this book also tells the story of a generation of Chinese intellectuals who sought a better way forward.

Victorious in Defeat by Alexander V. Pantsov and Steven I. Levine

March 21, 2023

Victorious in Defeat | The Life and Times of Chiang Kai-shek, China, 1887-1975 by Alexander V. Pantsov and Steven I. Levine looks back on the life of Chinese leader Chiang Kai-Shek. The authors shed new light on the role played by the Russians in Chiang’s political career as well as on Chiang’s complex relationship with top officials of the United States

Deadly Quiet City by Murong Xuecun

March 7, 2023

Deadly Quiet City | True Stories from Wuhan by Murong Xuecun follows the author's time in Wuhan, China at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the tradition of Dan Baum’s bestselling Nine Lives, Deadly Quiet City focuses on the remarkable stories of eight people in Wuhan.

Victims of the Cultural Revolution: Testimonies of China's Tragedy by Wang Youqin

Victims of the Cultural Revolution by Wang Youqin

February 23, 2023

Victims of the Cultural Revolution | Testimonies of China's Tragedy by Wang Youqin details with individual accounts, the horror the of the Cultural Revolution against the citizens of China. Documenting the deaths of over six hundred individuals, Victims of the Cultural Revolution calls on us to remember the evil ideological fanaticism wreaks and pays tribute to all those who suffered.

The Peking Express by James M. Zimmerman

February 1, 2023

The Peking Express | The Bandits Who Stole a Train, Stunned the West, and Broke the Republic of China by James M. Zimmerman examines the high-stakes capture of the Peking Express. The book is the incredible, long-forgotten story of a hostage crisis that shocked China and the West. It vividly captures the events that made international headlines.

China Coup by Roger Garside

August 1, 2022

China Coup | The Great Leap to Freedom by Roger Garside looks into the possibility of change within the Chinese political structure. Garside argues that under Xi Jinping's overconfident leadership, China is on a collision course with an America that is newly awakened out of complacency

Lost in the Cold War by John T. Downey, Thomas J. Christensen, and Jack Lee Downey

August 1, 2022

Lost in the Cold War | The Story of Jack Downey, America’s Longest-Held POW by John T. Downey, Thomas J. Christensen, and Jack Lee Downey recounts the story of Jack Downey's time as a prisoner in Cold War China. Downey’s lively and gripping memoir—written in secret late in life—interweaves horrors and deprivation with humor and the absurdities of captivity.

Wuhan: Dokumentarroman by Liao Yiwu (published in German)

February 1, 2022

Wuhan: Dokumentarroman by Liao Yiwu (published in German) | Wuhan: The Documentary Novel is a fascinating novel which delves into what really happened in Wuhan.

When the Iron Bird Flies by Jianglin Li

January 1, 2022

When the Iron Bird Flies | China's Secret War in Tibet by Jianglin Li tells the untold story of China's military operations in Tibet. The book breaks this decades long silence to reveal for the first time a comprehensive and explosive picture of the six years that would prove definitive in modern Tibetan and Chinese history.

1000 Years of Joy and Sorrow by Al Wei Wei

A Thousand Years of Joys and Sorrows by Ai Weiwei

November 2, 2021

A Thousand Years of Joys and Sorrows: A Memoir, written by Ai Weiwei, was published on November 2, 2021. The book chronicles Ai Weiwei’s early years and the myriad forces that have shaped modern China. Recounting the memories of Weiwei’s childhood spent in exile with his father, poet Ai Qing, who Mao Zedong branded a “rightist intellectual” for his critical view of the government.

Engaging China edited by Anne F. Thurston

July 1, 2021

Engaging China | Fifty Years of Sino-American Relations by Anne F. Thurston explores the importance of the relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China which has only grown since Richard Nixon’s epochal visit in 1972. By the early twenty-first century, when the rise of China had become an inescapable fact, most American policy makers and experts saw bilateral ties with China as the most consequential foreign-relations priority for the United States.