China, Taiwan and Tibet Books

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.

Bullets and Opium by Liao Yiwu

March 3, 2020

Bullets and Opium | Real-Life Stories of China After the Tiananmen Square Massacre by Liao Yiwu brings to life the ordinary Chinese citizens who defended Tiananmen Square. Much has been written about the Tiananmen Square protests, but very little exists in the words of those who were actually there. For over seven years, Liao Yiwu — a master of contemporary Chinese literature, imprisoned and persecuted as a counter-revolutionary until he fled the country in 2011 — secretly interviewed survivors of the devastating 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

Drunk in China by Derek Sandhaus

November 1, 2019

Drunk in China | Baijiu and the World's Oldest Drinking Culture by Derek Sandhaus follows the author's journey to discover the history and culture of Baijiu drinking. China is one of the world’s leading producers and consumers of liquor. Yet to the outside world, China’s most famous spirit, baijiu, remains a mystery.

The Great Flowing River by Chi Pang-yuan

July 3, 2018

The Great Flowing River | A Memoir of China, from Manchuria to Taiwan by Chi Pang-Yuan is an autobiographical journey from China to Taiwan. A novelistic, epoch-defining narrative, The Great Flowing River unites the personal and intimate with the grand sweep of history.

Blood Letters by Lian Xi

March 20, 2018

Blood Letters | The Untold Story of Lin Zhao, a Martyr in Mao's China by Lian Xi tells the story of Lin Zhao, who openly opposed communism in China. Blood Letters tells the astonishing tale of Lin Zhao, a poet and journalist arrested by the authorities in 1960 and executed eight years later, at the height of the Cultural Revolution.

No Wall Too High by Xu Hongci

January 17, 2017

No Wall Too High | One Man's Daring Escape from Mao's Darkest Prison by Xu Hongci recounts the authors incredible journey escaping a Chinese labor camp. Hongci was unjustly imprisoned after the spring of 1957, and despite the horrific conditions and terrible odds, he was determined to escape. He failed three times before finally succeeding in 1972.

The Killing Wind by Tan Hecheng

January 11, 2017

The Killing Wind | A Chinese County's Descent into Madness during the Cultural Revolution by Tan Hecheng investigates the Daoxian massacre during China's Cultural Revolution. The book is a poignant meditation on memory, moral culpability, and the failure of the Chinese government to come to terms with the crimes of the Maoist era.

Tibet in Agony: Lhasa 1959 by Jianglin Li

October 10, 2016

Tibet in Agony | Lhasa 1959 by Jianglin Li looks back on the Chinese governments militaristic repression of a popular uprising in Tibet's capital. Sifting facts from the distortions of propaganda and partisan politics, the author reconstructs a chronology of events that lays to rest lingering questions about what happened in those fate-filled days and why.

Tong Wars by Scott D. Seligman

July 12, 2016

Tong Wars | The Untold Story of Vice, Money, and Murder in New York’s Chinatown by Scott D. Seligman provides a definitive look at more than 30 years of violence in this fascinating and nuanced examination of Manhattan’s Chinatown. Seligman’s account roars through three decades of turmoil, with characters ranging from gangsters and drug lords to reformers and do-gooders to judges, prosecutors, cops, and pols of every stripe and color.

The Most Wanted Man in China: My Journey from Scientist to Enemy of the State

The Most Wanted Man in China by Fang Lizhi

February 9, 2016

The Most Wanted Man in China | My Journey from Scientist to Enemy of the State by Fang Lizhi is a brilliant memoir of a Chinese astrophysicist who challenged the authority of Communist China. His story, told with vivid detail and disarming humor, is a testament to the importance of remaining true to one's principles in an unprincipled time and place.

Deng Xiaoping by Alexander V. Pantsov and Steven I. Levine

May 1, 2015

Deng Xiaoping | A Revolutionary Life by Alexander V. Pantsov and Steven I. Levine provides a look into the entire life of influential Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. Based on newly discovered documents, the book covers his entire life, from his childhood and student years to the post-Tiananmen era.

The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong by Gyalo Thondup and Anne Thurston

The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong by Gyalo Thondup and Anne F. Thurston

April 14, 2015

The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong | The Untold Story of My Struggle for Tibet by Gyalo Thondup and Anne F. Thurston tells the story of the Dalai Lama's exiled family from their sacred homeland of Tibet. For the last sixty years, Gyalo Thondup has been at the at the heart of the epic struggle to protect and advance Tibet in the face of unreliable allies, overwhelming odds, and devious rivals.

Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine 1958-1962 by Yang Jisheng

November 19, 2013

Tombstone | The Great Chinese Famine 1958-1962 by Yang Jisheng looks deeper into the devistating famine during China's Great Leap Forward. The author pieced together the events that led to mass starvation, and attributes responsibility for the deaths to the totalitarian system and refusal of officials to value human life over ideology and self-interest.