Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

Book Description

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

Download Description

Lisa See is the author of Flower Net (an Edgar Award nominee), The Interior, and Dragon Bones, as well as the critically acclaimed memoir On Gold Mountain. The Organization of Chinese American Women named her the 2001 National Woman of the Year. She lives in Los Angeles.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Page turner!.......2007-10-06

This book will make you both sad and happy and both love and hate the characters at the same time. Very interesting to learn about chinese traditions of arranged marriage and wrapped feet. I couldn't put it down.

Book Club selection - Wonderful and rich.......2007-10-06

I was put off by this book being another narrative. It seems like that's all I've read in the last few weeks. But it was a wonderful story, so intricate and filled with rich details. I saw some critisim about the lack of details abut the rest of their lives, like how they gave birth. but that kind of detail is not needed here. The lives of these women are so very interesting to me. I really liked this book. it had a valuable lesson at the end as well. Ok and the footbinding was awful but integral to the story.

Great Read for Women of All Cultures.......2007-10-05

Women of any culture can identify with the complicated and intimate relationships between two female friends. I highly recommend this book to all women. Also an interesting insight into nineteenth century rural China.

beautiful story of friendships.......2007-10-04

This is one of the best books I have read this year! After reading it, I ordered several copies to give to friends of mine, simply because it is the story of relationships between women. I felt as if I knew the main characters, and I also learned a lot about the Chinese customs and culture. I would recommend it as a good fiction read, but it has serious substance to it.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.......2007-10-03

I thought this book was very informative as to the life and habits of the Chinese around the turn of the 20th century. Relationships have changed little since that time, people are always misunderstanding situations. It was beautifully described and written.

Average customer rating:

Beautifully written
Excellent Empress
Great Book!
Fascinating
Engaging

Empress Orchid
Anchee Min
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

United States | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Last Empress
Becoming Madame Mao
Red Azalea
Wild Ginger: A Novel
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

ASIN: 0618562036

Book Description

From a master of the historical novel, Empress Orchid sweeps readers into the heart of the Forbidden City to tell the fascinating story of a young concubine who becomes China's last empress. Min introduces the beautiful Tzu Hsi, known as Orchid, and weaves an epic of a country girl who seized power through seduction, murder, and endless intrigue. When China is threatened by enemies, she alone seems capable of holding the country together. In this "absorbing companion piece to her novel Becoming Madame Mao" (New York Times), readers and reading groups will once again be transported by Min's lavish evocation of the Forbidden City in its last days of imperial glory and by her brilliant portrait of a flawed yet utterly compelling woman who survived, and ultimately dominated, a male world.

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully written.......2007-09-04

I had borrowed this book from the county library but I ended up buying myself a copy after I finished reading it in just one day. I loved it so much after reading just a couple of pages from the book. I've seen many different side of the story to the Empress from different authors but I would have to say that I love Anchee Min perspective better. I realized that I was feeling what the empress was feeling through out this book and the sequel, which I also bought "The last empress". Its a must read. After reading both books, I did the research myself. Wow! I can't believe such thing exists in history. This is the best book I have ever read and bought!

Excellent Empress.......2007-08-31

I really was attracted to the beautiful cover of this book. The subject matter was unusual and of great historical interest. A wonderful peek inside the forbidden city and the Chineese people. I found this book hard to put down and it made me want to read all of the others by this author. Good real

Great Book!.......2007-08-11

Anchee Min really takes you into the world of the Forbidden City during this time and into the mind of a concubine. Excellent!

Fascinating.......2007-07-05

I highly recommend it if you are interested to learn about China and like a great story that pulls you in completely. Extremely well written. Smart, colorful, solid writing. I read it in a day and a half, could not put it down.
The story continues in "The Last Empress". Read the first book first otherwise it's not a full picture.

Engaging.......2007-05-09

This novel pulls the reader in! The research and writing are impeccable -this is a must read for anyone the least bit interested in Chinese dynastic history.

Average customer rating:

More than Just a Compelling Mystery Novel
China
A New Star
A good read
Interesting

Death of a Red Heroine
Qiu Xiaolong
Manufacturer: Soho Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Police Procedurals | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

A Loyal Character Dancer
When Red Is Black
A Case of Two Cities: An Inspector Chen Novel (Inspector Chen Cao)
Jar City: A Thriller (Reykjavik Thriller)
The Coroner's Lunch

ASIN: 1569471932

Amazon.com

By any standard, Inspector Chen Cao is a novelty in the world of police procedurals. A published poet and translator of American and English mystery novels, he has been assigned by the Chinese government, under Deng Xiaoping's cadre policy, to a "productive" job with the Special Cases Bureau of the Shanghai Police Department.

Shanghai in the mid-1990s is a city caught between reverence for the past and fascination with a tantalizing, market-driven present. When the body of a young "national model worker," revered for her adherence to the principles of the Communist Party, turns up in a canal, Chen is thrown into the midst of these opposing forces. As he struggles to unravel the hidden threads of this paragon's life, he finds himself challenging the very political forces that have guided his life since birth. With party-line-spouting superiors above him and detectives who resent his quick promotion beneath him, Chen finds himself wondering whether justice is a concept at all meaningful in late-20th-century China.

Death of a Red Heroine is a book hovering uneasily between the spheres of fiction and fact, creativity and didacticism. For much of the novel, author Qiu Xiaolong seems more intent on driving home the actions and consequences of the Cultural Revolution and its aftermath than on the slowly unfolding plot. Tedious repetitions of the fates, under Mao, of "educated youths" joust with both the actions of the detectives and Chen's "poetic" ruminations, which, unfortunately, are infected by precisely the stiffness and arbitrariness Qiu is at pains to decry in his historical passages. The moving couplets Chen favors are potentially fascinating insights into the interaction between ancient and modern China, but instead of provoking the reader into reflection, Qiu offers reductive explanations of each and every poem.

The moments when Qiu concentrates on invoking atmosphere are both illuminating and rewarding: Detective Yu's wife's pride and pleasure in having brought home a dozen crabs at "state price" are movingly well crafted, all the more so because Qiu seems almost unaware of what he is doing. Rather than lecturing on the economic dilemmas of the modern worker, he lets Peiqin's simple happiness speak for itself. In the last quarter of the book, Qiu seems to find his stride, though his writing style remains undeniably awkward. Here Chen expands and relaxes, and with him, the novel. Qiu's debut, though anything but polished, holds the promise of better things to come. --Kelly Flynn

Book Description

Murder in Shanghai in the '90s presents Inspector Chen with a difficult choice.

The victim, Guan Hongying, was a National Model Worker, a celebrity of utmost probity. But perhaps her personal life was not so pristine. Inspector Chen Cao, a published poet and translator of T. S. Eliot, who has been assigned to head the Shanghai Police Bureau's Special Case Squad, is urged by his superiors to consider the political implications of his investigation. Commissar Zhang, an old bureaucrat, doesn't want Chen to peer under any stones. Does Chen dare to persevere?

Contemporary China is a society in turmoil. Faithful old party members, forced to retire, have lost prestige and perquisites; the new capitalists are on the rise. Still ensconced on top of the ladder are the High Cadres and, even above them, the HCC-High Cadre Children-their privileged status analogous to that of medieval princes. Chen is romantically interested in a newspaperwoman whose background would damage his prospects. He relinquished his former Beijing girlfriend as soon as he learned that she was the daughter of a Politburo member, thus far above his reach. Now, if Guan's murderer is to be punished, Chen must invoke her influence by rekindling the old flame. Or else a murderer may go unpunished.

Customer Reviews:

More than Just a Compelling Mystery Novel.......2007-09-06

"Mainland China," "compelling detective story," and "Chinese mystery writer" are not word combiations that one would expect to see often together in print, but Qiu Xiaolong's compelling DEATH OF A RED HEROINE justifies their joint appearance at least this once. Born in Shanghai but living in the U.S. since 1989, Mr. Qiu (pronounced "cho," rhymes with Joe) is now a professor of Chinese literature at Washington University in St. Louis. While he pens his stories in English, his heart is clearly in Shanghai, so much so that this most Western of mainland Chinese cities virtually becomes a character in his book.

Qiu's story revolves around a young woman's body found stuffed into a black plastic bag in a small canal about 20 miles outside of Shanghai. The discovery is phoned into the Shanghai Police Bureau, where the call is taken by Detective Yu Guangming of the Homicide Divisions special (as in politically sensitive) case squad. Detective Yu's superior, the up-and-coming Inspector Chen Cao (as much a poet and Tang Dynasty poetry enthusiast as he is a detective) ultimately decides that he and Yu will pursue the case in its early stages until they see how it develops. As it turns out, theirs is the perfect place for the case to be assigned - the body is discovered to be that of Guan Hongying, a sales clerk at the Shanghai Number One Department store and nationally known as one of the Communist Party's select group of "model workers."

By far the bulk of the story concerns Chen's and Yu's efforts to peer into Guan Hongying's intensely private life and find a reason for her murder. The arc of the novel follows predictable mystery novel lines - discovery, autopsy, identification, more discovery, witnesses, suspects, more discovery, motives, applied leverage, proof, and resolution. Yet while traversing this path, author Qiu sheds fascinating light on numerous aspects of modern life in mainland China. His story opens a door onto the workings of the Communist Party and its founding cadres (and their children). As well, he ushers readers into the whirlwinds of societal and even physical change swarming through Shanghai, contrasting the disappearing lifestyles and personalities of old Shanghai with that of the new city exhibited in Pudong and along the teeming shopping districts of Nanjing and Huihai Roads. To his even greater credit, Qiu takes us into his detectives' homes and daily lives, particularly that of Yu Guangming and his family.

Much like Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko (GORKY PARK, WOLVES EAT DOGS, STALIN'S GHOST), Qiu's Inspector Chen is intelligent and intuitive without being flashy. Outwardly, both Renko and Chen appear to their compatriots as dogged loners, unbending and resolute in their determination to solve the case and bring "the truth" to light, whatever the personal and political cost to themselves and their careers. Both authors have created charming, Columbo-like heroes whose foibles, talents, and persistence make them remarkably sympathetic to the reader.

DEATH OF A RED HEROINE is a thoroughly entertaining story that secondarily serves as an outstanding window into the life and culture of mainland China. Having lived in Suzhou, China off and on for several years and visited nearby Shanghai many times, I can attest that Mr. Qiu's characterizations of Chinese life and the sense of atmosphere he creates in his writing are spot on. This book is enjoyable both as a mystery novel and as an armchair tourist's look into mainland Chinese life.

China.......2007-08-23

This is an outstanding book which weaves the commercialization of the PRCand a murder mystery Ch into the continuing dominance of the People's party leadership.

A New Star.......2007-08-02

Qiu Xiaolong is one of the most exciting writers working today. He takes an immensely fertile environment -- the corruption, cronyism, and rapid change of present-day China and puts into it an ethical cop who is also a poet and a translator of American mystery novels. Chen is one of the great new characters in detective fiction: complex, conflicted, stubborn, absolutely committed to doing his job the best he can, despite the immense pressures on him to keep the blame away from the rich and influential, where it most often belongs. All the books are brilliantly plotted, fast-paced, packed with vivid characters, and full of fascinating ethical dilemmas. You can't go wrong with any of them. As someone who writes about Asia himself, I recommend every single one of the Inspector Chen novels. They'll take you into a different world, and in the company of a remarkable character.

A good read.......2007-05-02

Having just read this book (May, 2007) I'm a bit late to the party. I bought a copy speculating that it might be a good series (or at least not the typical mystery that I usually read) and I was very, very pleased.

Set in the critical early years of the transition of China from communit to free market, this is as much a review of Chinese society of the time as it is a detective novel. The characters are likable, the plot sound, and the setting leaves you wondering how anything could get done in a fluid political and social setting as Shanghai resides. But rest assured Inspector Chen delivers, finds the bad guy, and can still look at himself in the mirror when it is all done.

All accomplished pretty much without hidden codes, high speed chases, blazing gunfights, or some sex kitten extravaganza.

It satisfied me enough to buy "A Loyal Character Dancer" (second in the series) and I'm enjoying it as well.

So if you need a change of pace from your cozy or hard-boiled mystery reading, Qiu Xiaolong takes you to a totally foreign setting (for an American) for a very satisfactory tale of crime.

Interesting.......2007-03-16

It's a bit overwritten but it's much more than a simple who-done-it. It captures the strange limbo that China was in between the control of the old guard of Chairman Mao and the freer time begun by Deng Xiaopeng. The characterizations are strong. And Shanghai is described with visceral accuracy. I'm looking forward to reading another Chief Inspector Chen mystery.

Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment

Average customer rating:

A serious look at the Hong Kong film industry
Best popular-film book ever?
The best book on Hong Kong cinema yet
Insightful, original, accessible
Great work with limitations

Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment
David Bordwell
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Hong Kong | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Art Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Hong Kong Cinema: The Extra Dimensions
The Cinema of Hong Kong: History, Arts, Identity
At Full Speed: Hong Kong Cinema in a Borderless World
Kung Fu Cult Masters
Figures Traced in Light: On Cinematic Staging

ASIN: 0674002148

Book Description

Since the 1970s, Hong Kong has been home to arguably the world's most energetic, imaginative mass-market film industry. At its peak, it surpassed nearly all Western countries in number of films released, ruled the East Asian market, and produced movies (ranging from John Woo's action pictures to the comic adventures of Jackie Chan) that have thrilled global audiences and attained cult status in the West. This book offers a deeply informed and highly engaging look at how Hong Kong cinema has become one of the success stories of film history, and how it has influenced international film culture and the development of film as a medium. As sentimental and outrageous as Hong Kong films can be, David Bordwell demonstrates that they are not merely crowd-pleasing; they harbor remarkable inventiveness and careful craftsmanship and in many cases rise to the level of a rich and delightful art. Bordwell surveys the historical conditions that fueled the rise of this cinema: the high output, shrewd entrepreneurship, changing world tastes, and a unique skill in action genres that cross cultural boundaries. Considering both the movies themselves and the bigger picture, he moves from deft and detailed analyses of many classics of this tradition to a broader assessment of the basic strategies and impulses of mass entertainment.

Customer Reviews:

A serious look at the Hong Kong film industry.......2004-04-14

Since John Woo and Jackie Chan hit it big in North America, there have been a ton of books on the Hong Kong film industry. Most of them are either poorly written or poorly presented. Or, worst of all, only focus on the figures (Woo & Chan) that people here in North America would recognized.

Bordwell's book is a significant improvement as he goes into great detail on the origins of the HK film industry (painstakingly documenting the rise of the Shaw brothers) and examines how it rose to prominence. This is a very well-written book that straddles the line between being an academic study and utilizing a more mainstream approach. It's a good mix that will keep you interested. I did find some of the economical stuff to be a bit on the dull side but it is few and far between.

Best of all, Bordwell covers all the usual suspects (i.e. Woo, Chan, Wong Kar-Wai) and others as well. This is a great introduction into Hong Kong films, what makes them work and why they've become so popular world-wide.

Bordwell is obviously a fan but he is also critical as well. This is not a fawning love letter by some slobbering fanboy but a sobering account of HK films. The man has obviously done his homework. Highly recommended!

Best popular-film book ever?.......2002-09-03

Not just the best book about Hong Kong cinema but the best ever written about a popular commercial movie industry. It is a model of practicality, fresh observation, and original on-site research in an academic field dominated by received ideology and sociological condescension. Bordwell pays tribute to the highly specialized film craftsmen of Kowloon, world-class experts in delivering intense pleasure to a large audience. We hope that he plans to write many sequels. Are you ready for "Planet Bollywood"?

The best book on Hong Kong cinema yet.......2001-08-04

For the history of Hong Kong cinema, Stephen Teo's HONG KONG CINEMA : THE EXTRA DIMENSION can't be topped; but this impressive book is far and away the best yet to examine this vital art film from the aesthetic angle. Bordwell also covers some of the financial makeup of the Hong Kong film industry, and even devotes space to the often-ridiculed Wong Jing. His chapters on Hong Kong editing styles are not just informative, they're absolutely inspiring. This book should be required reading for every film student!

Insightful, original, accessible.......2001-07-16

Bordwell's book manages to balance the enthusiasm of a fan with the sharp analysis of a trained film scholar. Of all the books on Hong Kong film in English that I've read, this is the one that I keep returning to--it's chock full of original criticism (his shot by shot breakdowns of classic HK flicks are superb), that is well written and accessible (even if you don't have a PhD in cultural studies). Planet Hong Kong has led me to at least a dozen wonderful films I might otherwise have overlooked.

Great work with limitations.......2001-07-15

A great book about HK film. A detailed and convincing analysis of the technical aspect of HK movies and of what makes them good. Bordwell is limited, however, by his not knowing the language and the culture. But this seems to be very common among film critics, who mostly just rely on subtitles. For European movies this may not be a problem, but for Hong Kong movies that often have such comically and memorably bad subtitles, it's a great disadvantage to the critic.

Complete Book of Chinese Health & Healing

Average customer rating:

An eye opener to the Way through Taoist methods
Inspirational Introduction to Chinese Health
Start Here For Understanding and Detail
A great book to boost your health & vitality & energy!
Whether curious or serious about Taoism, buy this book!

Complete Book of Chinese Health & Healing
Daniel Reid
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Chinese Medicine | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Alternative & Holistic | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Health Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity: A Modern Practical Guide to the Ancient Way (Fireside Books (Fireside))
A Handbook of Chinese Healing Herbs
A Complete Guide to Chi-Gung
The Tao of Detox: The Secrets of Yang-Sheng Dao
The Tao of Love and Sex

Accessories:

RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)

ASIN: 1570620717
Release Date: 1994-12-05

Book Description

Here is the first complete manual of Chinese medicine specifically written for the layperson. Filled with illustrated exercises and recipes, this book offers a unique, integrated system of preventive health care so that now anyone can promote good health, longevity, and spiritual awareness using these traditional techniques. Included are: Key concepts of Chinese medical theory Dozens of illustrated T'ai Chi and Chee-gung exercises The Chinese approach to healing common ailments Authentic secrets of Taoist sexual yoga Therapeutic food recipes and herbal tonics Alternative treatments for diseases such as AIDS and cancer Resource listings: teachers, schools, centers, stores, and mail-order suppliers

Customer Reviews:

An eye opener to the Way through Taoist methods.......2006-03-09

This book is nothing short of spectacular, and this is because it motivates to start doing some of what Daniel Reid. explains. Reid, a Westerner living in Asia since the 70's, comes with Western scientific explanations (where possible; modern science isn't yet developed enough to understand and acknowledge nature of some things) of why Taoists do things the way they do.
Books subtitle is "Guarding the three treasure" - and by that he means the body, energy and spirit, he touches all of them. After reading it I understand a lot more things about the world in general. A lot more...
I first started reading his other book - "The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity", and I would recommend starting with that one, because it is more basic and easier to chew by the Western mind. This books is also very clear, and you don't need other explanations, but reading the other one first would make some things easier. Personally, after I finished this one book, I understood some of his teachings in "The Tao..." that I had skipped at that point and started doing them now. One good example of this is to do skin brushing every day. Why? Stimulate lymph movement, especially helpful for people living sedentary lives every day. I intend to reread both of them many times, and hopefully pick new good habits with each pass. I'll probably look into his other works.
So, what's in the book?
It starts with explaining the Taoist cosmogony, starting with the One source, Tao. You probably already know its mark, it' that circle with black and white "tears", each having a small spot of the other inside it.
They are the two poles, Yang (male/active/warming/ascending, white with with black spot) and Yin (female/passive/cooling/descending).
There are three powers - heaven, earth and humans, the latter mixing the treasure of spirit and awareness from the heaven (whose laws are named "destiny") with the nourishment and essential building blocks of the body.
There are four foundations -blood, energy, nourishment, and resistance (e.g. immunity), and you need to develop all of them. They depend on each in many ways, and each could be overactive or underactive. They should be balanced for a vibrant health. There are remedies for all of them. While everyone is more likely to know that that chlorophyl is good for blood, did you know there are energy supplements? Yes, such as air ionizers, and, suprise, crystals (wear one around your neck), plus modern stuff (pulsed field generators, cranio electro stimulation and others).
There are five energies (water, wood, fire, earth, metal), and each is associated with some colour, foods, vibration, season, bodily organs, taste, time of day, feeling, and more. For example, this fits with the Western knowledge that each organ is most active at a specific time of the day. BTW, looking at some list of symptoms, I figured that I have underactive kidneys, and inspired by this I went to an acupuncturist/chinese doctor and he confirmed it. Now that the problem is confirmed, I know what foods to emphasize, what breathing exercises to do, etc.
There are six evils (of environmental energies) - wind, heat, dampness, dryness, cold and fire, each more prevalent in a specific time of a year, and could combine (e.g. cold dryness). BTW, I should tell that in Chinese medicine body is treat as a whole, except for injuries, it's your lifestyle that's the problem, and several symptoms that seem totally unrelated point to the same thing. Alcoholism creates 'stomach fire' and 'liver fire', heavy smoking, sugar creates 'internal dampness', exposure to electromagnetic pollution creates 'internal wind'. Everything fits together, with easy to understand words, yet all having Western scientific equivalents, albeit way harder to follow.
Seven emotions (Joy, Anger, etc.) - for Chinese healthy and non-excessive thoughts lead to physical health. This is harder to understand - in the West people are referred to psychiatrist for mental issues, yet there are many cases of curing psychological problems by diet, and, reversely, get sick by thinking negatively. I would suggest Deepak Chopra's books (e.g. Quantum leap healing) for an scientific explanation of how this works. Basically it's a positive (as in self-enforcing) feedback between nervous and endocrine systems.
Eight indicators: Chinese doctors follow a four stage process: interviewing (remember, everything matters: chills/fever, stool/urine, diet/sleep/sex), observing (way of moving, talking, breathing, skin color; tongue and face analysis are true arts, both having parts corresponding to internal organs), and ends with touching (flesh, internal organs, accupresure on vital points which become tender in sick people, and taking pulse, which is again an art). After the initial state is evaluated, different remedies might be prescribed (massage, accupuncture, diet, breathing), looking for the eight indicators (yin/yang, internal/external, cold/hot, empty/full). Symptoms come and go during treatment, change one into each other, and so do the remedy but at the end the body and internal organs are balanced, the evil energies are removed. It's very hard to be a good Chinese doctor, you need to learn a lot, because everything relates, from anatomy to nutrition to breathing to environmental exposure to lifestyle.
This was the first part of the book, and there were three of them.
It then talks about diet and nutrition, what foods go with with elemental energy (and thus with what organ), talks about food profiles and effect on the body (sugar, meat, fats, etc.), about gradually improving the diet and how to watch for detox signs. Avoid unhealthy fats (such as (partially) hydrogenated vegetable oil), pasteurized milk (not even calves can live on it), eat lots of fermented foods, drink pure water, and other sound advices on food combining (don't eat meat with potatoes or bread, for example). He talks about enzymes - spark of life - and how overcooking destroys them.
Regarding the energy "treasure", he explains about the bioenergy and the bioenergetic model of human body as determined by ancient acupuncture practitioners, how Western researchers have confirmed and validated them (look for Robert Becker - he rediscovered acupuncture points and proved that we are influenced by planets through the endocrine system) and then talks about electromagnetic pollution. He emphasizes chee-gung (chi-kung/qi-gong) - "energy work", slow movements synchronized with breathing to balance endocrine and nervous system, improve the energy stored in the body and thus build immunity etc. There are even specific chi-gung exercises for each elemental energy imbalance (read: affected organ). There are special sexual yoga solo exercises.
Finally... meditation. All the above can help with meditation. He explains why one should meditate, and from this chapter I understood what hermites in caves, enlightened monks, yoga gurus, taoist masters, martial arts experts all have in common. It is hard to explain, and reading the book might not be enough. In short, you might not be prepared to accept it. This is it... it's like religion. Suffice to say that the meditation chapter changed my life. I hope it will change yours. I actually preffered to write only about the meditation chapter in this review.

The books also has food recipes (balanced according to the teachings), herbs and some herbal recipes, plus lists of suppliers to get products from.

Dan Reid has an approach so that both Eastern and Western knowledge should be used and combine to create a better life for all of us. He certainly does combine them - Eastern trued and tried practices with Western technology (e.g. herbal remedies with vitamins, enzymes, cofactors and nootropic; modern energy supplements.

This is just a one page review. Of course the book is much more thorough. Just go get it, study it and practice from it even as you are still reading it for the first time. You'll never regret it. Mark my words.

Inspirational Introduction to Chinese Health.......2003-01-18

I happened across this book in a bookstore and bought it on a whim. I was not before interested in Taoism, but fairly open minded. THIS IS THE BEST, MOST INSPIRATIONAL BOOK I HAVE READ IN YEARS. I don't want to go too over the top or I'll lose my credibility, but this book quite simply has changed my life (ok, that's over the top). If you enjoy cooking with fresh ingredients, the book gives great advice about food combining and which ingredients are most healthful. Reid also gives a few recipes at the back of the book that he considers "healing" recipes. The recipe for Hunan chicken was worth the cost of the book. I have been cooking for a decade and that recipe is the most delicious dish I've ever made. I really can't say enough. I am less interested in the sections on Chee-gung, but they are still useful as a way of understanding the importance of quieter, less strenuous stretching/activity. I bought this book 6 months ago, but I would say that I pick it up to read sections at least once a week. I have lost 15 pounds, am full of energy and feel more positive and refreshed than I have since I was 21.

Start Here For Understanding and Detail.......2000-05-08

There are thousands of books published about Chinese Medicine,but none come close to this one for readability, enjoyment, clarity,and detail. While I don't agree with every single interpretation that Reid makes, I find that I am constantly referring my patients and students to this book.

It is a great place to begin your exploration of Chinese Medicine in its broadest scope. Reid writes intelligently, and yet simply, about the full range of Chinese Medical practices and the foundations of Energetic Medicine too.

His format takes the reader, step-by-step, along the path of understanding this rich tradition of self-care, personal evolution, and natural healing. You will find plenty of personal stories in this book and a fair share of scientific findings which support the understanding presented.

Perhaps most importantly, you will be able to apply the basic principles, as described so clearly here, in your daily life. This is truly a book that can help you get started on the path of natural healing in your own life.

If you are in the healing profession, you will discover a world of refreshing insights, challenging questions, and beneficial protocols to explore.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is sincerely interested in Chinese Medicine or Qigong.

A great book to boost your health & vitality & energy!.......2000-04-25

Reid's book is great. I read it, and tried the Breathing exercises....WHAM! I felt so energetic since! FUll of vitality! I applied his advice on diet & food too, and my past digestive disorder and stomach bloats and aches are history! I listened to him and start conserving my 'jing' if you know what i am talking about, and I feel on top of the world! READ THIS BOOK!

Whether curious or serious about Taoism, buy this book!.......1999-08-28

I do not know who to thank for curing me of a chronic digestive disorder whose underlying cause had eluded allopathic physicians and Western nutritionists for the past 30 years: Daniel P. Reid or the ancient Taoist masters?

Mr. Reid's books are truly gifts to the modern Western world and to those who sense that there is something more to life than a mass-produced culture and lifestyle. Ancient wisdom does have a wealth of knowledge to impart today in order to live a better tomorrow. If you are a newcomer to Taoism, spirituality, and traditional health practices, this is an ideal book to help you begin your journey towards enlightment. Those with a little more experience will also benefit from reading this book and adding its little gems of wisdom to their library of ever-expanding Taoist knowledge. Somehow, years of higher education and exponetially expanding university tuition never taught me the beautiful, life-affirming, and liberating simplicities expounded by Taoism. Begin your journey with these books.

I also highly recommend Mr. Reid's "The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity" as an excellent companion to "The Complete Book..." However, I caution you to exercise maturity, responsibility and personal accountability as you read and practice the ancient Taoist arts. You should be fully aware that there is no way for the author to be familiar with your particular ailments or life-situation. In this regard, I recommend that you pursue your studies under the guidance of a qualified instructor and to seek health advice from a Traditional Chinese Medical practitioner. If you heed the caution and advice you will gain tremendously. There is genuine gold in this ancient wisdom. You will find yourself asking the question: "Why doesn't the rest of the Western world know about this?"

Book Description

Lucid, authoritative, written with verve by two respected American scholars, this generously illustrated work provides an introduction to more than 7,000 years of Chinese art—from the pottery-making and jade-carving cultures of the Neolithic Age to contemporary Chinese artists working in video,installation, and performance media.

By placing the arts in context—in active engagement with societies, economies, and wider fields of culture—the authors of this much-needed general survey introduce a dynamic and continually evolving tradition rather than a sequence of isolated museum masterpieces. Although the story of Chinese art unfolds chronologically, the authors introduce relevant themes for each era that will deepen the reader's understanding of and appreciation for what they describe as arguably “the most abundantly productive, continuous artistic culture in the history of the world.”

Customer Reviews:

A great survey on Chinese art!.......2002-03-06

This is a great book for a serious survey of Chinese art and also for common readers interested in Chinese art and culture. The first six chapters by Robert Thorp deal with the period between the Neolithic and the Tang, and the rest of four chapters by Richard Vinograd cover from the Song to the 20th century. Both scholars offer succint yet comprehensive historical and cultural backgrounds, and also the images are discussed in terms of important concepts and themes in Chinese art, rather than traditional categories of architecture, sculpture, painting, and decorative arts. This approach works effectively in avoiding any imposition of the art historical concepts derived from European tradition, and also enable readers to be fully engaged in the subject. When comparing with other survey books on Chinese art, it takes a middle path between the traditional style of _Arts of China_ by Michael Sullivan and an intense and provoking style of _Art in China_ by Craig Clunas.

Shangri-LA: The Return to the World of Lost Horizon

Average customer rating:

Barely a Sequel
Underwhelming
This is Good
It's great, thoroughly engrossing.
Most Fabulous Book Ever Written in the History of the World.

Shangri-LA: The Return to the World of Lost Horizon
Eleanor Cooney , and Daniel Altieri
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Art Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Messenger: A Sequel to Lost Horizon: A Story of Shangri-La
Lost Horizon: A Novel
Lost Horizon

ASIN: 0688128726

Customer Reviews:

Barely a Sequel.......2006-06-11

I wouldn't consider this to be entirely a sequel to the original novel. It's more of a separate story that involves, briefly, characters and settings from the original novel. Maybe I just enjoyed Lost Horizon too much but I found Shangri-La to be a bit of a disappointment. The two different styles of writing get confusing at times, especially in the parts where no quotation marks are used to distinguish between different speakers. The flow of the story was very rigid also. Sure, there were words arranged into sentences and sentences into paragraphs, continuing on for pages, but there was nothing to draw me into the story. It was more like reading a newspaper than a novel in this respect. To top it all off, the ending seemed clichéd. Just because the original ends in a cliff hanger doesn't mean the sequel should also. It just didn't seem very original.

Overall it was good to see that James Hilton's brilliant work of literature carried on into the future, but the original far overshadowed the sequel. Instead of providing closure, Shangri-La left me waiting for something the book didn't deliver.

Underwhelming.......2005-08-31

Shangri La, that heaven on earth, is under attack. It's the 1960s, and the Chinese army is at the height of its ideological zeal for the Cultural Revolution. Originally, that army was marching against native Tibetan culture, in an attempt at forced assimilation of the disputed territory. Legend, then clues to that edenic valley begin to emerge, and then ...

I won't spoil the story. One family leads the hunt for Shangri La: a corrupt General Zhang, a son burning with missionary zeal for the revolution, and a daughter with quiet doubts about the party. A character from Hilton's original story learns of the threat, and leaves Shangri La to avert the threat. Leaving, of course, is a death sentence unless he returns soon enough, but the hero puts the safety of Shangri La ahead of his own.

This post-hoc collaboration never really captured my imagination. The writing is good enough, except for an especially magical resolution to the threat. I don't see it as a sequel, so much as an unrelated story in the same setting. That could have been good, but the characters never enticed me. The plot was very plain, an intellectual dead end: things happen, they're resolved, and that's it. Nothing more to think about.

Some people seem to this one - just not me.

//wiredweird

This is Good.......2001-07-03

Write a sequel to Lost Horizon? What hubris, what presumption! Just who do you guys think you are? Then I read it. It's wonderful. When James Hilton ordains that you leave Shangri-LA, you understand that you will never find it again. But Cooney and Altieri work their hermetic arts, and as you inch your way around the narrow ledge, hugging the rock like a lover, you pause to catch your breath, the mists below slowly clear, and there it is! I think Hilton would have been honored, and enchanted. How can this book be out of print? To Ms. Cooney and Mr. Altieri, Thank you.

It's great, thoroughly engrossing........1998-05-10

Read it. It's a great novel and highly worthy as a sequel. This book left me in the same dreamy state as the original. Thought provoking about Tibet and the state of the world for any socially conscious person.

Most Fabulous Book Ever Written in the History of the World........1996-11-16

Sequel. Ugh. What a horrible word. Most of them should never be born, or if they are, they should be left on a hillside to die of exposure. There ought to be a different word to describe SHANGRI-LA--THE RETURN TO THE WORLD OF LOST HORIZON by Eleanor Cooney and Daniel Altieri (Wm. Morrow, 1996). It is in fact the sequel to James Hilton's classic, but without the irrelevance and loss of tumescence you've learned to expect. It actually needed to be written.

LOST HORIZON leaves you dangling deliciously. Forget about the movie version--it was good, but they took huge liberties with the plot of Hilton's tightly constructed work. Most notably, the movie shows the hero, Hugh Conway, arriving back in Shangri-La to the accompaniment of a swelling chorus and heavenly beams of light. It was the era of happy endings in movies, so they stuck one on. But the book--ah, the book is very different indeed.

It starts with a group of British gents in a men's club talking about Conway, a likable but peculiar chap, and how one of them discovered him quite by chance in a hospital in Canton suffering from amnesia. Then we learn that his memory abruptly returned on board a liner bound for San Francisco, that he jumped ship in Honolulu and was never seen again. The middle part of the book is a flashback: Conway's story of being benignly abducted along with three other people into Shangri-La, meeting the two-hundred-year-old lama, finding himself annointed as his successor, and then having to make a decision of Hamlet-like proportions: stay or go. He goes. Dreadful things happened to him after he left, evidently, so that he wound up ill and amnesic in a hospital. Then he got his memory back and jumped ship--to try, we presume, to find his way back to his lost paradise. And that's the last we hear of him. The final words of the book echo down hauntingly over sixty years: "Do you think he will ever find it?"

The authors of SHANGRI-LA dip into that poignant mystery with respect, precision and imagination. Their account of what happened to Conway during his disastrous journey out of the hidden valley in the high Himalayas, how he lost his memory, and what happened to him after he got it back is uncannily Hilton-esque and fits with the unanswered questions in the original like the parts of a fine watch. This account, in turn, is part of a highly relevant story about the brutal Chinese occupation of Tibet in the 1960s, the real-life fulfillment of disaster prophesized by Hilton through his fictional character Father Perrault.

Tibet is still under the heel of China, and SHANGRI-LA teaches the reader some of the harsh facts while delivering a taut tale of suspense, intrigue, romance and mystery. Suffice it to say that there's a rapacious Chinese General who's got hold of a series of ancient riddles that put him on the trail of the hidden valley. A really good villain is the heart and soul of a thriller, and this guy is full of the complexities and contradictions that satisfy our appetites. And instead of crudely killing him off, the authors reward him for his villainy with a highly eerie anti-Shangri-La that makes you think of some sort of hell out of Oriental mythology with Rod Serling as a consultant.

Book Description

The cocktail shaker, once a symbol of elegance, is now eminently collectible. This reference, designed for collectors and admirers alike, celebrates a golden age when designers from the famous luxury goods houses had a ball with novelty cocktail shakers. "Thirst extinguishers", skyscrapers, lighthouses, penguins, ship's lanterns and dumb-bells, decorative and practical, were favourite themes, and with the legalisation of liquor in the USA, following the repeal of the Prohibition in 1933, cocktail sets were in great demand. Art-Deco-inspired shakers exemplified the age and found favour with the smart set in New York, Paris and elsewhere. This volume features over 150 photographs of shakers.

Chinese Characters then and now (Edition Voldemeer)

Average customer rating:

Chinese Characters then and now (Edition Voldemeer)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Calligraphy | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Chinese | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Etymology | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Linguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Art Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Chinese | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

Entertainment | Chinese | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

History | Chinese | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Chinese | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

Reference | Chinese | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

All Chinese Books | Chinese | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 3211227954

Book Description

For the first time, leading personalities such as Qi Gong, Yau Shing-Tung, Zhao Jiping, Chen Guying and Zhao Ping’an write together about one of the most important vehicles of their culture, Chinese characters. This carefully edited and well-designed volume offers both the Chinese and western reader a unique and thorough insight into the world of Chinese characters.

Average customer rating:

Best book on the subject that I've read
no other book like this in english

Hong Kong Cinema: The Extra Dimensions
Stephen Teo
Manufacturer: British Film Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Cinematography | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Popular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Hong Kong | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Art Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Entertainment | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment
The Cinema of Hong Kong: History, Arts, Identity
At Full Speed: Hong Kong Cinema in a Borderless World
Chinese National Cinema (National Cinemas Series.)
Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film

ASIN: 0851705146

Amazon.com

"This book offers a history of Hong Kong cinema in the postwar period. It is an extraordinary history of survival and success against the odds, a history which is inseparably bound up with Hong Kong's economic miracle." Here is the first book to treat the Hong Kong film industry with real seriousness, demonstrating how it reflected the changes in the city's administration and growth. Author Stephen Teo convincingly debunks the commonplace notion that Hong Kong consistently produced movies of "dubious aesthetic quality"; he uncovers the remarkable range and versatility of the city's cinema. Teo focuses on international action stars such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan and directors like John Woo, Ringo Lam, and Tsui Hark, while also covering the industry's forays into melodrama, horror, comedy, social realism, the crime film, and other genres. His descriptions of the industry's ethics are very powerful, even when he covers action movies: "More than any other cinema, the Hong Kong cinema takes to heart the adage that old warriors never die: they fade away and reappear, some taking the call to arms literally by using their fists as kung fu warriors. Others fence their way to a last moment of glory as expert swordsmen and women before the sword is sheathed and the scabbard hung up." --Raphael Shargel

Book Description

This is the first full-length, English-language study of one of the world's most exciting and innovative cinemas. Covering a period from 1909 to the "end of Hong Kong Cinema" in the present day, this unique book is packed with information about the films, the studios, the personalities, and the contexts that have shaped a cinema famous for its energy and style.
Hong Kong Cinema enhances our understanding and enjoyment of the films of such legendary figures as King Hu, Bruce Lee, and Jackie Chan, moving up to date with the work of John Woo and the directors of the various "New Waves."

Customer Reviews:

Best book on the subject that I've read.......2005-01-08

If you're looking for true insight into the development of Hong Kong cinema, be sure to check out this informative yet entertaining work. While some other books on HK cinema are all flash and recommend the same few titles over and over, this book looks far beyond the surface. I found myself reaching to re-read sections over and over after viewing different films, wanting to refresh my memory on the stories behing their directors, stars, and genres as a whole.

Definitely recommended for those seriously interested in improving their appreciation of Hong Kong cinema.

no other book like this in english.......1999-08-23

While there have been tons of books on HK cinema, they mostly touch on the popular movies, directors and stars. You hear of John Woo, Jackie Chan, Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam etc etc. But there are next to none, if any, on the history of HK cinema in English. This book is an essential read if one wants to know more about the political and cultural events that shaped HK cinema. Thankfully it isn't only just essential and informative, it also manages to be enjoyable.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books