Destination: China
Books: The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester
Red Azalea, Empress Orchid, The Last Empress, and Becoming Madame Mao, all by Anchee Min
A Guest Post by Betsy Bolding
I traveled to Hong Kong both before and after the English surrendered the territory to China. It is a magic place where skyscrapers spread neon light like peacock feathers in the night sky, and the black waters of the bay show them off a second time.
I enjoyed my visit to Taiwan, which seemed more Chinese than Hong Kong, but I have not been to mainland China. Taiwan can be taken as China in miniature with a little of the landscape, some rural ambiance, a museum full of some of the best relics of China’s past, and bustling cities fighting pollution. It even has a miniature stage set of all the major sights of mainland China for tourists to wander through. However, if I ever get China on my schedule, I have some excellent reading suggestions to add to the traveler’s library from my good friend Betsy.
For what Betsy calls an “interesting intro” to China, she read The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester, a well-known writer of travel literature. The sub-title, “The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom” does not seem to shed much light on what is in the pages, but certainly adds intrigue. The paper back edition is due to be released at the end of April 2009 of this biography of Joseph Needham a scientist who explained China to the West in his 1956 book, Science and Civilization in China.
Betsy would recommend “for plane/bus reading during the trip, because of the references to so many of the traditional tourist sites: Last Empress (a novel about actual Empress Tsu Hsi late in life)by Anchee Min.” Min also wrote Empress Orchid (Tsu Hsi’s early life) and Red Azalea (the autobiography of Anchee Min in the time of the Red Guard), which Betsy had read before her trip. She liked all of these but says “Last Empress, I think, was the best if there’s just room for just one.” Ah, yes, the problem of carrying too many books!
“I had two along [by Anchee Min] and the second one by was Becoming Madame Mao which was also very interesting and shocking in a way.” This book details the rise to power of a actress who becomes the wife of Mao Zeduong, and an power for evil in China.
Reviewers warn that Anchee Min takes liberties with the truth, so these are not good historic records, however, note that Betsy is recommending them because they are set in places that the traveler is likely to visit. The power of place and strength of interesting characters trumps historical fact.
Betsy sums up the appeal as follows, “In both Lost Empress and Becoming Madame Mao, the central figures retell/revise history through their own eyes and oftentimes ignore their detractors and dismiss the way that “history” portrays them. Both women are uncharacteristically ambitious for females at the time. And while each of these extraordinary women enjoys periods of great success and popularity, they also endure humiliation and enormous sadness as their lives unfold. And in very different ways, they each use their intellect, creativity and feminine wiles to manage the highs and the lows in their lives.”
Would you agree with Betsy’s choices? What are your favorite books for the China traveler?
Tags: China, Chinese, Empress, guest post, Madame Mao, Simon Winchester
