New China Books: Resolute Reading
Resolving to read more in 2026? We have you covered with five recommendations, from an essay collection of Tibet to a colloquial history of China’s...
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Nan Z. Da and Stephen Greenblatt on Shakespeare and Mao
Two literary scholars explain what Shakespeare can tell us about China under Mao, and the nature of tyranny, in a China Books Review event at...
Chinese Horror with Xueting C. Ni
Horror writing has an unsavory reputation in China, but comes with a long history and is full of biting social commentary. The translator of a...
Best China Books of 2025
Identity issues. Migrant stories. Company profiles. Lost daughters. Daddy issues. Our annual round-up of notable books on or from China, nonfiction and literature, nominated by...
Donate to CBR and Receive Our Yearbook!
Support our work at China Books Review by giving a tax-deductible donation this giving season — we'll send you a complimentary issue of our printed...
Logging Unpaid Hours
When a state-run sawmill from the Mao era privatized and eventually closed, its female workers were denied fair compensation. Its story doubles as an alternate...
Translated Chinese Literature: New Fiction
2025 has seen a bumper crop for Chinese literature in translation. We recommend five recent titles, from gritty tales of the northeast to conjoined fiction...
Jung Chang: A Grande Dame of China Writing
The author of “Wild Swans” and its new sequel made her name by introducing China to readers through personal history — but her later biographies...
Ep. 27: Sex, Scams and Sorcery with Bruce Rusk and Christopher Rea
Tales of trickery were popular in the late Ming dynasty. The translators of a new collection explain how they still resonate today.
The Revolution Will Be Illustrated
In a graphic novel depicting a dystopian future Hong Kong, three former democracy activists struggle to come to terms with a dark new reality.
What China’s Reading: Books from the Sinosphere
Five new reads from the wider world of sinophone literature, including a Taiwanese book on Covid quarantine and a Malaysian-Chinese memoir of loss.
Sins of the Father
Xi Zhongxun, one of China’s early communist revolutionaries, tried to balance reformist instincts with loyalty to the Party. His failure left an indelible mark on...
