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Book List

Stranger Than Life

Stranger Than Life

We recommend five Chinese-language books that draw on real-life experiences, from an LGBTQ short story collection to a reality-TV inspired novel.
Changing China

Changing China

Five new books deal with efforts to transform China: from the conquests of the Warring States to nationalist internet fantasies, all the way to campaigns...
Human Literature

Human Literature

In the age of artificial intelligence, with publishers turning to AI translation tools, it is more meaningful than ever to read human translations of literature....
Resolute Reading for 2026

Resolute Reading for 2026

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...
New Fiction from China

New Fiction from China

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...
Books from the Sinosphere

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.
The Rise of Amateur Writing

The Rise of Amateur Writing

After a plagiarism scandal upended China’s literati, a spate of bestselling books published by amateur writers has changed what Chinese readers consider as literature.
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15 Oct, 6:30-8pm; Asia Society, NYC

Panel: China's Psychological Scars

Join us for a panel discussion with Jianying Zha, Li Yuan and Orville Schell, on occasion of the publication of his book "Inside China's Secret Prisons," that examines how China's turbulent political history has shaped the way Chinese people understand authority, each other, and themselves. Use code CBR15 for half-price tickets, as a China Books Review reader.
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