This page lists our editors’ picks of new China books, defined as any English-language book on or from China that was published in the last year, and which we see as having special value that adds to the conversation. We update this list on a quarterly basis, and regularly refresh categories. If you believe we have missed a book, please check first if it is included on our list of recent China books. Please note that editorial selections are not intended as an authoritative judgment, merely as recommendations of titles that readers may enjoy. Blurbs by Taili Ni, Olivia Bennett and Kaitlyn Wells.
New nonfiction
Party of One
The Rise of Xi Jinping and China's Superpower Future
Chun Han Wong
A journalistic work that narrates and analyzes the rise of Xi Jinping and China's superpower future
Buy
Beijing Rules
How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World
Bethany Allen
Nonfiction revealing the ways in which China has strategically wielded its economic power to assert dominance on the global stage
Buy
The Peking Express
The Bandits Who Stole a Train, Stunned the West, and Broke the Republic of China
James Zimmerman
A true story that follows a group of bandits who stole a train, shocked the West, and disrupted the Republic of China
Buy
Invitation to a Banquet
The Story of Chinese Food
Fuchsia Dunlop
An exploration of the history, cultural significance and irresistible flavors that define Chinese cuisine, by a chef trained in Sichuan province
BuyNew memoirs
Waiting to Be Arrested at Night
A Uyghur Poet's Memoir of China's Genocide
Tahir Hamut Izgil
A memoir providing a firsthand account of the Uyghur community's suffering and persecution in China
Buy
A Stone Is Most Precious Where it Belongs
A Memoir of Uyghur Exile, Hope, and Survival
Gulchehra Hoja
A memoir that gives insight into the lives of Uyghurs as their culture is systematically destroyed in China
Buy
The Dean of Shandong
Confessions of a Minor Bureaucrat at a Chinese University
Daniel A. Bell
A personal account of Chinese academia and what it reveals about China’s political system
BuyNew biographies
I Have No Enemies
The Life and Legacy of Liu Xiaobo
Perry Link, Wu Dazhi
A biography that delves into the remarkable life and enduring legacy of Liu Xiaobo, providing profound insights into his contributions and the struggles he faced
Buy
Victorious in Defeat
The Life and Times of Chiang Kai-shek
Alexander V. Pantsov, trans. Steven I. Levine
A biography of Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek, one of the 20th century’s most powerful and controversial figures
Buy
Chinese Dreams in Romantic England
The life and times of Thomas Manning
Edward Weech
A biography that details the extraordinary life of an Englishman who traversed Eurasia to study Chinese language and culture at the turn of the 19th century
Buy
Creators of Modern China
100 Lives from Empire to Republic, 1796-1912
Ed. Jessica Harrison-Hall, Julia Lovell
Nonfiction that unveils the lives of 100 influential individuals who shaped the transition from empire to republic in China
Buy
Chen Hansheng
China’s Last Romantic Revolutionary
Stephen R. MacKinnon
A portrait of Chen Hansheng, a pioneer of modern Chinese social science and political operative
BuyNew economics/business books
Mao and Markets
The Communist Roots of Chinese Enterprise
Christopher Marquis, Kunyuan Qiao
A narrative that reconciles the contradiction between China's open market system and the lasting influence of Maoist ideology and institutions
Buy
Sovereign Funds
How the Communist Party of China Finances Its Global Ambitions
Zongyuan Zoe Liu
An in-depth analysis that reveals how the Chinese Communist Party strategically uses sovereign funds to fuel its global ambitions
Buy
Money Machine
A Trailblazing American Venture in China
Weijian Shan
The chronicle of a groundbreaking American venture in China that reshaped its economic landscape and business relations
Buy
The New China Playbook
Beyond Socialism and Capitalism
Keyu Jin
An analysis of socialism and capitalism, providing a fresh perspective on China's evolving economic and political landscape
Buy
Xiconomics
What China's Dual Circulation Strategy Means for Global Business
Andrew Cainey, Christiane Prange
An explanation of China's politicized economic and business environment, and what foreign companies need to do to manage China business
BuyNew academic books
The Rise and Fall of the EAST
How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline
Yasheng Huang
A history of China’s relationship between stability, diversity and prosperity, and how its current leadership threatens this delicate balance
Buy
Life and Afterlife in Ancient China
Jessica Rawson
A history of ancient China told through the prism of a dozen extraordinary tombs
Buy
At the Frontier of God’s Empire
A Missionary Odyssey in Modern China
Ji Li
A recounting of the missionary journey in modern China, examining Chinese people at social and cultural margins
Buy
Scents of China
A Modern History of Smell
Xuelei Huang
An exploration of the olfactory dimensions of modern Chinese history, delving into the smells that permeated Chinese life from the high Qing to the Mao era
Buy
A Modern History of China’s Art Market
Kejia Wu
A history that provides a comprehensive exploration of the development and evolution of China's art market
Buy