Why should I join?
More and more Chinese books are translated into English (and other languages) and wouldn't it be nifty to read more about the mysterious Far East? But seriously, it's always nice to read something new. Also, did I mention there will be prizes?
What is the duration of the challenge?
The challenge will start and end on Chinese New Year, which means it will run from February 3rd 2011 to January 23rd 2012. You can however join in anytime.
What do you mean by Chinese literature?
Books either written by a Chinese author or books about China (incl. Hongkong and Macau) or Taiwan.
What are the requirements for participating in this challenge?
You have to read at least one book and write a review about it. If you don't have a blog, it's also fine to post your review on Goodreads or Librarything.
There are four levels of participation (no need to set one beforehand):
Merchant: 1-3 books
Artisan: 4-6 books
Farmer: 7-9 books
Scholar: 10+ books
What kind of books can I read?
Any genre, in any format (audiobook/e-book/paper) in any language. Also, re-reads are allowed.
Can I combine with other challenges?
Sure! You could, for example, combine this challenge with the East and Southeast Asia challenge hosted by VioletCrush. But anything goes.
Do you have a list of books I can choose from?
With the much-appreciated help of Vishy I have managed to compile the list below, by as many different authors as possible. It is, of course, far from complete. You are encouraged to find books that are not listed. Feel free to contact me if you have suggestions for this list or if you need more suggestions from me.
THE FOUR CLASSICS
Journey to the West / Monkey
Water Margin / Outlaws of the Marsh
Romance of the Three Kingdoms - LUO Guanzhong
Dream of the Red Chamber / The Story of the Stone - Cao Xueqin
OTHER CLASSICS
The Plum in the Golden Vase / The Golden Lotus (translation hard to find)
Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio - Songling PU
The Analects - Confucius
The Art of War - SUN Tzu
Romance of the Western Chamber - WANG Shifu
The Peony Pavilion - TANG Xianzu
The Scholars - WU Jingzi
The Palace of Eternal Youth - HONG Sheng
The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants
CHINA
Wolf Totem - Jiang Rong
Teahouse - Lao She
Falling Leaves - Adeline Yen MAH
The Shop of the Lin Family and Spring Silkworms - Mao Dun
The True Story of Ah Q - Lu Xun
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China - CHENG Jung
Lust, Caution (and other stories) - CHANG Eileen
Shanghai Baby - (ZHOU) Weihui
Waiting - JIN Ha
Song of Everlasting Sorrow - WANG Anyi
Sky Burial - (XUE) Xinran
Village of Stone - GUO Xiaolu
Bitter Winds - WU Harry
A Dictionary of Maqiao - HAN Shaogong
Candy - Mian Mian
Red Sorghum - MO Yan
Beijing Coma - MA Jian
Brothers - YU Hua
Fortress Besieged - QIAN Zhongshu
Nanjing 1937: A Love Story - YE Zhaoyan
TAIWAN
Running Mother and Other Stories - GUO Songfen
Orphan of Asia - WU Zhuoli
The Taste of Apples - HUANG Chunming
Rose, Rose, I Love You - WANG Zhenhe
A Thousand Moons on a Thousand Rivers - HSIAO Li-Hung
My South Seas Sleeping Beauty - ZHANG Guixing
The Old Capital: A Novel of Taipei - CHU T'ien-hsin
Three-Legged Horse - CHENG Ch'ing-wen
Notes of a Desolate Man - CHU T'ien-Wen
Wild Kids: Two Novels About Growing Up - ChANG Ta-chun
Wintry Night - LI Qiao
HONGKONG
Farewell My Concubine - Lilian Lee
OVERSEAS CHINESE ET AL.
The Lily Theatre - Lulu WANG
The Joy Luck Club - Amy TAN
A Many Splendoured Thing - HAN Suyin
CRIME FICTION
Death of a Red Heroine - Qiu Xiaolong
Don Quixote in China (In Search of Peach Blossom Spring) - Dean Barrett
Judge Dee detective series - Robert van Gulik
MARTIAL ARTS
The Book and the Sword - Louis Cha (also called as Jin Yong)
The Deer and the Cauldron - Louis Cha (also called as Jin Yong)
GRAPHIC NOVELS
American Born Chinese - Gene Luen Yang
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (graphic novel version) (adapted by Zhang Qirong, published by Asiapac books)
NOVELS BY WESTERN AUTHORS
The World of Suzie Wong - Richard Mason
Shanghai - Christopher New
TRAVELOGUE
Red Dust: A Path through China - Ma Jian
MEMOIR
River Town - Peter Hessler
Mr.China: A Memoir - Tim Clissold
HISTORY
Shanghai 1842 - 1949: The rise and fall of a decadent city - Stella Dong
China: A History - John Keay
The Dynasties of China: A History - Bamber Gascoigne
Sounds like fun! How do I sign up?
It's all about having fun ;) You can sign up by using Mr. Linky here.
