Book of the Day: The Hunger Games Chinese

The Hunger Games ChineseThe Hunger Games by  Suzanne Collins is a gripping read and the first in the trilogy of books. There was recently a popular movie produced of this book. Through reading The Hunger Games in Chinese you can improve your Chinese language skills as well as reading for pleasure. The Hunger Games is a publishing phenomenon similar to Twilight and has attracted readers all over the world. We at Chinese Bookstore are one of the few places in the English speaking world to sell the Hunger Games in Chinese.

The Hunger Games tells the story of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a world in the country of Panem (which used to be North America). The Capitol (the city at the centre of her universe) holds the Hunger Games annually to discourage people from rebelling against their power.

One boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 from each of the 12 districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle until only one person is left.

Although The Hunger Games is designed for teenage readers, it may not be suitable for some readers due to the levels of violence included. The Hunger Games is a gripping battle for survival.

We are also selling the other books by Suzanne Collins in our Chinese bookstore.

Ghost Blows Out The Light – popular Chinese fantasy

Ghost Blows Out The Light - Gui Chui DengAlso known by its Chinese name, Guǐ Chuī Dēng (鬼吹灯), Ghost Blows Out The Light is a series of fantasy novels that have achieved incredible success in Mainland China. Following the story of a tomb raider, the eight installments of the series were first published in 2006.

Set in the 1980s, the story follows a retired soldier and his friend who team up to raid tombs. Their antics lead them around China, uncovering secrets, myths and legends held in the ancient tombs and, eventually, a terrible curse. Later, they meet a team of archaeologists and an American, who helps them solve the secrets and mysteries that release them from the curse.

The book’s rather unusual name is drawn from an ancient Chinese tomb raiders’ myth that states: “A human lights the candle and the ghosts blow it out.” According to the author, tomb raiders would thus place a candle in the southeast corner of the tomb. If the candle’s flame was extinguished on its own, it was a sign that the tomb’s resident was unhappy with their presence and all of the artifacts must be returned to their rightful places.

The series is praised for its creativity and the way it brings together Chinese historical themes and myths in  Western-style entertainment. The author, Zhang Muye, wrote the book during quiet mornings at his office, where he works in finance. Gui Chui Deng has been compared to popular Western movies like The Mummy, Tomb Raider and National Treasure for its sense of adventure combined with historical facts. Read the rest of this entry »

The Tibet Code: a Chinese bestseller

The Tibet Code

Photo: Creative Commons/Göran (Kartläsarn)

The Tibet Code is one of the most popular works of Chinese fiction of recent times. The book follows the story of Qiang Ba, an expert on the prized breed of dog, the Tibetan mastiff, searching for ancient Buddhist treasure. Qiang and his mentor, Fang Xin, after receiving a mysterious letter containing photos of the prized dogs. Their search leads them into the wilds of Tibet, where they of course uncover much more than just a dog.

Although title of The Tibet Code is an obvious nod to a certain American bestseller, the book is arguable more historically accurate and interesting and bears little resemblance to Dan Brown’s work. The sweeping landscapes, continuous intrigue and historical detail contained in the book make it true page-turner that’s hard to put down. Read the rest of this entry »

Unpacking the Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Romance of the Three Kingdoms“It is a general truism of this world that anything long divided will surely unite, and anything long united will surely divide” (話說天下大勢,分久必合,合久必分).

These lines open the epic historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of the Four Great Novels of Chinese literature. It is a book that offers incredibly (though perhaps not succinct) insight into the Chinese view of the world, especially history, as the above quote suggests.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms was written in the 1300s by Luo Guanzhong, who is also often attributed with Outlaws of the Marsh, another of the Four Great Novels.

Set in the 2nd and 3rd centuries in China, Romance of the Three Kingdoms chronicles the rough end of the dynasty. It follows the struggles and battles of warlords and nobles as they fought to maintain or gain power. Eventually, three main families come into play, and these become the Wu, Shu and Wei states, ushering in the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. Read the rest of this entry »

Book of the Day: Origins of Chinese Art and Craft

AsiaPac's Origins of Chinese Art & CraftAsiaPac’s Origins of Chinese Art & Craft illustrated by Fu Chunjiang is a visual interpretation of the origins of Chinese arts and crafts.

The Chinese have made great contributions to world culture in fields such as the making of silk and porcelain. This book will provide the details and the many stories related to their origins.

Besides silk and porcelain, the Chinese have also excelled and have been peerless in bronzeware, paper cuts, jade carving, embroidery and face masks.

Find out these interesting details:
* The Silk Route as well as the Pottery and Porcelain Route of old China.
* The multitude of Chinese characters and idioms related to jade.
* The significance of the Qin bronze artefacts unearthed at Lingtong, Shaanxi Province.

This book will give you a quick introduction to these works of art with its vivid illustrations and accessible text and cartoons.

Book of the Day: Tsai Chih Chung’s Records of the Historian

AsiaPac's  Tsai Chih Chung Records of the HistorianAsiapac’s Records of the Historian adapted by the cartoonist Tsai Chih Chung helps Western readers to understand the history in the Warring States period in a fun and accessible way.

Records of the Historian, written by Sima Qian of the Han Dynasty, provides a realistic picture of many different historical figures and aspects of Han society. In this book, Tsai has illustrated the life and characteristics of the Four Lords of the Warring States. We also have lots of other books by Tsai Chih Chung in both English and Chinese.

Chinese bookstore has books written in both English and Chinese. Our English books enable customers who don’t read Chinese to understand more about Chinese culture and literature.

Book of the Day: Origins of Chinese Names

AsiaPac's The Origin of Chinese NamesAsiapac’s the origins of Chinese names helps Western readers to understand some of the meaning behind Chinese names.

Chinese names are rich in meaning and reflect the history, culture and aspirations of one of the world’s oldest civilisations. Such names come in many forms and while they may seem bewildering to the uninitiated, there is usually logic behind the naming process. This book aims to enlighten you on how Chinese names come about.

As you dip into the pages, you will find out the origins of 100 Chinese family names, and understand how names are chosen. It may fascinate you to know that Chinese family names have a history of five or six thousand years, whilst given names are not chosen randomly but reflect the customs and beliefs of the times.

As the book covers the entire span of recorded Chinese history from the past to the present, you will find it an eye-opener as a reference manual and a delightful source of little-known facts..

Chinese bookstore has books written in both English and Chinese. Our English books enable customers who don’t read Chinese to understand more about Chinese culture and literature.

Chinese Book of the Day: A Fox Hunts a Hunter

Jin Jin's A Fox Hunts a Hunter in Chinese characters

Jin Jin’s A Fox Hunts a Hunter is a story which is a kind of modern folk tale. It is said that in Dingtian mountain there was a wolf with three eyes, four ears and five legs. On hearing this, a cunning fox was very happy and disguised himself as that strange-looking wolf and swaggered to the young hunter’s home and extorted the shotgun from the trembling hunter and the story unfolds…. This book is a lovely book which is very portable(dimensions of 19cm x 13cm).

Chinese books has many other books written in Chinese so that you can appreciate them in the original language in which they were written.

Chinese book of the Day: Confucius by Kong Xuelin

Confucius by Kong Xuelin in English

Chen Li’s Kong Xuelin’s Confucius is a great English book which provides both an interesting biography of Confucius’s life as well as an examination of the work and famous of saying of Confucius(such as Lunyu / The Analects). Kong Xuelin is a direct descendant of Confucius so he is best placed to write this book.

Chinese bookstore has many other books written about China in English so that you can learn more about Chinese culture. We also have lots of books in Chinese and for people learning Chinese.