Japanese coastal emplacements in the area where an American invasion was scheduled.

This audacious and illuminating memoir by Richard Baum, a senior China scholar and sometime policy advisor, reflects on forty years of learning about and interacting with the People’s Republic of China, from the height of Maoism during the author’s UC Berkeley student days in the volatile 1960s through globalization. Anecdotes from Baum’s professional life illustrate the alternately peculiar, frustrating, fascinating, and risky activity of China watching — the process by which outsiders gather and decipher official and unofficial information to figure out what’s really going on behind China’s veil of political secrecy and propaganda. Baum writes entertainingly, telling his narrative with witty stories about people, places, and eras. China Watcher will appeal to scholars and followers of international events who lived through the era of profound political and academic change described in the book, as well as to younger, post-Mao generations, who will enjoy its descriptions of the personalities and political forces that shaped the modern field of China studies.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

The bestselling Journey to the West comic book by artist Chang Boon Kiat is now back in a brand new fully coloured edition. Journey to the West is one of the greatest classics in Chinese literature. It tells the epic tale of the monk Xuanzang who journeys to the West in search of the Buddhist sutras with his disciples, Sun Wukong, Sandy and Pigsy. Along the way, Xuanzang's life was threatened by the diabolical White Bone Spirit, the menacing Red Child and his fearsome parents and, a host of evil spirits who sought to devour Xuanzang's flesh to attain immortality. Bear witness to the formidable Sun Wukong's (Monkey God) prowess as he takes them on, using his Fiery Eyes, Golden Cudgel, Somersault Cloud, and quick wits! Be prepared for a galloping read that will leave you breathless!

A Compelling Journey from Peking to Washington follows the life of Chi Wang. We are first introduced to Wang as a young child fleeing with his family through China from encroaching Japanese forces. We see the ravages of the Sino-Japanese war from the eyes of someone who lived through it, only to have the post-war peace quickly overshadowed by a growing civil war between the Nationalists and Communists. During this tumultuous period, Wang’s father served as an important Nationalist general, allowing a deeper picture of these conflicts to emerge. Wang then decides to leave China for the United States just before the People’s Republic of China is formed. His new life in America begins as the China he grew up in is changed forever. As Wang adapts to living in America, he also has to come to terms with the increasing distance from his homeland due to the ongoing Cold War. He yearns to stay connected with the land where his family still lives while giving back to his adopted home. He accomplishes this through a long career where he is actively involved in fostering US-China understanding and educational exchanges. Through Chi Wang's experiences and memories, readers will also gain insight into key developments in U.S.-China relations from someone who saw them unfold. Some of the major highlights of his career include a groundbreaking trip to China on behalf of the US State Department in 1972, shortly after Nixon’s own trip; nearly fifty years working at the US Library of Congress where he became the head of the Chinese and Korean Section, successfully growing its collection from 300,000 volumes to over one million; and the founding of the US-China Policy Foundation in 1995. The first edition of this memoir was awarded the Chinese American Librarian Association (CALA)'s Best Book Award in 2011.

In this thrilling road trip from Peking to Paris, a woman tries to save her car, her marriage, and her confidence from breaking...

A protrayal of the geographical and human diversity of China.