Books for/about - chinese

The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun

Publisher: Monarch Books
Authors: Paul Hattaway

ISBN: 082546207X
List Price: $15.99
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 3
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Summary: Highly questionable account
While this book was inspiring in many ways, it is also shot through with theological error. The lack of critical review of this book by the Christian Booksellers Convention (who named it Book of the Year), and those who have posted glowing reviews here demonstrate just how undiscerning the Christian church can be.

This is not to say it's a totally bad book: It has many strong points. But despite the many powerful things God is doing in China, I'm deeply concerned that new believers will fall away from the faith when they fail to be discipled with sound doctrine, and then subsequently notice that the incredible events described in this book are NOT happening to them or anyone they know personally.

The Chinese church (indeed the entire body of Christ) needs to be focused on God and His Word, not charismatic experiences and subjective visions, few of which can be independently confirmed. Yun claims to have this in mind, but his story puts so much emphasis on his experiences that it is hard to believe he takes his own exhortation seriously.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but somebody needs to put things in their proper perspective.

Stay true to the Word!
In His Name!

RB

Summary: Not a Theology Book but a Deeply Moving Story
This searing testimony of one man's experience of persecution for his decisions to be part of the underground Christian movement in China is likely the most moving and unusual you will ever read. In fact, the account is virtually impossible in the natural to have happened so it must be taken as a testimony of supernatural intervention and protection. Make no mistake, the central figure plainly makes it clear this is not a book on theology (he gives examples late in the book) rather an account of his experiences. For some, this may be a weakness of the book (it was for me in some way). But by the time you finish the almost 350 pages you have had a rich journey into the mind and mentality of Brother Yun, whether you always agree with him or not. You have to admire and respect his tenacity and committment. My favourite part of the book was at the end when he addresses the West and the state of Christian faith in the West. For me it was accurate and worth the entire read. His wife's and family's willingness to stay with him after all his ordeal is as much of a tribute to their Christianity as his, if not more. This book is one of a kind and for anyone wishing to know from the inside the goings on of the underground Christian faith in Asia and how they think and practice their beliefs. It will challenge you to examine and reflect on how you are living your faith, whatever level your faith is.

Summary: humbling
I have only just read portions of this book with another book that has the same author with others but involves the entire church in China called "Back to Jerusalem". A very humbling book, showing what true faith in Jesus is, even through horrible circumstances, and coming through it stronger in Christ. What a sham our Westernized faith is in comparison. May I be faithful through His grace when the persecution comes. I highly recommend this book.

Summary:

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A Manual of Acupuncture

Publisher: Journal of Chinese Medicine
Authors: Peter Deadman Kevin Baker Mazin Al-Khafaji

ISBN: 0951054678
List Price: $140.00
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: THE Book.
First and foremost, one cannot emphasize enough that this book is NOT for the absolute beginner. It helps a lot to actually have some background in Chinese medicine before attempting to probe the mysteries in this tome. The sheer volume of information available was admittedly overwhelming to me, at first.

That set aside, I cannot help but wonder at the effort put into this book. Not only does it provide clear and concise location "blueprints" for the points, meridians, cutaneous regions and muscular regions, but it also provides practical locating tips.

In addition, it provides the Chinese characters for the point names alongside explanations for the names that actually enabled me, personally, to understand and memorize the points better. Included with each point is a list of indications from various classical sources such as the Thousand Ducat Formulas and Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion.

If that isn't enough, the appendices are also quite useful. The book has charts of significant acupuncture points (with corresponding location directions) arranged by body region. There is also a separate index listing all the indications quoted in the main text.

While I still have much to explore in this wonderful text, I believe I have used it enough in my personal journey through Chinese Medicine to be able to say: Bravo!

Summary: Ginormous
This tome is huge and full of great info for the practicing acupunturist and layman alike. Being the latter its size is a bit intimidating but well worth the money and time to read through. I also purchased the excellent flash cards by the same publisher.

Summary: My fave acupuncture book, one of my favorite Paperweights
Really a phenomenal book- the best, most complete, and authoritative book on acupuncture for students and practitioners.

If you're a regular person, though, don't expect to be able to use this info - it's for professionals.

My favorite things about it are the anatomical point location drawings, and the references to Chinese classic acupuncture texts. Since not all of these texts have been translated into English, this is a treasure.

Besides that, it has other uses:

My desk from IKEA isn't too sturdy. The place you put the keyboard has a pad for the butt of your palms (ergonomic, but not really), but that part is attached by hinges (because it's so important to hide the keyboard when you're not using it) and I put a lot of weight there, and today the second of its three hinges broke. It just hung there looking stupid. It seemed to be saying, "See, wasn't it worth it to spend three hours lost in IKEA wandering around looking for the checkout, grunting me into the car, putting me together, then dissembling me and moving me across town to your new house, and reassembling me?"

My wife and I determined that screwing door jam deadbolt lock hole covers across the space would be the ideal engineering solution. But to drill into it, I needed a solid surface beneath it. I placed atop my chair seat a hefty trinity of Harrison's, A Manual of Acupuncture, and A Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine, plus the more slim Dao of Chinese Medicine to create a firm work table. With the help of those books and their authors, I was able to fix my desk, and now I obviously am able to work again. In fact, I spent more time writing this review than fixing my desk.

Thanks guys!

P.S. One more use you might consider for huge books like this: if you get papers wet, they tend to dry in a rippled shape. However, if you dry them off mostly, blow dry them a bit, and then stick them under a pile of huge heavy books, they'll dry mostly flat. Happy drying!

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	Chinese (Mandarin) I Publisher: Pimsleur Authors: Pimsleur Language Programs
ISBN: 0671790617 List Price: $345.00 Amazon Price: $217.35 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 4 Reviews: Summary: Needs an upgrade. Overall, Pimsleur does an excellent job teaching you some basic vocabulary, and the correct pronunciation of Mandarin, but that is as far as they go. Considering the price, it is not unreasonable to ask whether or not they are short-changing the customer. The upgrade that I would like to see, a text folder that provides the full vocabulary used in the program, preferably categorized both by lesson and alphabetically. Instead, I had to look up every single word in the Pocket Oxford Chinese Dictionary, which I quickly purchased after starting Pimsleur Mandarin I. Other than that, Pimsleur really does deliver the goods. :) Words and sentences are clearly translated, and broken down into syllables to help you with the pronunciation, a process repeated often enough to give you many opportunities to store both the meaning of the words and the correct pronunciation in your memory banks. The later I found a great relief as with me it really takes some time before a word sinks in since there is absolutely no familiarity between Mandarin and my native language. Unless you have a phenomenal memory and a real linguistic gift then you should be prepared to go over each half hour lesson at least three times. Less than that would not be realistic, i.e. the claim that you can go through a whole series of 30 lessons in one month by going over a lesson once a day belongs to the realm of fairy tales, again, unless you are part of the linguistically gifted among us. The question whether or not all that hard work would pay off was answered when I surprised my Chinese girlfriend by talking in mandarin to her. She laughed so hard that at first I feared that my pronunciation was ruining the language. "Is my pronunciation that bad?" Still laughing she replied," No, it is perfect, but its just so funny to hear a Westerner speak mandarin!" That to me testified of the quality of the Pimsleur course, and of the fact that the hard work really is worth it. The vocabulary is very basic, so do not expect wonders. Currently I am trying to expand my vocabulary by watching Mandarin spoken movies. I learned English and German as a child by watching English and German spoken movies, and I hope this method will prove to be just as educational with Mandarin. Therefore, maybe a method you might want to try out for yourself after you have gone over the three Mandarin Courses that Pimsleur offers. Besides the much needed text folder, an oversight that I hope Pimsleur will fix in the near future, I have nothing but praise for a job well done, and can only warmly recommend their Mandarin series. In fact, if Pimsleur ever releases Mandarin IV, and I can only hope they will soon do so, then I will certainly purchase it, again, a job well done! Summary: Best resource but do NOT use by itself. I started working on the Pimsleur series in preparation for a move to China. I finished the first series and most of the second by the time I got here, and have since finished the series. I think Pimsleur is a great resource. I basically agree with the five star reviews here. However I definitely think the positive reviews need a little qualification. Using exclusively Pimsleur would be foolish. While it's an excellent resource, there's too many gaps. Perhaps people reading this are thinking they merely want a casual acquaintance with Mandarin, and Pimsleur is enough to get by. Well I hate to say this, but getting through Pimselur Mandarin Series 3 is still not enough to have even a basic Chinese conversation in a real-life situation. There simply isn't enough listening comprehension, there isn't enough emphasis on common idiosyncracies to spoken Mandarin, and most of all, the vocabulary is too small. You'll be able to get your point across, perhaps, but what people say back to you will be completely incompehensible. I think this series is a useful resource in a larger effort to study the language. However anybody with any desire to converse in Chinese should also use a more traditional textbook - perhaps the old-school but excellent Practical Chinese Reader, although there's different books that would suit different needs. And at least occasional tutoring or classes wouldn't hurt, either. As a final comment, Pimsleur's pricing on this series strikes me as outrageous - at an hourly rate, a private tutor wouldn't be all that much more expensive. Summary: would've given it 5 stars if it had an accompanying book with it I would've given it 5 stars if it had an accompanying book with it, a book containing the pinyin spelling and Chinese characters of the words, phrases, and sentences contained in the auido CDs. But in addition to Mandarin language books, this program is great coz it'll really teach you how to correctly pronounce Chinese words and the native speakers repeat the learned words in such a way that it'll really stick to your head without boring you. The Pimsleur program has 30 lessons for each level and all 30 lessons are integrated in such a way that past learnings are still incorporated in the new lessons, that way you won't forget what you've learned even while you learn new stuff. This program is worth your money. Summary:

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The Chinese Century : The Rising Chinese Economy and Its Impact on the Global Economy, the Balance of Power, and Your Job

Publisher: Wharton School Publishing
Authors: Oded Shenkar

ISBN: 0131467484
List Price: $25.95
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: Thought Provoking Mandatory Reading, BUT a Few Questions
The main thought I kept having as I went through this book was that I'd like to go spend a few hours talking with Dr. Shenkar, perhaps over a couple of beers.

He presents here what I would consider to be the 'linear projection view' of what might happen in China. That is, he seems to think that the current trends in China, modified somewhat by Japanese history after the war, will continue through the next century. That is, he forecasts that China will be able to capitalize on cheap labor, millions of high-skilled professionals, and a friendly business environment to become a major if not dominant economic superpower during the next century. It's hard to argue with the points he makes for the near future. But to forecast that this will continue for a century is a pretty big step. A century is a long time.

Some points I'd like to discuss with Dr. Shenkar:

China's political future. China had a revolution in 1911 with Sun Yat-sen. Another revolution in the 1940's. They now have an authoritarian government that under the current leadership is open to foreigners and foreign trade. But this leadership is getting along in years. Who is to say that another leader couldn't emerge that would take us back to xenophobic days or even another 'Cultural revolution.' Who is to say that there won't be another armed revolution to throw over the current government and replace it with a military dictatorship or whatever.

Muslim influence (really difficulties) seems to be growing in China as it is in the rest of the world. Xinjiang province has some 23,000 mosques. The religious aspects of the Muslims is in direct contrast to that of the Communist government. Will the current state continue for a century? Considering the changes over the last century, I wonder.

Oil isn't mentioned in the book. China's exports to the United States are dependent on the low cost of transportation. A standard ocean shipping container costs about $3,000 to ship from China to the United States. Nearly every forecast says that by mid-century oil will be in very short supply. Suppose the cost of shipping a container is $30,000 or $50,000. How far does this go to offset the cost in US manufacture? Automobile manufacturing is mentioned a lot in the book. Apparently the Chinese government wants to move into manufacturing automobiles for export to the US. What happens to the automobile market when gasoline is $30 or $50 or more per gallon. This is the kind of problem that a centralized government can't handle well.

In short I find this book most interesting, well thought out, well written and almost mandatory reading for anyone thinking about business in the next century. But the conclusions he reaches are not necessarily the ones on which I'd bet the family farm.

Summary: China: The Next Japan... or the Next U.S.?
Barely thirteen years ago, Michael Crichton chose Japan's growing economic power as the subject of his thriller Rising Sun. What, besides Japan, could scare Americans as much as the raging dinosaurs of Crichton's previous book, Jurassic Park? But the sun failed to rise. Today, when Americans look East, it's China they're usually worrying about.

Will China ultimately become the next Japan, hobbled by internal weaknesses? Not likely, argues Oded Shenkar, author of Wharton School Publishing's latest book, The Chinese Century. Rather, China will leverage its growing advantages to redraw long-standing economic, political, and security arrangements-potentially to the West's great discomfiture.

China's size gives it crucial advantages over other emerging economies, writes Shenkar. Its enormous worker supply lets it keep moving up the technology scale without raising costs. Its huge markets allow it to drive hard bargains on technology transfer. It benefits from regional leadership, and a vibrant and entrepreneurial overseas community.

Local firms like TCL, Haier, and Lenovo-which just purchased IBM's PC business-are beginning to build solid global brands. Meanwhile, America's shift to Wal-Mart style discount retailing has been a perfect match for China's low cost structure and massive production capacity. Even China's physical and regulatory infrastructures are progressing, though China still hasn't cracked down on the massive intellectual property theft that's often substituted for innovation.

In short, when it comes to long-term global impact, Shenkar believes the best analogy isn't Japan (or India or Singapore): it's the U.S.'s emergence as a world economic power a century ago.

There's little encouragement here for American manufacturers. Some will survive by exploring product lines requiring specialized capabilities, or those where labor constitutes a small percentage of cost, or by moving upmarket. But the Chinese are automating and moving upmarket, too. Services may remain an option. In certain product categories, so does customization. But many companies will find themselves outsourcing everything-or simply exiting markets.

What are the broader economic implications of China's ascendancy? Shenkar outlines three conventional scenarios, finding flaws in each. He seems especially skeptical of the hopeful "soft landing" scenario, which posits a gradual decline in trade imbalances as China's costs rise and U.S. productivity accelerates.

While China is now the U.S.'s fastest growing export market, shrinking the trade deficit will require exports to keep rising 25% annually while import growth plummets below 10%. A soft landing assumes China will gradually change exchange rates, open markets, eliminate subsidies, and make a genuine effort to "buy American"-doubtful propositions, in Shenkar's view. It also assumes the U.S. will quickly climb to higher-end production, but "the US will not be the only nation trying to move up the ladder as a way of escaping vicious competition at the bottom... life at the top will get pretty crowded."

The Chinese Century is sobering, especially if you believe that economic power drives geopolitical and military power, too. But if you're determined to base your decisions on reality, it's a must-read.

Summary: Well read book
Very useful reading in my opinion. Scary in some ways, but real.

Summary:

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Mei Mei - Little Sister: Portraits from a Chinese Orphanage

Publisher: Chronicle Books
Authors: Richard Bowen Amy Tan Karin Evans

ISBN: 0811847349
List Price: $35.00
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Summary: Stunning photography
Amazing photos, important photos, and a wonderful treatment of a heart-breaking subject. This book should be read by everyone.

Summary: Beautiful, beautiful book on an important subject...
If you have a child from China, if you are interested in China, or if you just love good photography, this book is for you. What I liked best about it is that it captures, in black and white, the expressions of all sorts of children at SWIs-young girls and boys, children with medical issues, older children. And the expressions are so poignant-giggling, crying, looking scared (many), looking solemn,looking impish or happily playing dress up. If you ever need a boost during the long and sometimes frustrating adoption process or are questioning just why you are adopting, just thumb through the pages and look into the eyes of these lovely children. Kudos to photographer Richard Bowen and the Half the Sky Foundation for this terrific and important addition.

Summary: Amazing book that you will cherish!
I have purchased three copies of this book - my daughter is adopted and was supported by Half the Sky but you don't need either connection to appreciate the incredible photography and haunting, touching, straight to your soul photos in this gorgeous book. The photos are all black and white with very simple backdrops and incredible focus on detail, showing the children of China's orphanages as people with individual emotions. Every single photo is a new story told through the eyes of each child.

By far a book I will treasure forever.

Summary:

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	Behind the Wheel Chinese (Mandarin), Level 1: Learn to Speak Mandarin Chinese Quickly and Easily! (8 One Hour CDs) Publisher: Language Dynamics Inc. Authors: Mark Frobose
ISBN: 1893564452 List Price: $69.00 Amazon Price: $58.65 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: At Last * An Original and Effective Method I can always spot a phony review planted by a competitor. They always speak with total authority like the voice of God himself and state 'You will or you will not learn from this course'. I say baloney to all that. Unlike such reviewers (see below) I personally prefer a course that avoids all the canned and clich� material that has plagued language courses and instruction since the 60's. I can still remember my Junior High French teacher. 'Now kids, we're going to learn all about the beach'. She would then launch into a totally phony beach vocabulary scene that was out of context and taught us nothing. Thank God 'Behind the Wheel Chinese' stepped out of that clich� mode and into the real world. With this course you learn to speak your own mind in Mandarin Chinese, and fast. You are not led through the stale and boring categories that will limit you only to a few basics in the language. On the contrary. With this course you will actually learn to speak 'real' and authentic Chinese. You will learn to speak like the natives using natural vocabulary and sentence formations. Both native speakers on the CDs are native Mandarin speakers from China and both teach at American universities. The content is 'realistic' and versatile. You will be amazed as I was at how quickly you will be able to speak with native Mandarin speakers in their own language and have them understand you and you them. Don't miss out on this opportunity and don't listen to the fake reviews. Try this course. If you don't like it as much as I did, then return it. I'm sure you'll be delighted with it. Summary: Waste of money I never leave reviews but just had to after I received this product. For someone learning Chinese, this is a waste of money. There is no logical order to the phrases. Most Chinese CDs are set up by category - Greetings, Shopping, Food, Etc...This one is all over the place. And the meaning of the various words isn't broken down. So, sure I can hear them say a sentence and repeat it but I don't know which word has which meaning. I have taken several Chinese classes and thought this would be a supplement. Not at all. It is one of those products that I wish I still had my receipt for so I could return it. But I am hoping this review will save others money. Summary: Had Me Speaking Mandarin in 15 Minutes I'm going to take a few minutes out of my busy holiday schedule to report the results I am getting from Behind the Wheel Chinese (Mandarin) from Language Dynamics. I am always thrilled when I find something that actually works. And this course actually works better than expected. It had me speaking short sentences in Mandarin (and get this) that I was able to manipulate myself (to a point). In other words, I wasn't just 'parroting' the phrases. I learned in the first half hour how to say 'I want' and 'I like' and several verbs that I can now combine at will. In a half hour and for only a few bucks? Come on. This is the bargain of the century. Summary:

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Healing with Ki-Kou: The Secrets of Ancient Chinese Breathing Techniques, Second Edition

Publisher: Agora Health Books
Authors: Li Xiuling

ISBN: 1891434179
List Price: $29.95
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: Actually works.
Was somewhat leary at first, decided to give it a go.

Tried three of the breathing techniques so far, pleased with results. Hard to understand how just breathing properly can change things. The one for fatigue (page 101) is wonderful. Just follow the instructions in the book ( takes a bit of practice to get it right)and it will work. Highly recommend it.

Summary: Healing Secrets
Healing with Ki-Kou is another piece in the puzzle for me. Breathing techniques work wonders and this book is chock full. Highly recomended for the health concious.

Summary: Healing with Ki-Kou
This book reads like a very lazy translation from Chinese by someone who has not grasped the subtleties of the English language.

Insufficient and unclear details of the various exercises. Disappointing.

Summary:

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Chinese Medical Herbology & Pharmacology

Publisher: Art of Medicine Press
Authors: John K. Chen Tina T. Chen

ISBN: 0974063509
List Price: $89.95
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Summary: Chen's Medical Herbology and Pharmacology
This is a modern pharmacology text on herbs and prescriptions. Unlike some older texts this fine reference book includes many features not found elsewhere. It includes photographic pictures of each herb and provides in both simplified and tradtional Chinese characters. The chemical composition is badly needed as both modern pharmacists and patients alike need to know what they are dealing with, other than just exotic PinYin names. The pharmacological interactions and author's comments are also welcomed as the effectiveness from modern clinical studies are required in any modern medical book. The only inconvenience I found is that the constant use of this 1200+ page book caused sore on my thumb and fingers. As more and more updates are added, frequent users would prefer a digital source (e.g., XHTML, XML etc) to get the latest update. The advantage of hypertext will allow one to navigate quickly with the click of a mouse without having to flip through pages or using indices. At present, 23% of medical professionals are now using an online source and it is expected more and more will do so to stay current. In sum, this is a highly useful book which will get to its place. Reviwed by Sam Shueh, medical librarian 9/25/04

Summary:

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