It’s certainly been a busy year for China in the book industry, with hundreds of books written about everything from its government to its economy to its social influence. Many of these books are heavy on information but a bit light on the entertainment factor. It’s important, though, to have a little bit of both, so to save you the trouble of wading through a sea of the written word, check out my list of the 8 best books written about China this year.

1) Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory
Author: Peter Hessler
Publisher: Harper (February 9, 2010)
Price: About 120 RMB

The author of the incredibly popular River Town and Oracle Bones sets off once again on a road trip to explore China’s ever-changing face. Focusing on three narratives, Hessler follows Beijing’s frantic pace of life, a family of peasants trying to become middle class citizens, and a group of factory employees working in a Special Economic Zone. All this written in the genial and insightful tone that Hessler fans have come to know and love.

 

2) Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language
Author: Deborah Fallows
Publisher: Walker & Company (August 31, 2010)
Price: About 100 RMB

This is a book for any expat who has ever struggled while learning Mandarin (aka everyone). Fallows gives some great facts about the Chinese language (that it has over 400 syllables, for example) while interspersing it with entertaining stories of miscommunication that she and her husband experienced while living in China. Never has a book about language been this much fun to read.

 

3) China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know
Author: Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 16, 2010)
Price: About 75 RMB

Wasserstrom’s book spans China’s past, present and future in one giant sweep. He talks about how historical events such as Japanese imperialism, the Mao era, and the Tiananmen Square murders all shaped the country into what it is today. Giving a great rundown on issues like communism and the destruction that industrialization is wreaking on the environment, this is the book to read if you’re looking for a one-stop guide to all things China.

 

4) Years of Red Dust: Stories of Shanghai
Author: Qiu Xiaolong
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (September 28, 2010)
Price: About 110 RMB

For something other than a straightforward nonfiction book, Xiaolong’s collection of short stories will satisfy those who prefer their learning wrapped up in a good story. Written from the perspective of those living on a single street in Shanghai, the stories cover everything from the 1949 Communist Revolution to the industrialization of the late 20th century. This book is an interesting take on some hotly debated issues.

 

5) The Beijing Consensus: How China's Authoritarian Model Will Dominate the Twenty-First Century
Author: Stefan Halper
Publisher: Basic Books (April 6, 2010)
Price: About 130 RMB

Halper offers a different take on China’s development, asserting that it wants to “supplant Western influence in the developing world” instead of adopt it. He explains why he believes China will not become a democracy, nor invade Taiwan, but will instead focus on possessing as many natural resources as possible to fuel economic growth. This is a perfect choice for a book club discussion, as conversations over Halper’s vision of China as an “authoritarian capitalist” will surely spark some lively debates.

 

6) The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers
Author: Richard McGregor
Publisher: Harper (June 8, 2010)
Price: About 125 RMB

If the title sounds provocative, that’s because it is. Information about it has been blocked within China, so a VPN will be necessary to order it. It’s worth the effort, though. McGregor, a journalist at the Financial Times, delves into the influence the Communist Party has over everything from the economy to the military. He discusses the corruption within the system, and points to incidents such as the Party’s attitude toward the poisoned milk powder that killed thousands of babies a few years ago as an example. In an interesting choice, McGregor compares the Party to the Vatican, drawing similarities between their secrecy, opaqueness, and influence. This is an engaging and informative book, one that makes the often-inscrutable actions of a country a little more understandable.

7) Myth of the Social Volcano: Perceptions of Inequality and Distributive Injustice in Contemporary China
Author: Martin Whyte
Publisher: Stanford University Press (March 1, 2010)
Price: About 170 RMB

There is apparently a myth around the world that anger about rising inequality is “propelling China toward a ‘social volcano’ of protest activity and instability that could challenge Chinese Communist Party rule.” Whyte moves beyond the speculation to report the findings of his six-year survey of average Chinese citizens. A Harvard sociologist, Whyte traveled across the country, asking ordinary Chinese how they felt about the inequalities that have sprung up since the 1978 opening of China’s market. The result is a fascinating look at what people really think in a land of staggering income gaps.

8) When a Billion Chinese Jump: How China Will Save Mankind – or Destroy It
Author: Jonathan Watts
Publisher: Scribner (October 26, 2010)
Price: About 75 RMB

Watts is an environmental writer for the Guardian whose love for the physical world around him is obvious. He tells of his 2003 move to Beijing, where he witnessed the devastating effects of China’s population growth and excelled modernization on the environment. From dams and railways that have destroyed Tibet’s mountains to the extinction of the baiji dolphin to piles of Western waste waiting to be recycled, Watts reveals the often overlooked toll that “progress” can have on the world around us.

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