I realize I'm not going to be able to do these books justice in the time allotted, but I'll see what I can offer in brief. With the Olympics in Beijing next year, the superpower is in the forefront of more people's minds. Jonathan Spence, one of the pre-eminent historians of China writing for an English audience has contributed another book to his formative and formidable body of historical research, Return to Dragon Mountain: Memories of a Late Ming Man ($24.95, Viking Penguin). He focuses on the writings of a formerly wealthy 17th century man Zhang Dai, whose life and property were destroyed by the fighting that tore China apart after the Manchu invasion. Zhang became a subsistence farmer and dedicated the rest of his life to reflection and writing a description of his former world. It provides a useful lens through which to view a critical time in China's history and changing nature as a political entiry. This and any of his previously published books now in paperback would be helpful introductions to China, particularly Treason by the Book and The Gate of Heavenly Peace.

Colin Thubron has written a travelogue/history about the ancient trading routes through Asia called Shadow of the Silk Road ($24.95, HarperCollins). A personal and accessible account, Thubron writes about a journey he took from Xian, the ancient capital city, through Tibet, Central Asia, Iran, and along the border of Syria and Turkey to Antioch. With so many of these historically significant places in the news, his encounters with the present inhabitants and his reflections about the history that filters through are offered in meditative and reflective style. He is a companionable observer and guide to these countries.

Rob Gifford was Beijing correspondent for National Public Radio and is offering his perspective with China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power ($26.95, Random House). This read would be useful background for anyone intending to do business in China, to understand the culture and behavior that one will encounter as well as some of the useful statistics and recent news that will impact interactions. Again this is a personal account, written in the style of a memoir, but nonetheless is full of information that will help the new arrival, and entertain someone interested in the lifestyle of the modern Chinese in Beijing. If you are going to the Olympics next year, this will help prepare you for what you will see and experience when you get there!

Harry Gelber has compiled a sweeping historical survey of China's interaction with other nations, but atypically he includes, but does not focus exclusively on the West, since their encounters with China happened rather late in the historical timeline. Other Asian powers have also contributed to the development of Chinese identity and of course. the Chinese have had a critical role in shaping the region over the millenia. It is written for a more academic audience, but contains useful sidebars of biographies and significant incidents which allow access to the denser material for the casual reader. The Dragon & the Foreign Devils: China and the World 1100 B.C. to the Present ($34.95, Walker & Co). Fascinating and fills many gaps in my world history curriculum.

And then we come to my personal favorite The Long March: The True History of Communist China's Founding Myth ($26.00, Doubleday/Random House) by Sun Shuyun. As many know, the Red Army's Long March in 1934 of over 8,000 miles fleeing from Chiang Kaishek's Nationalist troops over mountains through swamps and prairies is the stuff of legends and myths. It is a nation-building story embedded deep in the Communist Chinese consciousness. And it can only be spoken of in superlatives referring to the endurance, strength, determination, and courage of the marchers. Only one-fifth survived, but finally, they reassembled in the Yellow Plateau in the northwest of China and prepared to fight back. Children are raised on this story, with films poetry, and songs dedicated to the Long March, much as our country also has it's heroic myth creation.

So Sun Shuyun set out to find out as much as she could , how much was true? How did the marchers survive? Were they welcomed by the peasants or were they exploitative? She followed their trail and interviewed witnesses and participants who are advancing in age, but have vivid memories of that time. And it is fascinating even for those of us who have had no exposure previously. Sun Shuyun is a compelling and engaging guide, shifting back and forth between her experience of meeting these men and many women, who were devoted to the cause, or simply trying to survive, and their own incredible accounts, of heroism and admissions of their own humanity. A great read, I highly recommend this book.