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Yang skillfully weaves these affecting, often humorous stories together to create a masterful commentary about race, identity, and self-acceptance that has earned him a spot as a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People. The artwork, rendered in a chromatically cool palette, is crisp and clear, with clean white space around center panels that sharply focuses the reader's attention in on Yang's achingly familiar characters. There isn't an adolescent alive who won't be able to relate to Jin's wish to be someone other than who he is, and his gradual realization that there is no better feeling than being comfortable in your own skin.--Jennifer Hubert ... Read more

Customer Reviews (102)

ABC
Excellent. I even changed it to quick mail & they got it done! Thanks! Hen Hao!

I recommend.
The product description was accurate and the product was received in a timely fashion. I definitely recommend.

Warning: Don't Read This Book Alone
I initially rated this work with a one star review, but that was the result of being a 4th generation Chinese American of Cantonese heritage, and actually more sensitive to the stereotypes that are satirized by the Chin-Kee character. I haven't actually queried author Yang about his views but I speculate that he doesn't actually consider himself an American Born Chinese, but rather an American Born Taiwanese and isn't part of the lineage that Chin-Kee is mocking. Nevertheless, I believe Yang's intentions are good and thus I would give it a 3 star review with a couple of caveats.

First, beware of the Law of Unintended Consequences, in this case, the result of using the comic book medium to present ideas. "The Medium is the Massage" by Marshall Mcluhan describes potential consequences of the work perfectly. The comic book, or in this case the graphic novel genre is what would be considered a "cool" medium meaning the visual images provide a high level of stimulus, but the written message has a lower level and requires much more active participation before it is received. This means that American Born Chinese quite possibly has the unintended consequence of perpetuating the very stereotype it wants to conquer, unless an outside influence, a teacher or parent for instance, provides careful guidance to the reader.

Ironically, the most damaging stereotype I find in the book is not Chin-Kee, but rather the character Wei Chen who is revealed to be part of a phenomenon known as Asian Pride, or AP. The AP drives a "tuner" car, and sports all the accoutrements you see in the book. I wish to sidestep over-generalization by saying I've had ample opportunity to observe "AP" young people and suspect they have as much, if not more angst about their racial and cultural heritage which keeps them from reaching their full potential as Americans. Also,the potential for racism can go in both directions as a result.

Regardless of one's opinion, it is undeniable that this is a popular book. My local library has 5 copies. So my only suggestion is that as young people read it, they are given ample opportunity to engage in dialogue to reveal the true messages being conveyed.

Amazing Graphic Novel
"One bright and starry night, the Gods, the Goddesses, the Demons, and the Spirits gathered in Heaven for a dinner party."

This book, told in Graphic Novel format, contains 3 separate tales:

The first tale is the legendary Chinese fable of The Monkey King. The Monkey King was the ruler of all the monkeys on the Flower-Fruit Mountain. When the Gods were having their dinner party, he tried to attend. But because he was a monkey (and didn't wear shoes) he was denied admittance. This changed the Monkey King. He was embarrassed by it, and decided to change himself. He required all monkeys to wear shoes. He studies the 12 disciplines of kung fu to become more than just a monkey. In fact, he transforms himself into a different type of deity all together.

The second tale is about Jin, an American-Born Chinese. His parents immigrated from China and met in college. Jin's mom told him the reason she chose to marry Jin's father. "Of all the PhD. students at the university, he had the thickest glasses. Thick glasses meant long hours of studying. Long Hours of studying meant a strong work ethic. A strong work ethic meant a high salary. A high salary meant a good husband." When Jin is 9, his family moves out of Chinatown, and Jin has to start a new school. Where he is different; the outsider. He suffers from bullies and bouts of embarrassment over his culture.

The final tale is of Danny, the American boy that has a Chinese cousin, named Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee is the epitome of a negative Chinese stereotype. He has buck teeth, a thick accent, and even eats cats. Danny is so embarrassed by Chin-Kee's yearly visits that he has to switch schools every year.

What can be said about this beautiful little book that hasn't already been said?? It truly is a masterpiece. We follow Jin through grade school, where he befriends the student, Wei-Chen, who has just arrived from Taiwan. At first, Jin tries to ignore the other student, but when the two boys start talking about toys (Transformers), they soon become best friends.

The 3 stories eventually come together, all related in a surprisingly beautiful ending. It is basically the story of loving the person that you are. And if you try to change yourself to fit another's persons image of how you "should" be, then you will eventually lose yourself. It sounds deep, and it is. But it is told with a light-hearted humor and really great pictures. Just a small example:

"The only other Asian in my class was Suzy Nakamura. When the class finally figured out that we weren't related, rumors began to circulate that Suzy and I were arranged to be married on her thirteenth birthday. We avoided each other as much as possible."

Not only is this a wonderful tale that highlights the pain of stereotyping and racism, but also teaches a lesson on self-appreciation and self-awareness. An incredibly quick read (I was finished in about an hour), American Born Chinese is absolutely a must-read. Warm, heart-breaking and yet uplifting, this is one book that I can not truly recommend enough. And for anyone that ever says Graphic Novels are just "comic" books, I think you have a lesson waiting for you. A true 5 Star read!!!

An impressive and powerful graphic novel
As a relative newcomer to the graphic novel genre, I'll say upfront that my review probably won't 'cut the mustard' for diehard fans of the genre! That being said, I was blown away by the power and message of this novel. It is a poignant story, one which really opened my eyes to the immigrant experience of someone like the character Jin, who is born in the US but whose parents come from another country. This novel is structured well, and relates to the reader three different (apparently unrelated) vignettes, which eventually intersect in the story's conclusion (in a way that is skillful, rather than cliched). I liked the simplicity of the illustrations, which were vibrant and colorful, but were done in a way that seemed to reflect the written narrative very well. This would be an excellent read for young adults (14 and up, I'd say) and adults alike. I'd recommend this to fellow readers in a heartbeat, both to anyone who already reads graphic novels and enjoys them or to someone who might be looking for their first foray into this diverse genre. "American Born Chinese" made quite an impression on me, and I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
The first detailed examination of the link between the "Chinese question" and the "Negro problem" in nineteenth-century America, this work forcefully and convincingly demonstrates that the anti-Chinese sentiment that led up to the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 is inseparable from the racial double standards applied by mainstream white society toward white and nonwhite groups during the same period. Najia Aarim-Heriot highlights striking similarities in the ways the Chinese and African American populations were disenfranchised during the mid-1800s, including nearly identical negative stereotypes, shrill rhetoric, and crippling exclusionary laws. ... Read more

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Alumkal examines the beliefs and life experiences of American-born/raised Asian American evangelicals in two congregations, one Chinese American and one Korean American, near New York City. He documents how the culture of American evangelicalism has shaped the worldviews of its second-generation Asian American adherents. The religious beliefs of the individuals in this study were indistinguishable from those of most white evangelicals. These individuals also affirmed the view that Christian identity transcends racial/ethnic lines. Yet, paradoxically, they testified to the significance of race and ethnicity in their lives and saw their churches as places to strengthen ethnic ties. In conclusion, scholars need new theoretical approaches for understanding the post-1965 immigrants and their offspring. ... Read more

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This book is one of the first scholarly analyses of the current social constructions of Chinese American masculinities.Arguing that many of these notions are limited to stereotypes, Chan goes beyond this to present a more complex understanding of the topic. Incorporating historical references, literary analysis and sociological models to describe the construct a variety of masculine identities, Chan also examines popular novels (Fu Manchu and Charlie Chan), films (Bruce Lee), comic books (Master of Kung Fu), and literature (M. Butterfly). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good book plagued by poor research
Let me preface my review by stating my interest in this book was the author's interpetation of the Fu Manchu character. Overall, this was a good book on an important topic that receives scant attention: prejudice against Asians. The Fu Manchu character, like most fiction from Colonial Britain, has racist elements. However, the author is not sufficiently familiar with the work of the character's creator, Sax Rohmer. Rohmer loved what was then called the Orient. His heroines are Oriental. Fu Manchu is depicted as a genius and a man of integrity at all times. Later books in the series (Rohmer wrote of the character from 1912 to 1959) depict him not as evil, but as devoted to a cause often (but not always) at odds to the West. The rise of Communism in China is at cross-purposes to Fu Manchu's ambitions and the last few books see the character more on the side of the Western protagonists in defeating their common enemy. What is more, Fu Manchu was part of a tradition (owing much to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Professor Moriarity and Sherlock Holmes) of villains and heroes with veiled admiration for one another and who would clearly unite if not for their divisive principles. The author seems to be reacting more to the hackneyed portrayal of the character in film and television adaptations (which are far from faithful to Rohmer's text). Case-in-point, the infamous Fu Manchu moustache which the author emphasizes as a racial stereotype is not the invention of the character's creator who described Fu Manchu as devoid of facial hair in all thirteen novels and four shorter works that he appeared in. Even in the earliest, most racially insensitive books, Rohmer was quick to note that most Chinese immigrants were law-abiding citizens. The harmful stereotype that sprung from the character developed seperately from the writer who loved all things Eastern and wanted to share that love with his readers the world over.

Critical and necessary book on Chinese/Asian-Am. men!!!
So much of men's studies does not take men of color into account.Then, that which does focuses on African-American men, and sometimes Latino men.Thus, Chan's book is a direly needed intervention.The book focuses upon Chinese-American men, but it is applicable to Asian-Ams of many ethnicities.This book would be a wonderful edition to any collection of Asian-American studies texts or works on men of color.Chan has two projects.First, he discusses the history and racist underpinnings of four Chinese-Am men in popular culture of this century:Fu Manchu, Charlie Chan, Bruce Lee, and Shiang-Chi.Second, Chan is trying to formulate a Chinese-American masculinity that is neither sexist nor homophobic.He thus encourages "ambi-sexuality" and borrows the idea of "democratic manhood" from Michael Kimmel.My only critique of this text is that it did not have photos of the characters Chan examines.(I mean, I have heard of Charlie Chan, but I've never seen any of the decades-old films that use him.)In brief, if you enjoyed what Lisa Lowe said about Asian-American women in "Immigrant Acts", you will really love what Chan says about male counterparts in this book.Many readers may be turned off by the deeply academic, and some might say overly "PC" lingo that the author employs.Still, I think every Chinese-American man should own this book.I am very pleased that I bought and read this book; it's brilliant! ... Read more

Product Description
Foreign Accents examines the various transpacific signifying strategies by which poets of Chinese descent in the U.S. have sought to represent cultural tradition in their articulations of an ethnic subjectivity, in Chinese as well as in English. In assessing both the dynamics and the politics of poetic expression by writers engaging with a specific cultural heritage, the study develops a general theory of ethnic literary production that clarifies the significance of "Asian American" literature in relation to both other forms of U.S. "minority discourse," as well as canonical "American" literature more generally. At the same time, it maps an expanded textual arena and a new methodology for Asian American literary studies that can be further explored by scholars of other traditions.

Yao discusses a range of works, including Ezra Pound's Cathay and the Angel Island poems. He examines the careers of four contemporary Chinese/American poets: Ha Jin, Li-young Lee, Marilyn Chin, and John Yau, each of whom bears a distinctive relationship to the linguistic and cultural tradition he or she seeks to represent. Specifically, Yao investigates the range of rhetorical and formal strategies by which these writers have sought to incorporate Chinese culture and, especially, language in their works. Combining such analysis with extensive social contextualization, Foreign Accents delineates an historical poetics of Chinese American verse from the early twentieth century to the present. ... Read more

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Drawing from a broad range of articles, speeches, pamphlets, sermons, debates, laws, and resolutions, this documentary collection focuses on support for the rights of Japanese and Chinese immigrants and their descendants in the United States. The book traces a 130-year period, culminating with the governmental redress for survivors of the Japanese evacuation and internment of World War II. Illustrating the scope and types of American dissent against anti-Asian thought, the volume highlights expressions from the clergy, the labor movement, the abolitionists, and figures such as Wendell Phillips, Charles Sumner, Frederick Douglass, Mark Twain, John Stuart Mill, and Carey McWilliams. Citing material never before published, it demonstrates Black support for Asian rights and the consistency of the IWW's solidarity with Chinese and Japanese-American workers. It is also the first work to treat seriously clergymen's efforts against anti-Asian discrimination. ... Read more

Product Description
The Chinese American Family Album is a scrapbook of family letters and diary entries, official documents, newspaper articles, and excerpts from literature of the past and present--a personal remembrance of an extended family of Chinese immigrants and their descendants. As we read, we begin to know this family almost as well as our own. The letters written by the new immigrants to the folks left behind in China allow us to feel the ache of leaving home and family behind. Clippings from newspapers and personal memories tell of the pain and fear and prejudice in the new country. We learn about the building of the transcontinental railroad and how Chinese immigrants were the backbone of the work force, tailing long hours under the worst conditions. We see Chinatowns spring up wherever the immigrants landed, and we see how the traditions and culture of China were both preserved and altered as the immigrants became Americanized.But we also share the joy of first sighting the new homeland. We follow families through the generations and see how they are living now and what they have brought to our country. We read about famous Chinese Americans who have risen to the top of their fields, such as athlete Michael Chang, author Amy Tan, musician Yo-Yo Ma, and Senator Hiram Fong. And we see wonderful faces--husbands alone in the new world, families reunited, new babies, grandparents. The unique, carefully researched photographs make the participants in the Chinese American experience real people who have an impact on our lives.Thomas and Dorothy Hoobler's The Chinese American Family Album makes the past experiences of these immigrants--and those of their sons and daughters in all the generations since--as real and immediate as the stories told by a favorite grandmother. They bring us in, like an embrace, to the all-encompassing, ever-growing, multicultural family of Americans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Enlightening
This is an excellent book for those interested in Chinese culture or immigration.The difficulties that were endured to make America "home" for so many in the world is truly amazing.The formatincludes individual memoirs, photos, engravings, and archival documents.There is a thread of historical backdrop woven throughout.Although not as gripping as a good novel using the character and situations presented within, it does have the voices of real people.Truth is often stranger than fiction and can be quite engrossing.I just ordered the Scandanavian American Family Album as much of our family tree has branches in those countries.I anticipate finding it even more engrossing due to ancestry.
I recommend this book more highly for high school age and up, although many a junior high age person would enjoy it as well. ... Read more

Product Description

The growing presence of non-European cultures in America brings new challenges to as well as opportunities for parenting research. Whereas particular constructs of parent-child relationships were once considered universal, we now recognize distinct cultural variations. This is especially true in the case of Asian Americans, a population encompassing many diverse ethnicities.

Informed by a variety of qualitative and quantitative methodologies including detailed surveys of teenagers and their parents, Asian American Parenting and Parent-Adolescent Relationships focuses on Chinese and Filipino Americans—large populations with markedly different histories and cultural influences—giving readers a new lens into the nature and meaning of cultural differences in parenting. Synthesizing data on adolescent autonomy and dependence, parental support and control (both crucial to adolescents’ wellbeing), and the rarely-explored concept of parental sacrifice, this ambitious volume:

• Compares the parental belief systems of European Americans and immigrant Chinese and their influence on parenting styles.
• Discusses the role of measurement equivalence in understanding Asian American parenting practices.
• Examines sacrifice as a central concept in Asian American parenting and in immigrant parenting in general.
• Analyzes how Asian American teenagers understand the support and control provided by their parents.
• Explores the dynamics of parent and child gender in Asian American parenting.
• Places these findings in the context of previous parenting research and identifies new directions for the field.

Asian American Parenting and Parent-Adolescent Relationships is a uniquely informative reference for researchers, clinicians, and graduate students across multiple disciplines, including developmental, clinical child, and school psychology, sociology, and anthropology as well as ethnic and women’s studies.

"A much needed and extremely thoughtful contribution to the scholarship on Asian American families. The authors rely on a variety of research methods to reveal patterns that challenge stereotypes and urge us to move beyond pan ethnic categories and explore the rich diversity among Asian Americans. This book is an exemplary study of culture and parenting."

– Niobe Way, President, Society for Research on Adolescence /

Professor of Applied Psychology, New York University

Product Description
Described by others as quaint and exotic, or as depraved and threatening, and, more recently, as successful and exemplary, the Chinese in America have rarely been asked to describe themselves in their own words. This superb anthology, a diverse and illuminating collection of primary documents and stories by Chinese Americans, provides an intimate and textured history of the Chinese in America from their arrival during the California Gold Rush to the present. Among the documents are letters, speeches, testimonies, oral histories, personal memoirs, poems, essays, and folksongs; many have never been published before or have been translated into English for the first time. They bring to life the diverse voices of immigrants and American-born; laborers, merchants, and professionals; ministers and students; housewives and prostitutes; and community leaders and activists. Together, they provide insight into immigration, work, family and social life, and the longstanding fight for equality and inclusion. Featuring photographs and extensive introductions to the documents written by three leading Chinese American scholars, this compelling volume offers a panoramic perspective on the Chinese American experience and opens new vistas on American social, cultural, and political history. ... Read more

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Drugs and Racism in the Old West

America's current "war on drugs" is not the nation's first. In the mid-nineteenth century, opium-smoking was decried as a major social and public health problem, especially in the West. Although China faced its own epidemic of opium addiction, only a very small minority of Chinese immigrants in America were actually involved in the opium business. It was in Anglo communities that the use of opium soon spread and this growing use was deemed a threat to the nation's entrepreneurial spirit and to its growing mportance as a world economic and military power.

The Opium Debate examines how the spread of opium-smoking fueled racism and created demands for the removal of the Chinese from American life. This study of the nineteenth-century drug-abuse crisis reveals the ways moral crusaders linked their antiopium rhetoric to already active demands for Chinese exclusion. Until this time, anti-Chinese propaganda had been dominated by protests against the economic and political impact of Chinese workers and the alleged role of Chinese women as prostitutes. The use of the drug by Anglos added another reason for demonizing Chinese immigrants.

Ahmad describes the disparities between Anglo-American perceptions of Chinese immigrants and the somber realities of these people's lives, especially the role that opium-smoking came to play in the Anglo-American community, mostly among middle- and upper-class women. The book offers a brilliant analysis of the evolution of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, plus important insights into the social history of the nineteenth-century West, the culture of American Victorianism, and the rhetoric of racism in American politics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A fascinating and scholarly study
"The Opium Debate And Chinese Exclusion laws In The Nineteenth-Century American West" by Diana L. Ahmad (Associate Professor of History at the University of Missouri-Rolla) is the story of a mid-nineteenth century 'war on drugs' and immigration restriction policies carried out by governmental agencies. Professor Ahmad articulately explains how anti-Chinese propaganda and the spread of opium addiction led to exclusionary immigration laws and the attitude that the Chinese and the recreational use of opium associated with their communities were a danger to the national economy and middle-class Anglo-American domestic life. A fascinating and scholarly study that features extensive notation, an exhaustive bibliography, and a comprehensive index, "The Opium Debate" is as informed and informative as it is well organized and 'reader friendly'. This is an impressive and very highly recommended contribution to academic library 19th Century American History reference collections and reading lists.

Great story on an uncommon topic
Not being a historian, I have littlebackground in the history of the American West. I really enjoyed this book whichundertakes thestudy of the Chinese in the American West from a new angle and makes the storyboth informativeand interesting. The book is well researched and talks about a seldom discussed topic. We are made aware of the reasons for excluding an element of society, whether right or wrong.Drugs are not a recent phenomenon and it is fascinating to see how they played a role in our country's early history. This book is an easy and interesting read. ... Read more

Product Description
Combining archival research in Chinese language sources with oral history interviews, Ranqiu Yu examines the Chinese Hand Laundry Alliance (CHLA), an organization that originated in 1933 to help Chinese laundry workers break their isolation in American society. Yu brings to life the men who labored in New York laundries, depicting their meager existence, their struggles against discrimination and exploitation, and their dreams of returning to China. The persistent efforts of the CHLA succeeded in changing the workers' status in American society and improving the image of the Chinese among the American public.

Yu is especially concerned with the political activities of the CHLA, which was founded in reaction to proposed New York City legislation that would have put the Chinese laundries out of business. When the conservative Chinese social organization could not help the launderers, they broke with tradition and created their own organization. Not only did the CHLA defeat the legislative requirements that would have closed them down, but their "people's diplomacy" won American support for China during its war with Japan. The CHLA staged a campaign in the 1930s and 40s which took as its slogan, "To Save China, To Save Ourselves." Focusing on this campaign, Yu also examines the complex relationship between the democratically oriented CHLA and the Chinese American left in the 1930s. ... Read more

Book Description

Product Description
With the increasing commercial, cultural, athletic and tourist interaction between the United States and Chinese-speaking Asia, this glossary serves the need for an easy explanation of legal terms and procedures with an accurate and authoritative translation for anyone involved in the U.S. legal process. A pocket dictionary of terms pertaining to basic general American law and criminal law, it is equally useful for Chinese speakers and English speakers. Chinese speakers will find it a welcome reference for understanding the American judicial system. ItÂ’s also essential for non-Chinese speakers working in the American legal system or in law enforcement; in these contexts, no knowledge of Chinese is required to use it as a verbal communication aid, since the user can point to the Chinese equivalent of the relevant English term. Includes both simplified and traditional characters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This book is ok
Bought this as a reference book for a class I was taking, like most of my reference books, it didn't get to be used at all. ... Read more

Product Description
This text should enable Westerners to establish more productive and rewarding relationships with Chinese people, both inside and outside the People's Republic. It provides a practical cross-cultural analysis of Chinese culture along with insights into how best to interact with the Chinese. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Perfect! Interesting and amusing
After just returning from a 2 week journey through China, I selected this book for a project in my International Culture and Protocol class. I loved that I recognized phrases and cultural norms from my travels, and loved even more that I got to learn WHY these norms exist. Even if you are not familiar with Chinese society, the contrast to American societal norms is so drastically different at times, you can't help but be intrigued by it. The book also teaches valuable words and phrases in Chinese, and they are in-context so it's easy to remember. There is also a helpful chart-type list of these translations (with phonetic spelling) to be used as a reference if ever needed.

I insist that anyone planning to visit China (especially for business) read this book! Not only is it a fast-paced, great read; it provides American's with valuable tools to interact with the Chinese in a polite, proper, and respectful way. You'd be surprised how our simple remarks or actions could be interpreted by the Chinese in the opposite way we would intend!

In my class, we walked through situations where American's could ruin a business deal or ruin a relationship with a Chinese family, because American's weren't concious of how their actions were being interpreted.

ps: grab a highlighter! you'll definately use it!

Surprisingly useful but somewhat out-dated

This review is for the 2nd edition. I know a 3rd edition will be published soon and some of the comments will not be relevant for that edition.

"Encountering the Chinese: A Guide for Americans" surprised me positively. The book covered the typical Chinese cultural differences well and at times dived a little deeper than a typical Chinese cultural book. The book is targeted to Americans, but it would also be useful for non-Americans, such as Europeans... like me :)

The book consists of 2 parts. The first part is called "Advise for Americans Interacting with Chinese" and the second part is advise on living in China. The first starts of with typical Chinese norms and habits such as greetings, titles and advise for dining etiquette. Gradually, the first part digs deeper in the culture with chapters related to time usage, modesty and relationships. Chapter eight focuses on training and education and contract negotiation (education and business). The last chapter dives deeper in the concept of face. I found this an interesting chapter, though not agreed with all the comments made.

The second part of the book is advise about living in China. A lot of focus is on people who are going to work in education and give classes. This part was interesting, but in my opinion quite out-dated. I've lived in China after this book was written and things have changed since. It still contains useful advise, but some of the advise is too conservative.
All in all, I found this book a useful guide. As mentioned above, most of the book is focused on Americans who come to China for a short period to give classes -- probably one of the most common encounters between Chinese and Americans. However, some of the advise is out-dated, but in 2010 a 3rd edition is planned and I assume that the authors have changed some of the aspects.

I've enjoyed this book and wanted to rate it between 3 and 4 stars. I went for 3 because of the out-of-date-ness of part of the book. If you are going to China for work -- especially when going to teach -- then I'd highly recommend this book. If you are just interested in Chinese culture or are going to China as tourist, then probably this book is not the right one.

Psychology textbook, tourist guide, sermon, propaganda, or health lecture?
Let's let the book speak for itself...

"The time will come, sooner or later, when you find yourself on the street and in need of directions. Do not despair. Most Chinese are quite willing to help a foreigner with directions or with other minor requests. The following guidelines should facilitate your obtaining assistance under these circumstances. 1. Foreseeing that you are on your way to an unfamiliar location, take along a piece of paper with the address (and the name, if there is one) written in English and in Chinese characters. Also, if possible, take along a map on which you have noted the location. Then, if you become lost, show these items to a passerby. 2. If you know that you will have other routine requests while on the street, carry the English and Chinese written versions with you and use them as indicated above. Incidentally, public toilets are ubiquitous in China except in Shanghai and Guangzhou (Canton)..."

Have a care for the poor English language! This $25 book is only 200 pages long. Please don't clog it up with useless wandering tripe like this. Here's another sample...

"Finally, we offer two important notes of caution. Since China began opening to the outside world, prostitution has emerged in the coastal cities. Tourists and businessmen staying at hotels sometimes receive calls from young women offering sexual services. Prostitution and the use of prostitutes are criminal offenses in the PRC. There are cases of foreign businessmen who, because they became involved with prostitutes, landed in jail, were victims of blackmail, or had confidential documents stolen from their hotel rooms.

Homosexuality is viewed by the vast majority of Chinese as a low and contemptible practice. A charge of homosexuality can ruin the life of a Chinese, even to the point of his or her being banished from contact with family and friends. Do not expect Chinese to accept this overwhelming risk."

We are all grateful to Messrs. Hu and Grove and Intercultural press for setting the record straight. Apparently I had been misinformed that China had a broad deep and ornate history of prostitution stretching back millennia. The authors have kindly brought me up to date that prostitution in China only emerged recently, and only in coastal cities, and only in response to the pernicious influence of Western hegemonists and capitalist roaders! Similarly, China has no illustrious history of "the sin of the cut sleeve", and again its probably those pesky westerner sodomites that are to blame. Give us a break.

IMHO it is hardly the place of a guidebook to lecture the reader on morality. When I pay for a book I don't expect to be lectured by CCP propaganda or Xinhua press releases. Better is to advise the competent whoremonger or homosexual to consult any of numerous topical websites if they plan to pursue these activities in the People's Republic, where they have existed for thousands of years and will exist for thousands more. That said, I do agree, as most tourist guides should advise, that the visitor will be subjected to any number of scams and ripoffs during their visit, including having the hotel swipe candy bars and charge you for them. But I didn't buy this book as a tourist guide. And if they wanted to go down that road it might have been more helpful if they pointed out that you shouldn't use your pocket phrase book to call a woman "xiao jie" (miss) since she'll think you're calling her a prostitute, or to call a man "tong ji" (comrade) since he'll think you're calling him gay...

This short and expensive books is hopelessly confused as to whether it is a psychology textbook, a tourist guide, a sermon, propaganda, or a health lecture. Someday there will be a useful text on the subject, but it is certainly not this one.

Changing China
The book is good and is full of factual info but its quickly becoming outdated when dealing with the younger Chinese people.

Very helpful but some things have changed...
Having just taught in two major Chinese universities, I found this book very helpful. But based on my conversations with numbers of students (at undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate level), in today's competitive China some things appear to have changed. E.g. granted the diversity of a vast country like China, in those cities that have been more impacted by Western consumer culture there is much more individualism especially among youth. At the more prestiguous universities intense competition means that fewer students are as willing to assist their colleagues as their more traditional counerparts might have once been. Highly recommended (even for tourists) but do be aware of the increasing impact of Western culture. ... Read more