An orphan girl gets help from a goose. A poor family receives a magical gift. A boy is stranded alone on a ship in a storm. And two magicians perform a deadly trick.Believe it or not, it's possible for you to read and understand the four wonderful stories in this book even if you start off not knowing a single word of Chinese! We won't lie to you and say it will be easy, but with time and patience you can certainly do it.Each page of Chinese faces a page of pinyin ...

This book is a retelling, in easy-to-read Chinese, of the legendary story of how a little stone monkey was born, became king of his troop of monkeys, left his home to pursue enlightenment, received the name Sun Wukong (literally, "ape seeking the void") from his teacher, and returned home to defend his subjects from a ravenous monster.Sun Wukong, the Handsome Monkey King, is one of the most famous characters in Chinese literature and culture. His legendary bravery, his foolish mist...

The Qin dynasty lasted only fifteen years, yet it transformed China forever.The story begins in the violent world of the Warring States period, when seven competing kingdoms battled for supremacy. At the center of the drama is Ying Zheng, the son of a hostage prince who became the king of Qin, defeated all rival states, and declared himself Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China.Through sweeping military campaigns, bold reforms, and strict Legalist policies, Qin Shi Huan...

In the beginning, the King of Shang was a good man…China, 1057 B.C. The well-meaning but foolish king of the Shang Dynasty has gravely insulted a goddess. In revenge, the angry goddess sends a thousand-year-old fox demon to extinguish the soul of the beautiful young Daji, inhabit her body, and seduce the king into taking her as his chief concubine. Daji slowly gains control of the king and his kingdom, leading the Shang Dynasty towards chaos and disaster. But gods and demons are al...

Welcome to 三字经, San Zi Jing, known in English as the Three Character Classic. The San Zi Jing was written by Wang Yinglin during the Song Dynasty in the 13th century, modified many times since then, and memorized by generations of Chinese students. It's a box of treasures, a puzzle within a puzzle, with layers of meaning waiting you to discover.At the simplest level, San Zi Jing is just a workbook, a way for you to learn how to read, speak and write Chinese. The book consists of 10...

China, 1057 B.C. The foolish king of the Shang Dynasty has gravely insulted a goddess. In revenge, the goddess sends a thousand-year-old fox demon to extinguish the soul of the beautiful young Daji, inhabit her body, and seduce the king into taking her as his chief concubine. Daji slowly gains control of the king and his kingdom, leading the Shang Dynasty towards chaos and disaster. But gods and demons are all watching closely and try to take matters into their own hands.This book ...

The Monkey King Sun Wukong leads the Tang monk and his two fellow disciples westward until their path is blocked by a river eight hundred miles wide. On the riverbank is a village where the people live in fear of the Great Demon King, who demands two human sacrifices each year. Sun Wukong and the pig-man Zhu Bajie come up with a clever plan to trick the Demon King and save the people of the village, but they soon discover that the Demon King has clever plans of his own.Thi...

Three individuals. Two species. One campfire. And everything riding on what happens next.When a human seed ship from a dying Earth crashes into the silva, it enters a world already claimed. The Waya are six-limbed beings with language, law, and long memories. The first thing the humans do is kill one of them. The fragile possibility of coexistence nearly ends before it begins.Katan, an aging, glowjuice-addicted Waya, is sent to watch the survivors. Not to understand them. N...

The Last King of Shang is a retelling, in modern Simplified Chinese, of the classic novel Investiture of the Gods. It's a gripping story set in ancient China, weaving together mythology, magic, and heroism. It is a story of the rise and fall of powerful gods and mortals amidst a backdrop of political intrigue and celestial conflict. Seduced by Daji, his beautiful fox demon concubine, the Shang king brings his kingdom to the brink of ruin through cruelty and neglect.A group of rebel...

In the beginning, the King of Shang was a good man…China, 1057 B.C. The well-meaning but foolish king of the Shang Dynasty has gravely insulted a goddess. In revenge, the angry goddess sends a thousand-year-old fox demon to extinguish the soul of the beautiful young Daji, inhabit her body, and seduce the king into taking her as his chief concubine. Daji slowly gains control of the king and his kingdom, leading the Shang Dynasty towards chaos and disaster. But gods and demons are al...

A long, long time ago, in a magical version of ancient China, an island called Aolai stood in the sea like a king in his palace. In the center of the island was Flower Fruit Mountain, and at the very top of the mountain was a large stone, as tall as six men. The stone was made pregnant by heaven and earth, and one day the wind blew over the egg and it cracked open. A little stone monkey emerged. He opened his eyes, and two beams of light shot up to heaven. The Jade Emperor on his throne sa...

During one of my business trips to Japan I was treated to a big dinner event at a fancy Tokyo restaurant. A dozen Japanese executives were there. At some point, after several rounds of drinks, I asked the senior Sumitomo executive if he could tell a joke. The room grew quiet. The executive stood up, whiskey glass in hand, and said, "In my youth I had time and health but I had no money. In my middle age I had health and money but I had no time. Now I am old, I have money and time but I have...