Shen Fu, writer and painter, who was a native of Soochow, was born in 1763 and died sometime alter 1809. His father was by profession a secretary to magistrates, and Shen Fu was apprenticed in the same profession. Shen held various posts as a secretary, but he also worked by turns as a teacher and merchant. Although he had a studio in Soochow for a time he found that he could not make a living out of his paintings and for much of his life was miserably poor. He was sustained by his beloved...

One of the most important topics in soil science is understanding the relationship between soil biodiversity and soil ecosystem function. This relies on techniques able to accurately identify different soil organisms and how they interact in the soil microbiome.Measuring and assessing the biological health of soils provides a comprehensive overview of the range of techniques used to assess microbial/faunal diversity and activity in soils and its impact on key ecological pr...

A timeless masterpiece from the New York Times –bestselling author, the Pulitzer Prize–winning story of a farmer's journey through China in the 1920s.The Good Earth is Pearl S. Buck's classic story of Wang Lung, a Chinese peasant farmer, and his wife, O-lan, a former slave. With luck and hard work, the couple's fortunes improve over the years: They are blessed with sons, and save steadily until one day they can a...

The New York Times –bestselling trilogy: A Pulitzer Prize–winning classic novel of China, together with its two sequels—by the Nobel Prize winner.The Good Earth: With luck and hard work, Chinese peasant farmer Wang Lung and his wife O-lan, a former slave, improve their fortune. They have sons and save steadily until one day they can afford to buy property in the House of Wang—the very house in which O-lan used to...

Dream of the Red Chamber, also called The Story of the Stone, composed by Cao Xueqin, is one of China's Four Great Classical Novels. It was written sometime in the middle of the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty. It is considered a masterpiece of Chinese literature and is generally acknowledged to be the pinnacle of Chinese fiction. "Redology" is the field of study devoted exclusively to this work.Red Chamber is believed to be semi-autobiographical, mirroring the rise and decay ...

A magistrate investigates the death of a nobleman in this historical mystery set in China's Tang Dynasty era.Judge Dee has been appointed emergency governor of the plague and drought ridden Imperial City. As his guards help the city fend off a popular uprising, an aristocrat from one of the oldest families in China suffers an "accident" in a deserted mansion.In The Willow Pattern, the illustrious judge uses his trademark expertise to unravel the my...

When Princess Lan'xiu's brother delivers her under duress into General Hüi Wei's harem as a political offering, her only question is how soon her secret will be discovered. She is under no illusions: when the general discovers she is actually a he, death is his only future—though he doesn't plan to make it easy. Lan'xiu has dressed as a woman all his life, but he is no damsel in distress. He can swing a sword with the best of them.General Hüi Wei has everything a man could want: po...

Six Records of a Floating Life (1809) is an extraordinary blend of autobiography, love story and social document written by a man who was educated as a scholar but earned his living as a civil servant and art dealer. In this intimate memoir, Shen Fu recounts the domestic and romantic joys of his marriage to Yün, the beautiful and artistic girl he fell in love with as a child. He also describes other incidents of his life, including how his beloved wife obtained a courtesan for him and refl...

In this first of a planned five-volume set, David Roy provides a complete and annotated translation of the famous Chin P'ing Mei, an anonymous sixteenth-century Chinese novel that focuses on the domestic life of Hsi-men Ch'ing, a corrupt, upwardly mobile merchant in a provincial town, who maintains a harem of six wives and concubines. This work, known primarily for its erotic realism, is also a landmark in the development of the narrative art form--not only from a specifically Chi...

"...The Empress Nü Wo, (the goddess of works,) in fashioning blocks of stones, for the repair of the heavens, prepared, at the Ta Huang Hills and Wu Ch'i cave, 36,501 blocks of rough stone, each twelve chang in height, and twenty-four chang square. Of these stones, the Empress Wo only used 36,500; so that one single block remained over and above, without being turned to any account. This was cast down the Ch'ing Keng peak. This stone, strange to say, after having undergone a process of ref...

Diary of a Madman and Other Stories by Lu Xun. Lu Xun (1881–1936), a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. Writing in Vernacular Chinese as well as Classical Chinese, Lu Xun was a novelist, editor, translator, literary critic, essayist, and poet. In the 1930s he became the titular head of the League of Left-Wing Writers in Shanghai.The Complete Short Stories of Lu Xun where included in these edition:A Madman's Diary; Kung I-chi; Medicine; Tomorrow; An Incident; Storm ...

Hundreds of sage observations from China's most revered scholarTeacher, politician, philosopher, and student, Confucius offered wisdom and aphorisms on a variety of topics that transcend borders and time. Whether considering his own life, human nature, or a society's responsibilities, Confucius's teachings emphasize personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, and sincerity. He aimed to effect social and political reform, and le...