5 comments about Martin Yan's Culinary Journey Through China.

1. The book starts off by literally taking the reader through a journey - A journey that totaled more than 65,000 miles throughout China over land, sea, air, and waterways during a three-month period. I learned something new myself reading this book. I have always tried to explain to people how to understand the balance of flavors, taste and textures of food. Martin Yan explains it in one easy thought - yin and yang. "Yin represents the feminine, yielding, darker, more mysterious forces, while yang stands for the masculine, harder, brighter and hotter ones. In the world of food, yin might be cooler, moister, softer foods, like winter melon, asparagus or crabmeat. Yang might take the form of chiles, ginger, fried foods or red meat." The concept of the yin and yang also fit the textures of the food as well. The next part of the book talks about special equipment, tools and techniques. The recipes include Hot and Sour Beijing Dumplings, Duck Soup, Seafood in an Orange Basket (an incredible dish that is so easy to make), Minced Poultry with Walnuts in Lettuce Cups, Mongolian Roast Lamb, Mushrooms in Fragrant Broth, Steamed Garden Vegetables, Fish in a Bamboo Leaf, Steamed Spareribs in Plum Sauce, Tofu Custard with Tropical Fruits, Honey Walnut Prawns, Ginger-Date Wontons, Asparagus with Sweet and Pungent Dressing, and Spicy Fun See Noodle Salad. The recipes are well written with a little history for an item of each recipe. Food styling and photography of this book are outstanding. Some of the ingredients in the book will only be found in specialty shops or Oriental markets, i.e. dried black mushrooms, nori (Japanese seaweed), Sichuan peppercorns and dried bean thread noodles. This book was aiming to be the first book to receive a perfect score from me, until the very end of the cookbook. Martin Yan wrote an incredible book. I felt the last two pages of advertising took a little bit away from the book however



2. This is my most used cookbook. Great explanations and easy instructions. Anyone can with this cookbook.



3. I bought this book when it first came out after watching Martin Yan's cooking show on PBS. He's a great chef and teacher. I was lucky to buy this book as my first intro to chinese cooking. If I had bought another book, I might have been too intimidated. But Martin Yan's book of simple recipes with complex flavors was the perfect start to learn how to cook chinese. The recipes are easy, simple and delicious. You'll want to cook them over and over again, and before you know it, you'll begin to experiment on your own, using the simple techniques you learn in this book. I've made almost every recipe in it, and nearly every one has turned out great. From the pot-stickers to the soups to the salads to the stir-frys, all of them tasty and easy to make. The one thing I disagree with Martin Yan on is his saying "don't stare-fry, stir-fry," meaning that you should always keep stirring the food around in your wok (or fry pan). I've found many recipes benefit from a little charring here and there, so less stirring can often add tremendous flavor in some of the dishes. Anway, I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have over the years! It's one of the best in this genre of cookbooks.



4. I love this book. Not only is Martin Yan entertaining, he provides a look at his learning experience traveling through Asia and it's culinary history. There is also great information on building an Asian pantry, what supplies and cookware you need, ingredient information and how to use everything. Recipes are very easy to follow and he provides easy directions. Your favorites are a lot easier to cook at home than you'd think!



5. Martin Yan's book is a treasure. Many friends think I can do Chinese cooking effortlessly. Maybe not so, but with this cookbook you can make some basic and some not so basic Chinese dishes. Kung Pao and Hot and Sour soups are made over and over, and I've yet to tasted better in any restaurant. Hail to the chef!
   
   Barry Marshall

No comments about Bamboo Goalposts: One Man's Quest to Teach the People's Republic of China to Love Football.

2 comments about Time For Tea, A: Travels Through China and India in Search of Tea.

1. This book is WONDERFUL! Be forewarned, however: you WILL begin to guzzle litre after litre of tea during the reading of this book. Mr. Goodwin gives an absolutely wonderful first-person account of his often hilarious travels investigating the tea trade, from its' beginnings in Canton to the present day. A MUST for anyone who loves tea - and I'd rate Mr. Goodwin's writing style on a par with Pico Iyer's. A good read, full of humour and information...



2. I read this book when it first came out, and I really loved it. I still refer to the facts I learned within; just last week I was explaining Lapsang Souchong to an Irishman. I was left feeling that I knew Mr. Goodwin, and contemplated finding him and making him my husband, primarily so we could travel together.

2 comments about Twilight in the Forbidden City.

1. Johnston's book Twilight in the Forbidden City (1934) describes his experiences in Beijing and was used as a source for Bernardo Bertolucci's film dramatisation of Puyi's life The Last Emperor. He was portrayed by Peter O'Toole in the film.
   
   This book describes the last of the Manchu Dynasty whose power had been crumbling for nearly a hundred years due to foreign wars and internal revolts and China lay helpless at the feet of foreign powers.
   
   Today with rapid its economic leaps forwards and a place in the UN Security Council and its huge powerhouse of an economy - China is on its feet again. The days of the Manchu's are a distant memory and the army of courtiers and eunuchs that you that serve the emperors of the middle kingdom are long forgotten.
   
   The book is fascinating as it takes on back to a bygone age and culture. However everyone needs to read this book to understand the China that was. Only from its past can one understand the China today in its true historical perspective.
   
   The book is great if you are of Chinese heritage or if you are just thinking of visiting china or just interested in history of this ancient land and its people.



2. You may have heard that "Twilight in the Forbidden City" is the book that Bernardo Bertolucci's movie "The Last Emperor" is "based" on. If at all, however, this is true only with regard to the first part of the movie (the book was published in 1934, just as Pu-Yi had ascended the throne of "Manchukuo"), and actually, the book should not be read or understood in this limited sense at all. Primarily, this is the personal account of a British diplomat and scholar of the Chinese history, society and culture who, at some point in his career, was appointed to the (for a westerner: virtually unprecedented) position of tutor to China's last monarch. True, those who have seen Bertolucci's movie will recognize individual events described in this book, such as the emperor's birthday and wedding ceremonies (Bertolucci obviously used Johnston's description of the birthday rituals as a model for the spectacular coronation ceremonies at the beginning of the movie - as Johnston had not yet been made tutor at that point, he could not give an eyewitness account of that event), and Johnston's constant battle with the corrupt and reactionary palace eunuchs, as best exemplified by the fight over the emperor's glasses (without which Pu-Yi arguably would have lost eyesight before long).
   
   But Johnston's book is not merely a biography of the emperor. Rather, it is an account of the last period of the Manchu empire, and of the Chinese society in the second half of the 19th and the first decades of the 20th century. In addition to the author's personal impressions gained inside and outside the imperial palace, up to and including Pu-Yi's dramatic flight from the Forbidden City in 1924, which ultimately ended in the Japanese legation, the book also renders Johnston's view of the role of the major foreign powers at the time (Japan, Russia, the U.S., Germany and, of course, his native England), and the emperor's predecessors and their politics, such as the powerful empress dowager Tzu-Hsi (named "the Venerable Buddha"), the reform attempts of the unfortunate emperor Kuang-Hsü (which earned him, at the age of 28, lifelong humiliation, imprisonment and ultimately death in a tiny and windowless building within the imperial palaces), the Boxer Movement, and the brief and likewise unlucky interlude of the reign of Pu-Yi's father (Kuang-Hsü's brother), Prince Chun.
   
   Johnston was a monarchist and fiercely loyal to Pu-Yi personally, so don't expect him to treat any of the popular movements which ultimately brought the monarchy to an end with much sympathy or at least, objectivity. He probably also underestimated the dangers to China (and the Manchu dynasty) growing out of the emperor's re-installment as ruler of "Manchukuo" at the behest of the Japanese. In fact, the very title of this book is designed to reflect its author's hope that, like the "Rising Sun" symbolized by the Japanese emperor, the Chinese monarchy would soon rise and shine again. Equating the 12 years between the establishment of the Chinese republic in 1912 and the emperor's expulsion from the Forbidden City in 1924 to a "twilight" period and the 10 years following it to the night, Johnston dedicates the book to Pu-Yi "in the earnest hope that, after the passing of the twilight and the long night, the dawn of a new and happier day for himself, and also for his people on both sides of the Great Wall, is now breaking." In the book's introduction, he again emphasizes that "there is a twilight of the dawn as well as a twilight of the evening" and that the dark period witnessed by China might "be followed in due time by another twilight which will brighten into a new day of radiant sunshine."
   
   This, of course, is not the only prediction where history has proven Reginald F. Johnston wrong. His analysis of the role of some of the key players of the time, for example that of the empress dowager Tzu-Hsi, is likewise not undisputed; and he himself has not remained without criticism, either (even at the time of its publication, a major purpose of the book was to defend his actions and view of the facts). The book must therefore be read with a grain of salt. But few westerners of his time had a knowledge of China equaling his, let alone his opportunities to observe and gain insights within the imperial palace. That, in itself, makes his account a compelling read.
   
   Also recommended:
   The Last Emperor - Criterion Collection
   From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi
   Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China
   Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi
   The Cambridge Illustrated History of China (Cambridge Illustrated Histories)

2 comments about Tibet (Footprint Travel Guides).

1. Tibet Handbook with Bhutan, by Gyurme Dorje (Footprint Handbooks, Bath, England, 2nd edition 1999, 952pp plus maps).

   The greatest strength of this book is that it is the only guidebook to give a substantial account of all parts of the Tibetan plateau, both inside and outside the so-called Tibetan Autonomous Region. For that reason it is, despite its conspicuous faults, indispensable for the traveller to Tibet whose itinerary extends beyond the familiar lands of central Tibet. The book is not to be confused with "Tibet Handbook" by Victor Chan.

   "Tibet Handbook with Bhutan" is a guide to all Tibetan regions governed by the People's Republic of China, with additional chapters on Bhutan and the Kathmandu valley of Nepal. It would have been useful to include the Tibetan borderlands in Nepal and north-west India Ä although it is no doubt expedient politically to imply that no part of Tibet lies outside the territory China governs.

   At 650 grams, the new edition (paperback) is almost twice the weight of the first, hardback, edition - a curious development for a travel guidebook.

   The book includes useful background information about Tibetan religion, iconography and history. The bulk of the book deals with the regions of the Tibetan plateau by devoting a section to each one of the 158 counties into which the People's Republic of China divides it. This approach turns out to be surprisingly intelligible.

   There is extensive information about religious places, and buildings and their contents. There is much less information about other matters such as topography, agriculture, educational facilities, military establishments, and political structures. It is as though, in a way, those things belong to a different Tibet.

   The book enjoys the benefit of the author's experience as a scholar and tour guide. It also suffers the limitations of that experience, and is often short on practical details for the independent traveller. It is written in a concise style that betrays no trace of personality.

   The second edition has been expanded considerably, mainly with valuable information about counties where information in the first edition was inadequate. Unfortunately, the author has not taken the opportunity to check the much more extensive material carried over from the first edition. If he would make time to do that, he would find innumerable internal contradictions within the text and between the text and the often wildly inaccurate small county maps. Almost any numeral, particularly distances, should be treated with suspicion. The relationship between the county population figures and those in the 1996 edition show impossible fluctuations; they go unremarked, but indicate that at least one of the sets of figures is worthless, and perhaps both. The inherent confusion in the existence of both Tibetan and Chinese names for the same places demands a consistency of usage in a guidebook which this one does not quite manage to attain.

   An indispensable book, with the scope to become much better.




2. This book provides a more profound insight into Tibet for those interested in Tibetan culture, trekking and adventure travel, than the others that are on the market. It is the most comprehensive guide- uniquely including the vast eastern regions of Kham, Amdo and Gyarong, as well as Ngari and Utsang. The book avoids the traditional steriotypes of Tibet and includes much information directly translated from original Tibetan sources as well as data derived from more than 50 fieldwork expeditions and trips in Tibet. The author, Dr Gyurme Dorje, is a Tibetologist, who has been involved in Tibetan studies for over 30 years, and has authored several books on diverse aspects of Tibetan culture. His handbook has the advantage of being continuously updated.

No comments about In the Realm of the Gods: Lands, Myths, and Legends of China.

1 comments about Gobi: Tracking the Desert.

1. The author's somewhat standard travelogue visit to Mongolia is escalated to excellence through two key things: the detail he provides about a little-documented country, and the insight that bridges Western concepts of society and natural beauty with those of Mongolia.

   It may help a great deal to be interested in Mongolia or Central Asia before you pick up this book, but if you have even the slightest interest in the area Man will draw you in completely. While at first you might consider reading the book to learn about Mongolia without going there, Man paints in this blank corner of most people'e world view so well that you wish for much more contact with the country and its people.

1 comments about China South Map.

1. This series of maps is the best that I have seen for China for westerners. I suspect that their maps for other areas are just as good!

2 comments about Astronomy and Mathematics in Ancient China: The 'Zhou Bi Suan Jing' (Needham Research Institute Studies).

1. An eminently readable, entertaining, and fascinating look at a premier text of ancient Chinese science. Cullen provides an excellent analysis of this important document, including its history, authorship, and meaning. The diagrams are clear and crisp, the writing cogent and witty. You can't go wrong with this one.



2. Don't let the title fool you. This is not just about China, this is about the human condition. Someone with an imagination should have worked on the title and given it a bit more excitement. I almost skipped reading the book because the title seemed so dry.

   I read this book twice and will probably read it, again. The author's presentation is simply masterful. Step by step, he recreates the setting and background for the book's creation and utilization. In fact, he walks the reader through about 2000 years of 'uses' that people found for the book. According to Cullen, this classic was probably a gift to a Chinese emperor and then dumped in a back room for 200 years. It was only when political circumstances changed and an 'old' book might be valuable that it was 'rediscovered' and rendered useful.

   For anyone interested in the practice of ancient astronomy, Cullen goes into great detail on the tools and practice of Chinese astronomers from about 3000 BC to the arrival of Jesuits in 1600. For anyone interested in Chinese political history, Cullen explores imperial Chinese history in a way that simply makes one want to read much, much more. For anyone interested in ancient Chinese record keeping, Cullen offers practical advice on what to make of the 'documents' we moderns discover.

   I hope they make this a paperback so that it can get wider circulation. What is commonly called 'the history of math' is often embarrassingly western (ethno-centric). This book offers a means of correcting that unfortunate state of affairs.

1 comments about Travelers' Tales China: True Stories (Travelers' Tales Guides).

1. What is China? Reduced to facts and figures, China is amazing and overwhelming. 1.3 billion people live within its borders. Almost 4 million square miles in area. A history stretching back countless millennia. A modern history filled with catchphrases and people with instant recognition: Mao, Tiananmen, Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping. Its economic and political system defy conventional analysis--a totalitarian, self-proclaimed Communist state increasingly open to market capitalism. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of books have been written on China ... travelogues, fiction and non-fiction about its history, its culture both modern and ancient. Yet, despite all the numbers and facts, the "real" China seems quite distant. The question remains: What is China?
   
   Travelers' Tales China takes a different approach. Rather than tackling China at the macro-level (an impossible task), it attempts to portray China through a mosaic of stories, some quite mundane, some quite profound; all wonderfully written and vivid in their description and imagery. The writers' perspectives are ideal for the task: as travelers they are confronted by the perpetual travelers' paradox. As the outsider, they are distanced from their subject. Quite often, this detachment is self-imposed, other times it is brought upon by outside forces. However, this detachment is coupled with a curiosity, an eye for detail, a hunger for meaning extended to a degree that would not be sought had they insider status.
   
   Most books on China that I have seen are like a photograph taken on a day with a blinding sun. The subject is blanched by the extreme illumination, shadows are banished, yet the scene is still oddly unclear. Paraphrasing the Dao De Jing, the China that can be told of is not the true China. By attempting to consciously capture China in words, what comes into focus is not the subject but the author. In contrast, the Travelers' Tales is like the scene on its cover. By inviting shadows, allowing ambiguity, and eschewing overt commentary, the book does not describe China--it BECOMES China. Perhaps it is just the "Travelers' China," but even this is a better outcome than most other books I have seen.