If you are willing to know a little more about the roots of Chinese culture, I would recommend the following eight classics. These books may offer the explanations, in my opinion, about the country’s rises and falls in history.
1. 鬼谷子 Guiguzi – by Guiguzi (522 – 476 B.C.). This book is about diplomatic strategy.
2. 论语 Analects – by Confucius (551 – 479 B.C.). It tells the way to rule a nation.
3. 老子 Laozi – by Laozi (571-471 B.C.). Taoism – the laws of all societies.
4. 孙子兵法 Art of War – by Sunzi (544-496 B.C.). A classic military text.
5. 水浒传 Tale of Water Margin – by Shi Naian (1296-1370). This novel details one hundred and eight outlaws who cannot bear injustice or abuse during the Sung dynasty.
6. 三国演义 The Three Kingdoms – by Luo Guanzhong (1330-1400). This classic presents historical episodes about the 96-year-long battles among the three kingdoms for the supremacy of China, from 184 - 286 AD.
7. 西游记 Journey to the West – by Wu Chengen (1506-1582). This Chinese mythological novel narrates the adventures of a priest Tang Seng and his three disciples, Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand, as they travel west in search of Buddhist.
8. 红楼梦 Dream of Red Mansion – Cao Xueqin (1715-1763). A well-known love story embodies on a portrait of Chinese feudalistic civilization.
Have you read any of the above?
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