Chinese Literature

Lu Xun (1881-1936) was born in Shaoxing, in the province of Zhejiang, China. He came from a scholar-official family and by the age of six had begun studying the ancient classics. Regarded as the founder of contemporary Chinese literature, Lu Xun used the pen as a weapon to wage an heroic struggle against imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism. The rich heritage he has left behind is a treasure in the literature of the Chinese people.

Frontier opens with the story of Liujin, a young woman heading out on her own to create her own life in Pebble Town, a somewhat surreal place at the base of Snow Mountain where wolves roam the streets and certain enlightened individuals can see and enter a paradisaical garden. Exploring life in this city (or in the frontier) through the viewpoint of a dozen different characters, some simple, some profound, Can Xue's latest novel attempts to unify the grand opposites of life

"The Most Frugal of Men" is a funny story about masters of frugality outperforming each other; "The Moon-Cake" about the dangers of asking for a cake that would resemble the moon; "The Ladle that Fell from the Moon" tells about the witty attempt to confound an elderly scammer; "The Young Head of the Family" tells about a father being outwitted by his daughter-in-law; and "A Dreadful Boar" tells how a poor old woman could defend herself of an elf that met her in the form of a wild boar, threatening to devour her granddaughter.

Stream of consciousness with beat writing in a satirical, Gothic, noir and Zen setting.

Chinese Yankee by Ruthanne Lum McCunn tells the true story of Hong Kong born Thomas Sylvanus (Ah Yee Way), an orphan brought to America for schooling in the mid-1850s, but enslaved in Baltimore. Only sixteen at the outbreak of war, Thomas ran north, joined the Freedom Army, and was blinded in the first major campaign. He failed to fully recover his sight and, deemed incapable of performing the duties of a soldier, was discharged.

>Lin is excited about the possibility of a promotion, but her coworkers warn her that Marco, the manager, is aggressive and has a particular weakness for Asian women. She's pretty sure she can handle him, but the interview is more difficult than she thought. In fact, it isn't long before Marco's cock is pushing its way into her little Chinese throat and soon after, into her tiny, tight untouched asshole for a very rough first anal sex experience.

Ming Da is only nine years old when he becomes the emperor of China. His ministers take advantage of the boy emperor by stealing rice, gold, and precious stones. But Ming Da has a plan. He orders his tailors to make him “magical” new clothes that only honest people can see. Can Ming Da outsmart his ministers and save his country?

Driving home after being kicked out of college, Tucker meets and picks up the mysterious Corinne Chang at a rest stop. Infatuated, and with nothing better to do, he ends up with her in St. Louis, where he gets a job as a chef in a Chinese restaurant. Even though he’s a gwai lo—a foreign devil—his cooking skills impress the Chinese patrons of the restaurant, and his wooing skills impress Corinne when she joins him there as a waitress.

Meet Carter Kovac disgraced art dealer turned reluctant, bumbling private detective. After inheriting his famous father's detective agency, he immediately becomes entangled in a mysterious web of intrigue and murder--and the police think he's the culprit. Or they'd at least like to pin it on him, as that'd save a lot of time.

A collection of 15 beloved Chinese myths, legends, and folktales that are rich in tradition and culture. Each story transports the listener back to ancient times and is filled with excitement, adventure, magic, and laughter.

Laila knows how clever, kind, and funny her Mama and Baba are—but sometimes they need her help translating things from English. With English classes being too expensive, Laila decides to become her parents’ teacher, even though she’s just learning the language too. There’s lots that Laila knows (like you don’t pronounce the t in ballet) but there’s so much she doesn’t know too. Together, they embrace the joy and struggles of learning a new language.

Mei is a young Chinese American girl filled with curiosity about her family’s history in Washington, D.C. Delving into their tales of courage, hope, and resilience, Mei explores the strength and spirit that unites her Chinese heritage with her American identity. Then Mei finds herself at a rally against Asian hate and she realizes that it is her time to make a difference. Armed with the inspiring stories of her ancestors and backed by the unconditional support of her family, Mei takes center stage to start an empowering chant, “We are American, too!”

Sophie’s work on the Chinese booth at last year’s Rainbow Fair is a point of pride for her and her parents, even if Sophie and her best friend, Katie, think the whole thing is a little silly. Sophie's family is Hui, Chinese Muslim. The Muslim part is something she doesn't know much about. Her parents prefer to keep it private. So when it gets slipped to an overenthusiastic teacher that Sophie is Muslim, the only Muslim in her class, suddenly Sophie is in charge of debuting a booth representing the Islamic religion she doesn't practice, an assignment she is determined to keep secret.

Fifteen-year-old Kate lives a rarefied life of wealth and privilege in the pre-war Hong Kong expatriate community, but when the Japanese invade she’s interned in squalid Stanley Camp with her parents. Enduring cramped conditions, humiliation, disease, and starvation, Kate befriends seventeen-year-old Charles, who is half Chinese, and they give their hearts to each other under the orchid tree. Meanwhile, forty miles away in Portuguese Macau, thirteen-year-old Sofia’s suspicions are aroused when her father invites a Japanese family to dinner.

Vivian Yin is dead. The first Chinese actress to win an Oscar, the trailblazing ingénue rose to fame in the eighties, only to disappear from the spotlight at the height of her career to live out the rest of her life as a recluse. Now her remaining family members are gathered for the reading of her will, and her daughters expect to inherit their childhood home: Vivian’s grand, sprawling, Southern California garden estate. But due to a last-minute change to the will, the house is passed on to another family instead—one that has suddenly returned after decades of estrangement.

Spring 1939 - Dashing young William Burton and the beautiful Constance Han set sail from London on the same ocean liner to Hong Kong. Connie is intrigued by Will’s talent for writing poetry, and as romance blossoms she offers to give him Cantonese lessons to help him with his new job — a cadet in the colonial service. But once in Hong Kong, Connie is constrained by filial duty towards her Eurasian parents, and their wish for her to marry someone from her own background.

Half rabbit shifter, half warlock, Leveret Wong can help anyone who comes into his magical bakery with sleep inducing raspberry buttercream and scones to make a person fall in love. The only person he can't seem to fix is himself. Eliot Rand, the dog shifter of the Chinese Zodiac is sick of living under the harsh rule of the stars. He wants nothing more than to take back control of his life by rejecting his Fated Mate once and for all. Everything is going as planned, up until he starts working with the sweet, nerdy, funny, yet damaged and touch adverse rabbit shifter.

"Stories of Making a Fortune" collects dozens of stories about making a fortune, allowing more listeners to enjoy good stories, read good stories, appreciate good stories, cherish good stories, and spread good stories.

Love is a pure and sincere emotion. Cupid may be blindfolded, yet it continually finds its way into people's hearts. Love, in essence, is recognizing others' "self" as one's own. Love is the enrichment of life, much like a cup brimming with wine. What matters is love, not being loved.

This collection gathers the finest pieces from the "Appreciation of Foreign Literature" column. It includes works by influential contemporary writers from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia, and Japan, with a focus on the United States and Japan.