The Chinese Looking Glass

I've been reading and rereading this book for thirty-five years. China from a personal yet objective point of view (British journalist married into an old Chinese family), this is quite simply the best introduction to the subject I know anything about. It is beautifully written, interesting and exciting from beginning to end, and certainly one of the most memorable books on China you will ever read. If you are only going to read one book on Chinese culture and civilization, this is the book to read. But, believe me, you will not want to stop with "The Chinese Looking Glass." Read Bloodsworth's book and you will be hooked on the subject for many years to come.

This is an excellent book for the person wanting to understand Chinese culture from an internal point of view. It helps explain why China's expirement with democracy didn't work and the country's attitude towards western culture. Although some of the information is outdated, it uses several thousand years of history to back up the author's assumption about Chinese attitudes and mores, including such controversial subjects as the Vietnam War and Japanese culture's debt to China. It covers such varied subjects as food, religion (or the lack of), clothing and technology and above all Chinese ideas about these subjects and the world around them.