Category: China
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The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan
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I was rather impressed by how quickly I was reading Peter Frankopan’s *The Silk Roads*—until I realised I’d picked up the younger readers’ edition! Reading it while travelling through Kyrgyzstan, I loved how this accessible history connected the dots between China, India and Central Asia’s great empires, cultures and trade routes.
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1000 Years of Joys and Sorry by Ai Weiwei
After nearly six weeks travelling through China, I had fallen in love with the country. But Ai Weiwei’s *1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows* confronted me with a very different perspective: generations of persecution, personal sacrifice and the consequences of questioning authority. A compelling memoir that complicated my affection for China.
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A Hero Born by Jin Yong: My First Kung-Fu Novel
My first venture into kung-fu fiction was a surprising delight! Reading A Hero Born by Jin Yong while travelling across China, I loved its epic storytelling, historical intrigue and connections to Genghis Khan. The elaborate martial arts moves took some getting used to, but what an adventure!