Further Reading

The source for most of the facts in this travelogue is "the Internet", but most of what I learned about China came, besides actually going there, from reading books. Here are four that I found especially insightful:

• Lost on Planet China, by J Maarten Troost. This one is easily the funniest to read. Like most up and coming travel writers, Mr Troost has been described as "the new Bill Bryson", and for once I think the comparison is appropriate. His book is never boring, at times laugh-out-loud funny, and gives you a real sense of being there. Heartily recommended.
• Serve the People, by Jen Lin-Liu. The author is a Taiwanese-American journalist who moves to China to, of all things, learn to cook. She writes about her journey, from Beijing's cheap street-side noodle bars to Shanghai's poshest restaurants and everything in-between, about succeeding as a professional cook with no formal training whatsoever, and about all the people she met on the way, interspersed with traditional recipes. Loads of fun.
• Modern China, by Rana Mitter. This one's tone is much more serious and less of a page-turner than the previous two, but it does a good job of succinctly comparing Chinese and Western society, highlighting both similarities and differences.
• When China Rules the World, by Martin Jacques. Again a serious book, which explores China's economic rise in its historical context, why China is likely to be the 21st century's dominant superpower, and what this means for the rest of the world. It is much more thoughtful and learned than its provocative title suggests, and while I'm highly skeptical of any 50-year political and economic forecast, it makes for a very interesting read.