China Complex: From the Sublime to the Absurd on the U.S.-China Scene

By Shouhua Qi. Paperback. 230pp. ISBN-13: 9781592650798.

In this insightful narrative, Dr. Shouhua Qi, part of a new generation of scholars whose life experiences in China and the West serve as the basis for an acute analysis of cross-cultural perceptions, weaves literary and cultural criticism together with journeys across history, time, politics, and popular culture. The result is a both a highly cogent and deeply personal account of the nature of U.S.-China relations at the dawn of the 21st Century.

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Sisters of Heaven. China's Barnstorming Aviatrixes: Modernity, Feminism, And Popular Imagination In Asia And The West

By Patti Gully. Paperback. 416pp. ISBN-13: 9781592650750. B/W photographs

In the late 1930s, as the world moved closer to war, three Chinese women defied gender perceptions by becoming pilots. Driven by a fierce independent spirit, they realized their dream of flying, completed barnstorming goodwill missions across the Western hemisphere, and captured the imagination of all those whose lives they touched. They were Hilda Yan, once China’s representative at the League of Nations; Li Xiaqing, known as film actress Li Dandan before becoming China’s “First Woman of the Air;” and Jessie Zheng, the only commissioned female officer in the Chinese Air Force. In a story almost forgotten to history, Patti Gully’s exhaustive research delves into the personal lives of these women, uncovering their fascinating personalities, loves, passions, and above all their overwhelming sense of patriotism and duty. In a time when no Chinese woman could even drive a car, these aviatrixes used flight as a metaphor for their own freedom as well as a symbol of empowerment.

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In the Footsteps of the Yellow Emperor: Tracing the History of Traditional Acupuncture

By Peter Eckman, M.D. Paperback. 278pp. ISBN-13: 9781592650743. B/W photographs

Acupuncture now enjoys immense popularity as a major form of alternative healing in the West. Once considered mysterious and exotic, acupuncture dates from before the first century BC and the Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor’s Internal Classic), one of ancient China’s earliest philosophical and medicinal texts. What makes it so popular today? How did the traditions of acupuncture evolve, migrate, and adapt to different societies worldwide? Dr. Eckman's search for knowledge makes this book essential in the study of the healing traditions of Asia and how they came to be adopted in the West

My China Eye: Memoirs of a Jew and a Journalist

By Israel Epstein. Hardcover. 360pp. ISBN-13: 9781592650422. Color and B/W photographs.

This sweeping, 80-year memoir is the last work of veteran journalist Israel Epstein (1915-2005), one of the very few Western writers to experience the Chinese Communist Revolution firsthand. Born in Poland and raised in China, Epstein served as a war correspondent from the front lines of the Chinese War of Resistance against Japan, as well as during the Communist-Nationalist struggle. Inspired by the immense social revolution taking place, Epstein took Chinese citizenship, only to be imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution. During this dark period, Epstein found his ideals challenged in ways he never imagined, yet his lifelong struggle for social equality has never wavered. This powerful memoir resonates with some of the 20th Century's most turbulent years.

Yao Ming: The Road to the NBA

By C. F. Xiao. and Philip Robyn (trans). Hardcover. 260pp. ISBN-13: 9781592650026.Color and B/W photographs.

This is the first book-length biography of basketball sensation Yao Ming to appear in the English language. Drawn from original sources in English and in Chinese, this book provides a fascinating and highly detailed look at Yao's childhood and rise to prominence BEFORE he came to the NBA, covering his years with the Chinese Basketball Association and Chinese Olympic Team. By portraying Yao as representing the vanguard of a new generation of technically proficient young sports stars, C. F. Xiao also shows how Chinese professional sports endeavored to re-invent itself in the decades following the Cultural Revolution.