China: Empire of Living Symbols - Cecilia Lindqvist

[Zhuru]

大家好,

My first post on this forum - exiting

Just wanted to give a quick review on a book I recently read.

China: Empire of Living Symbols by Ceclia Lindqvist is a very interesting book for all who want to know more about the origin of the chinese characters. This book has been translated from swedish to many languages, including chinese. I read the dutch version of this book and although there were a couple translation errors, it was a fluent and pleasant read.

The book is divided in several sections which focus on a particular topic like the human body, landscapes, animals, agriculture, housing, tools, weapons and so on. In each section the origin of a number of characters is explained. This is done by looking at the old inscriptions in bones and bronzes. The book is filled with beautiful photographs that clearly illustrate how the characters came to live.

An example: There is a whole section devoted to musical instruments. 鼓, the character for drum, shows a drum on the left side and a hand with a stick or hammer on the right. In the book there is a picture of an old drum (take a look here) from the Shang-dynasty, which clarifies what the left part of the character portrays. Moreover, the book includes a lot of cultural notes: it explains why the drum took a central place in chinese cultural life and thus why the pictograph of a drum can be found in a lot of characters.

In short:

This book is an introduction to the etymology of the chinese characters. But above all, it provides insight on the chinese culture and history. I found this not to be a educational textbook, but a pleasant read for on the road or in bed.

[Luobot]

Great, informative review. I would probably never have noticed or considered this book, but it's now on my (overly long) wish list.

[liuzhou]

Strangely, the US Amazon site lists the book at $85.95 and the UK site at £85.75!

Sum Misteak Shurely!

[Luobot]

Sum Misteak Shurely!

Indeed. You must have been looking at the gold plated edition.

List Price: $25.00

Sale Price: $16.50

"& eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25."

See this Amazon link.

[liuzhou]

Well, I was looking at the hardback edition, but what really got me was, although both very high, the disparity between the US and the UK prices. $85.95 should be around £44, not £85.75!

That said, it wasn't long ago that Amazon UK was listing Lin Yutang's "Moment in Beijing" for a cool £162.40. It cost about ¥30 in every branch of Xinhua Bookstore. I was just about to set up an export service (discounted to £151.99 (plus postage)) when they changed it.