Reading Recommendations / What are you reading?

[Shun]

Dear learners of Chinese,

@Ledu suggested a new "What are you reading?" thread for the forums, so I'll make a start.

My current choices are:

• The Chinese translation of Walter Isaacson's «Steve Jobs» biography. I had read the English original before. I like Steve Jobs’ view of the world and his clear, conscious thinking and original approaches. It may not be the best book to learn about Steve Jobs’ thinking ("Becoming Steve Jobs" or "The Bite in the Apple" are better for that), but it appears to be the only Steve Jobs book that has been translated into Chinese so far.
• The Chinese translation of Richard Phillips Feynman’s «Surely You're Joking», a highly entertaining book, as it gives a very personal account of his life as a physicist and person with a broad range of interests. He describes some of his struggles and solutions to his struggles, so it is definitely interesting not only for (aspiring) physicists.
• The Chinese Communist party's Wang Huning's «美国反对美国» or «USA vs. USA». It's great to see the American economic success story of the late 1980's through a very Chinese lens, written by a discerning, introverted party member. I heard that this book still is recommended reading for party members today. The language is of course more Chinese than that of the two translated books above. I think there's a lot to learn about both Chinese thinking and the U.S. from reading this book.

To revive my Old Chinese skills, I'd love to read the Shuihu Zhuan / «The Water Margin» later on, with the help of an English translation (it's written in the vernacular of the time). I liked its style of narration a lot, it feels very modern despite its age. Considering China's immense history, one would miss out if one were to read modern texts only.

Water Margin - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Two principles I try to follow:

• Read as relaxedly and quickly as possible, as long as you understand the basic message. This will create more of a flow and sustain your interest in the text more.
• Don't look up any words while reading something for the first time. Let intuition fill in any gaps of meaning created by unknown words. Look over the text again a day later to find words you think you should study at the present time.

I know reading Chinese works differently for everyone, and everyone's favorite topics differ, but I'd estimate that at least 20% of all recommendations of others should later turn out to be useful.

Cheers,

Shun

 

[BiGF00T]

@Shun nice idea and great books.

I'm currently 3/4 through the first book of
三体 (三部曲之一）
I don't dare to try reading classics in Chinese because all my Chinese is self-taught and therefore quite modern and colloquial. I have little knowledge about classical stuff except for what you'd hear in a 红楼梦 or 西游记 tv series.

If China has any more scifi authors or books, I'd be interested to hear because after I have finished the trilogy, I'll be out of Chinese books and equipped with lots of new vocab.

I attempted to read my book twice now and stopped in the middle because life was busy and I had too many distractions. Now that I picked it up again, it goes quite smoothly. There are lots of new words I learn and whenever I find them repeated or useful, I add them to my list of flashcards.

 

[Shun]

Thanks for your points.

Old Chinese (from about 2,500 years ago) isn't that hard to learn, even though its syntax and grammar are very different. Maybe just a little bit of it can help, but present-day Chinese is already plenty interesting for Western readers.

I second your way of adding new flashcards. For sci-fi, maybe a Chinese translation of one of Stanislaw Lem's books would be a worthwhile read? I'm not that familiar with contemporary Chinese authors.

 

[James1673]

I agree its fascinating to see Western topics through a Chinese lens. I did a search on Amazon for Chinese ebooks about Western history or culture and picked up one called 欧洲文明十五讲. Somewhat academic but a great read for me so far.

 

[Shun]

Thanks a lot for this recommendation! I found it. Chinese schoolbooks on Western things may be highly useful, as well.

 

[Akizhuzhu]

A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality
凡人修仙傅
Autor: Wang Yu
Protagonist: Han Li
Genre: Xianxia
Original: Online-Serial in Qidian
There is an English translation available, and the first round-about two hundred chapters have been turned into a movie series live-action by Youku, often titled The Immortal Ascension

I started with Youku, then bought the English translation - the novel has something like 2450 chapters.

 

[Shun]

Hi Akizhuzhu,

thank you for the lovely recommendation! I also like looking back into worlds of yore. Is it somewhat (if only slightly) comparable to «The Witcher»?

Enjoy,

Shun

 

[Akizhuzhu]

Hi Shun,
since I have not read The Witcher, I turned to ChatGPT and got the following comparison:

Good question. Short answer: only superficially comparable. Structurally and philosophically, they are quite different.

Let's look at this rigorously.

⸻

The Works Themselves

A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Author: Wang Yu
Genre: xianxia (cultivation fantasy)
Core theme: survival + long-term self-cultivation toward transcendence

The Witcher

Author: Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: dark Slavic fantasy
Core theme: moral ambiguity + destiny + human relationships in a decaying world

⸻

Surface Similarities

You could say they share:
- A pragmatic protagonist
- Political and dangerous environments
- Magical systems
- Female companions of consequence
- Long narrative arcs
- Moral grey zones

But these similarities are structural, not philosophical.

⸻

Core Philosophical Difference

Han Li
- Survival first
- Emotional restraint
- Attachment is liability
- Long time horizon (near-immortality)
- Self-development > relational entanglement
- Calculated risk
- Power accumulation through discipline

Han Li is fundamentally a cultivator of self.

His relationships are secondary to progression.

⸻

Geralt of Rivia
- Emotional complexity
- Attachment central to identity
- Destiny binds him
- Time is finite
- Relationships define him
- Moral entanglement unavoidable

Geralt is fundamentally a man defined by relationships.

His emotional life drives the narrative.

⸻

Treatment of Love

This is where the divergence is strongest.

In The Witcher:

Love is tragic, destabilizing, and central.
Geralt and Yennefer are repeatedly torn apart and drawn together.
Attachment shapes identity.

In A Mortal's Journey:

Love is secondary.
Romantic bonds exist, but cultivation dominates.
Attachment is often risk, not destiny.

Han Li does not define himself through romantic entanglement.
Geralt does.

⸻

Time Structure

This is critical.

Han Li operates in a cosmology where:
- Lifespans stretch centuries.
- Emotional decisions can be postponed.
- Patience is strategic advantage.

Geralt operates in:
- Mortal time.
- Political urgency.
- Historical collapse.

Han Li plays infinite chess.
Geralt navigates moral chaos in real time.

⸻

Emotional Tone

Witcher:
- Existential
- Romantic tragedy
- Melancholic
- Relationship-driven

Mortal's Journey:
- Strategic
- Ascetic
- Forward-leaning
- Power-driven

⸻

Why You Might Feel a Connection

Given everything you've shared, Han Li likely resonates because:
- He is self-contained.
- He does not chase attachment.
- He prioritizes internal development.
- He does not collapse under emotional pressure.

Geralt, by contrast, suffers visibly.
He is emotionally entangled.

You seem to identify more with cultivated autonomy than romantic fatalism.

⸻

Deeper Archetypal Difference

Han Li = Daoist archetype
Geralt = Tragic knight archetype

Han Li seeks transcendence.
Geralt endures human limitation.

Those are fundamentally different mythic structures.

⸻

Final Assessment

Comparable at genre level?
Yes.

Comparable at psychological depth?
No.

One is about survival through detachment.
The other is about meaning through attachment.

 

[Shun]

Hi Akizhuzhu,

Loving it! These LLMs, like ChatGPT, always do an excellent job at analyzing fiction. I could probably identify more with Han Li than with Geralt, because individual aspirations suit me better.

I see if I can get to the book through the Qidian app and see what its original language is like.

Enjoy, Shun