In the years since the death of Mao Zedong, interest in Chinese writers and Chinese literature has risen significantly in the West. In 2000, Gao Xingjian became the first Chinese writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature followed by Mo Yan in 2012, and writers such as Ha Jin and Da Sijie have also become well known in the West. Despite this progress, the vast majority of Chinese writers remain largely unknown outside of China. This book introduces the lives and works of eighty contemporary Chinese writers, and focuses on writers from the "Rightist" generation (Bai Hua, Gao Xiaosheng, Liu Shaotang), writers of the Red Guard generation (Li Rui, Wang Anyi), Post-Cultural Revolution Writers, as well as others. Unlike earlier works, it provides detailed, often first-hand, biographical information on this wide range of writers, including their career trajectories, major themes and artistic characteristics. In addition to this, each entry includes a critical presentation and evaluation of the writer’s major works, a selected bibliography of publications that includes works in Chinese, works translated into English, and critical articles and books available in English. Offering a valuable contribution to the field of contemporary Chinese literature by making detailed information about Chinese writers more accessible, this book will be of interest to students and scholars Chinese Literature, Contemporary Literature and Chinese Studies.

The book provides highlights on the key concepts and trends of evolution in History of Place Names in China, as one of the series of books of “China Classified Histories”.

Every populated place, however small, has a name, and every name is chosen for a reason. This fascinating dictionary gives the history, meanings, and origin of an enormous range of country, region, island, city, and town names from across the world, as well as the name in the local language. It also includes key historical facts associated with many place names. Place-names are continually changing. New names are adopted for many different reasons such as invasion, revolution, and decolonization. This dictionary includes selected former names, and, where appropriate, some historical detail to explain the transition. The names of places often offer a real insight into the places themselves, revealing religious and cultural traditions, the migration of peoples, the ebb and flow of armies, the presence of explorers, local languages, industrial developments and topography. Superstition and legend can also play a part. All this fascinating detail is included in the Concise Dictionary of World Place Names. In addition to the entries themselves, the dictionary includes two appendices: a glossary of foreign word elements which appear in place names and their meanings, and a list of personalities and leaders from all over the world who have influenced the naming of places. Containing over 10,000 names, from Aachen to Zyrardów, this is a unique and fascinating guide for geographers, travellers, and all with an interest in current world affairs.

Handbook of Contemporary China is a convenient reference in one single volume that offers comprehensive overviews of crucial cultural dimensions and key institutions of China. The Handbook covers a wide range of topics including: development model, politics, society, law, population, ethnicity, foreign relations, environment, urbanization, higher education, religion, literature, cinema, leisure and consumption, and internet and society. It is the first of its kind in the field of China Studies that traces the historical evolutions and profound transformations over the last three decades that ultimately allow China to achieve global ascendance. Offering a multi-disciplinary and multi-faceted coverage of the seachanges of the Chinese reform, the Handbook is lucidly written and concisely presented to serve as a handy guide for both professionals and the general public to gain a quick and reliable understanding of the complexities of China.Contributing experts include Guobin Yang (Columbia University), Kevin Latham (London University), Fulong Wu (Cardiff University), Bin Liang (Oklahoma State University), Kam-yee Law (Hong Kong Institute of Education), Xiaogang Wu (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Zhongdong Ma (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Barry Sautman (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Simon Shen (Hong Kong Institute of Education), David Palmer (University of Hong Kong), Yok-shiu Lee (University of Hong Kong), Carlos Wing-hung Lo (Hong Kong Polytechnic University), Anna Ka-yin Lee (University of Hong Kong) Ka-ho Mok (Hong Kong Institute of Education), Li Wang (Zhejiang University), Ling-tun Ngai (Chinese University of Hong Kong), and Rui Zhang (Central Academy of Arts).

Graduate students have traditionally learned a good part of what they know about sources and research aids on modern China through hearsay and serendipity, in unsystematic and unreliable bits and pieces. The field has now developed to the point where this need not and ought not to be so. It is now possible for beginning researchers to start with some shared basic knowledge of research aids and documentary resources. This research guide is meant to provide that knowledge. The user of this guide is envisaged as an American graduate student in history or the social sciences who is already familiar with the major English-language secondary literature on modern China and is about to begin original research, either for a seminar paper or for a dissertation.