Berkshire Encyclopedia of China (5-volume set, 2,800 pages)

Linsun CHENG

ISBN 10: 0977015947 ISBN 13: 9780977015948

Publisher: Berkshire Publishing Group, 2009

Synopsis

In five large-format volumes and nearly 1,000 expert-written articles, the Berkshire Encyclopedia of China provides unrivaled insight into Chinese history and culture today in nearly a thousand fascinating articles that include everything from Adoption and Banking to Wound Literature and Zhou Dynasty. China is changing our world, and Berkshire Publishing, known for its award-winning encyclopedias on a wide array of global issues including the award-winning six-volume Encyclopedia of Modern Asia, is proud to publish the first major resource designed for students, teachers, businesspeople, government officials, and tourists seeking a greater understanding of China today. The Berkshire Encyclopedia of China offers authoritative articles from well-known scholars in China as well as in the West, and it has been compiled with strict rules about balance and objectivity by a publisher committed to providing truly global perspectives that will empower 21st-century students, global citizens, and leaders in business and government. The Berkshire Encyclopedia of China does much more than cover the history of China. It is specifically intended to help students and professionals who need to improve their knowledge of the arts, belief systems, business, communications, demographics, education, law and politics, minority groups, natural resources, regional and international relations, social welfare, and technology. Within these categories, there are broad thematic essays, which serve as anchors or touchstones for the work as a whole, as well as short entries about the people, events, concepts, and material goods that are essential to understanding China. There are articles on important organizations and companies, as well as on sports, festivals, and other aspects of popular culture. And the encyclopedia brings up right up to the present, with information on blogging and Internet use, human rights, and overseas returnees (the sea turtles). It even looks to the future with articles on renewable energy and the 2010 World s Fair in Shanghai. The encyclopedia is also completely interdisciplinary in its coverage and organization. Contributing authors includes political scientists, sociologists, economists, anthropologists, geographers, historians, scientists, artists, educators, and other experts. Thanks to cooperation with many Chinese scholars based in China, the encyclopedia is the first major work also to cover China from the Chinese point of view. Succinct, accessibly written, and illustrated articles (500-3,000 words), each beginning with a short summary or abstract. Each article arranged so it can be copied or printed for individual use (up to 10 copies for a single classroom use at no charge for further copies, please make payments via Copyright Clearance Center). Page margins that make it easy to copy articles for classroom use on both US letter-size and international A4 paper. Article titles in English, Chinese characters, and a Pinyin transliteration with tone marks, and Chinese characters and transliterations in articles Up-to-date information that students and non-specialists can understand. Intelligent, insightful discussion of controversial issues. Articles about China in the world today, with a focus on its cultural, political, and economic relationships, military expansion, human and religious rights News-related coverage: social and environmental issues Food Safety, new communications and media Internet Use, Blogging, and topics relevant to the global economic crisis-Stock Markets, Beijing Consensus and Currency Valuation. Over 1,200 unique photographs Maps, timelines, primary source sidebars, and dozens of traditional proverbs. Ideal for writing papers. Ideal for general education about China. Useful for readers learning Chinese.

About this title

About the Author:

Linsun Cheng is the author of Banking in Modern China: Entrepreneurs, Professional Managers, and the Development of Chinese Banks, 1897-1937 (2003). Linsun Cheng is Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, USA and a research professor at the Institute of Economics, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. He has published numerous papers, in English and in Chinese, in academic journals and has translated many books and articles from English and Japanese into Chinese. He has also been the recipient of prestigious research fellowships, including an Asian Development Grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. In addition, he is a senior partner of China Strategies, a U.S. consulting firm specializing in business consulting on China.

Review:

At five volumes, this is possibly the largest publication in Berkshire's history. Arranged alphabetically, the nearly 1000 articles cover an extensive array of subjects as they relate to China. Among those explored are the country's history (both ancient and modern), politicians, architecture, food, international relations, and medicine. Varying in length from one to more than ten pages, the articles are thorough without being overly complicated. Titles are printed in English, Chinese, and a transliterated pronunciation of the Chinese word. The editors appear to have delivered on a promise in the introduction to minimize the cultural bias about various subjects. Most of the 300-plus contributors come from a variety of academic fields. One drawback is that the first page of each article has its text printed over a grayscale picture. Although attractive, this feature sometimes makes the pages difficult to read. BOTTOM LINE This insightful analysis of China may be a useful companion to David Levinson and Karen Christensen's Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. It could provide valuable information to anyone studying the country and is thus recommended to all public or academic institutions with an interest in China. [Purchasers of the print set get a free one-year individual license (or comparable discount from the institutional license) to a digital edition hosted by ExactEditions.com.] James Langan, Univ. of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Lib. --Library Journal

Gr 10 Up More than 300 experts in diverse fields cover key aspects of the country s past and present in 800 concise articles. Abundant photos, vignette drawings, proverbs, headings and parts of entries in pinyin and Chinese characters, and attractive layout more than compensate for matte (partly recycled) paper, occasionally inadequate maps, and missing color (available only in the online subscription version, which is free for a year with the purchase of the set). The editors have not skirted sensitive areas, including such topics as intellectual property, human rights, Tibet, treatment of homosexuals, and Internet filtering. Material on trade, industry, politics, and the like is almost as plentiful as that on history, geography, and culture. The material is generally readable and assumes little foreknowledge. Unfortunately, the list of articles that opens each book does not indicate volume numbers, and there are no in-text cross-references. There are a few caption errors (Suzhou is misidentified as Shanghai, for example) and minor indexing flaws. Overall, though, the achievement of this ambitious work is admirable, and the promise of online updating is heartening. Patricia D. Lothrop, St. George s School, Newport, RI --Library Journal, School Library Journal

Knowledgeably compiled and professionally edited by the team of Linsun Cheng, Kerry Brown, Winberg Chai, and Joan Lebold Cohen, this five-volume, 2800 page encyclopedic compendium of information features almost one thousand informed and informative articles contributed by outstanding scholars from China and around the world covering a complete spectrum of issues ranging from the geopolitical role of China in the modern world, to adoption practices, to the Zhou Dynasty, to it literary, artistic, religious, financial, and cultural contributions. The "Berkshire Encyclopedia of China" contains both comprehensively broad and thematic essays, as well as short categorical entries focused on people, events, organizations, festivals, sports, and all other aspects required for a sound understanding of China and its people. Of special note is the up to date information on China in the information age of computers, blogs, and the Internet. Of special note is that each individual article can easily be photocopied making it an ideal curriculum resource for classroom instruction. --Midwest Book Review

This first multi-volume multi-authored encyclopedia about China ever published outside of China offers exceptional complexity and outstanding content. It has super inclusions some eight hundred articles, and is written by more than three hundred well-known Chinese and Western scholars. The content is such that it discusses China years back, more than five thousand, and sometimes even more ancient than that. Every one of these articles is titled in English, in Chinese characters, with a pinyin transliteration, and with tone marks. Every article ends with a section titled: Further Reading. Accompanying them are more than twelve hundred photographs, all black and white, many maps, lots of tables, timetables, sidebars, and so much more. This invaluable five-volume reference set covers topics in the arts, belief systems, business, cuisine, and so much more. This is an important first, and accepting that, they plan to do one or more revisions over time. So do suggest items and ideas to them for future inclusion. Knowing the paucity of information about China, the publisher will allow ten copies of up to three articles for use in a single course or classroom. Furthermore, they have every article beginning on its own page, each one has adequate margins and can be copied on a standard-size page making it easy to copy and valuable as handouts. The Chinese consider odd numbers male, and though this is the last item and an odd number in this issue of items reviewed, it is a strong choice for you to consider as a wonderful holiday gift to yourself and to others. It is not intended as the tale that wags the dog, rather as the dog barking out saying purchase me! If I did not have a copy, thanks to the generosity of the publisher, it would be first on my gift to me holiday gift list. I know of no better present to enjoy, use, and pour over for the holidays and every day thereafter. - Jacqueline M Newman, editor-in chief of Flavor & Fortune, On Our Bookshelves review in the Winter 2009 Issue of Flavor & Fortune --Flavor & Fortune

Gr 10 Up More than 300 experts in diverse fields cover key aspects of the country s past and present in 800 concise articles. Abundant photos, vignette drawings, proverbs, headings and parts of entries in pinyin and Chinese characters, and attractive layout more than compensate for matte (partly recycled) paper, occasionally inadequate maps, and missing color (available only in the online subscription version, which is free for a year with the purchase of the set). The editors have not skirted sensitive areas, including such topics as intellectual property, human rights, Tibet, treatment of homosexuals, and Internet filtering. Material on trade, industry, politics, and the like is almost as plentiful as that on history, geography, and culture. The material is generally readable and assumes little foreknowledge. Unfortunately, the list of articles that opens each book does not indicate volume numbers, and there are no in-text cross-references. There are a few caption errors (Suzhou is misidentified as Shanghai, for example) and minor indexing flaws. Overall, though, the achievement of this ambitious work is admirable, and the promise of online updating is heartening. Patricia D. Lothrop, St. George s School, Newport, RI --Library Journal, School Library Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Berkshire Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0977015947
• ISBN 13: 9780977015948
• Binding: Library Binding
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 2800
• Editor: Linsun CHENG, University Of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Kerry Brown, Chatham House, Winberg Chai, University Of Wyoming
• Illustrator: Joan Lebold Cohen