In Praise of Things Chinese

Suzanne Williams' Made in China (Pacific View Press, $18.95) is a small, compact hard cover, but its 48 pages are stuffed with information about the many modern-day devices that were invented in China. Most people know that silk originated there, but what about seismographs -- instruments that record the intensity and duration of earthquakes? And who knew that one of the earliest naval explorers was Chinese?

Each invention is explained with a page or so of precise text, accompanied by useful illustrations and small boxes of additional "neat facts." One example: ancient crossbows were not used just as weapons, but were applied to shoot cables across canyons to begin bridge building.

The inventions and inventors are not presented in a vacuum, but are contextualized with simply written information on Chinese history and culture. The book opens with two essays on early Chinese society and provides a timeline of the dynasties.

Made in China uses vocabulary suitable for a younger audience, but the amount of information on each page might overwhelm some unpracticed readers. Alternatively, with full instructions for group activities such as paper making, the book would make an excellent teaching resource.

Red Eggs & Dragon Boats (Pacific View Press, 48 pages, $16.95) is a beautifully illustrated, large-type book dealing with how the Chinese celebrate five of their main festivals. It explains the traditions behind such celebrations as the Lunar New Year and the Dragon Boat festival, as well as offering small sidebars showing the Chinese characters for each event's name and describing some of the surrounding lore.

Besides explaining why many Chinese hang characters on their door frames, or why dragon boaters throw food into the water, Red Eggs provides an opportunity for reader participation. Chinese recipes are listed in the back and offer a delightful way to learn a few cooking techniques and practice chopstick use. Adult supervision is recommended for most activities, which nonetheless are enjoyable enough to keep supervisors engaged.

The two books are sold separately, but, taken together, they make for a colorful, informative and fun way to learn about the traditions and achievements of one of the world's oldest civilizations. -- By Alysha Webb

This is the fourth year that Ku's work has appeared daily in the English-language China News, plus spots in regional publications. Memoirs of a Love-Hate Relationship with Taiwan (Classic Communications Co., 253 pages, $11.50, paperback) showcases her 200 favorite pieces, organized into 17 chapters from elections to women's issues. Even China Airlines is not safe from Ku's wit. After she depicted a welcoming committee fleeing a runway after catching sight of an approaching CAL plane, a pilot wrote in demanding an apology. How do we know this? Ku, 30, includes readers' responses next to the offending cartoon in a chapter titled "Hate Mail."

Each drawing comes with an explanation, making it easier for those unfamiliar with Taiwan to understand the humor. Not that everyone thinks the locally born, U.S.-educated cartoonist funny. Some editors find her "too sarcastic" and many readers resent her blunt criticism of their homeland. "Local people are generally not comfortable with my lampooning Taiwan," Ku says. "Since my cartoons are in English, they say 'You're introducing the bad side of Taiwan to foreigners.' It's a loss of face for them."

Her favorite target is President Lee Teng-hui, who has his own chapter in the compilation. "He's the head of everything, the chairman of everything -- he's what makes Taiwan tick. I have to draw him," she explains. Also a regular target: Taipei's bungled public works projects, such as the corruption-plagued mass rapid transport system.

"You never run out of ideas in Taiwan," she says. "It's such a good place to be a political cartoonist. I mean, if I were in Hawaii, what would I draw?" What indeed. -- By Laurie Underwood