Montgomery is uniquely qualified to write this text. He is a lawyer, theologian and human rights specialist who has taught at the International Institute for Human Rights, Strasbourg, France. The text takes as its point of departure the Tiananmen Square massacre. Montgomery was in China at the time of the massacre. He begins with the basic press reports and then adds his own personal observations about the events. Montgomery then proceeds to outline and analyse the Marxist approach to human rights and highlights some fundamental weaknesses with it. Montgomery then explores the contribution of Chinese religion to the shape of China as a nation - folk religion, Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist thought. This sets the tone for assessing why in the history of China Tiananmen Square is not necessarily an aberration. That is, the pre-Marxist beliefs in China did little to empower human dignity and promote human rights. The author then traces the place of Christian thought in China from earliest contacts up to the present time. He indicates weaknesses with the Church's unfulfilled mission in China up to the advent of Mao. He then sketches a solution to the human rights problems of China based on a transcendent perspective for grounding human rights. This text builds upon two other works of Montgomery in the field of human rights. The text is very readable and does not require a legal background to follow his thesis. All in all, a highly readable book written by a passionate defender of human rights who happened to be in China when that momentous move towards democracy was repressed.

Glass Painting in an Afternoon offers new ideas in glass painting techniques. Mickey Baskett lists and defines the basic materials necessary for the craft. He explains, in detail, the procedures that make your projects a look like a pro! Many of his projects appear intricate, but are suitable for a beginner. The diversity of his art impressed me. Many similiar books stick to one style of painting. Baskett offers traditional, modern, natural, stencil-work, and imaginative designs. I paint on glass for a living and found fresh ideas to incorporate into my own artwork. If you are looking for something fun to do on the weekend and enjoy crafts, you will like this book. Becareful! You may get hooked!

This is a wonderful little book. I have used it as a language teaching text for many years. The selections are very short, originally written in Chinese for Chinese readers and thus neither watered-down nor designed to illustrate this or that dreary rule of linguistics. One can be really creative in teaching with this text.

I have also found it useful in a workshop I teach on the art of translation. In addition to translating chapters of novels and short stories, we use these mini-selections as quick exercises in which everyone in the class translates exactly the same thing: then the students criticize each other's work. Since these little gems are fully and accurately annotated, we can thus concentrate our attention on the art of translation and not worry unduly about the meaning of the text.

I recommend this book highly. I enjoyed the Dayton Art Institute show on which it is based, but missed having archeological background on the show placards. The photography in the book is excellent, and for the tiniest artifacts, it's actually easier to see them in the book than in the show. Every article in the show is also in the book. Production quality is very high. The text narratives are by serious scholars, mostly Chinese or hyphen-Chinese, and the English translations are fluent and idiomatic.

Having been to several Silk-Road shows and having read several books on the subject, I've reached the point where I'm impressed by how much we don't know about the silk road--authorities disagree, and everyone uses different names for the same place. Perhaps it's time for a definitive study?

This book will encourage and edify anyone seeking to walk in holiness before the Lord. Miss Bertha's account of God's amazing work in China is sure to bless anyone seeking the Lord Jesus with all their heart. Miss Bertha's life and simple faith in "Holy God", as she followed and obeyed Jesus is convicting and strengthening for any true believer. The book is a "must have" for a Christian's library. I plan to read this book many times over!

Brother David takes experiences from the mythical to the literal in his captivating autobiography, God's Smuggler to China. As you read through the pages of his biography you will find your emotions surfacing in ways you have never known. His passion in spreading the gospel hovers over every chapter as his tramp continues through what is known as todays largest mission field and perhaps the most dangerous. As his heart is burdened to get the word to those in need he is combated by the present dangers luking nearby. You will "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those that weep," as you pray for those who are persecuted and the enemy at their side. This is an inspired work you should not pass up!

A moving biography of the most successful individual missionary to China, Jonathan Goforth. They could make a movie out of the Goforth's amazing and hair-raising escape from the Boxers alone. The couple saw much, suffered much, and accomplished much, with the help of God. I put the book down feeling a bit guilty, but greatly inspired.

Goforth's story is also important for what it says about the relationship between repentance in the church and success on the mission field. Why has the church in China grown so spectacularly in the past few decades? Goforth of China represents a missing link between the Great Awakenings in America and the spread of the Gospel in Korea and China. In my opinion, revival beginning with repentance in the church has been one of the four or five keys to the success of Christian missions around the world, and potential missionaries could no better than to study this book for that reason. (Others are redemptive analogies -- read Eternity in Their Hearts for That -- what I call "Rescue Evangelism" -- Chasing the Dragon -- and medicine and education -- take your pick.)

The tale is told by Jonathan's wife, Rosalin, and their affectionate and mutually-respectful partnership over decades of working together in China makes the book something of an understated love-story as well.

Author, True Son of Heaven: How Jesus Fulfills the Chinese Culture (d.marshall@sun.ac.jp)

The paperback edition is unbelievably priced at less than $20 for 584 pages of high quality paper with every photo printed in full color. The editorial reviews says it all. But I just wanted to add that looking at the diversity of artifacts (many of which look surprisingly strange) in the early periods of China's history further I'm further convinced that the modern Han people came from the merging of many ancient cultures.

Many readers--not just history buffs--will find The Golden Ghetto: The American Commercial Community at Canton and the Shaping of American China Policy, 1784-1844 fascinating and enlightening. Jacques M. Downs' comprehensive study of American merchants involved in the China trade during the first sixty years of U.S.-China relations, published in 1997 after a lifetime of exhaustive research, is now the definitive work on this topic. The Golden Ghetto is divided into three sections: (1)an account of the American community at Canton [or Guangzhou] under the restrictive Canton System established by Chinese officialdom to buffer the Central Kingdom from the potential harm of foreign activity and influence; (2) a detailed study of American firms and some 200 merchants involved in the China trade over six decades; and (3) an exploration of the path to the first Sino-American treaty--the 1844 Treaty of Wanghsia [Wangxia] negotiated by lawyer, politician, and diplomat Caleb Cushing after the Opium War (1839-42). Focusing on individual actions and attitudes--which Downs has culled from a wealth of sources including letters, diaries, and company histories--his presentation takes on a personal tone, occasionally reading more like a novel than a work of history. At the heart of his account is American trade in tea and silk, and increasingly in opium in the early 19th century. Downs does not mince words in condemning opium traders regardless of their nationality and the deleterious effects of the opium enterprise, but at the same time he explains how opium trade profits came to form the financial bedrock of the foreign community at Canton. He argues persuasively that American merchants with direct personal experience in China, and to a lesser extent missionaries, had a significant influence on official U.S. China policy. Readers familiar with U.S.-China relations in the 20th and early 21st centuries, and in particular with the proliferation of American business interests in China in the past two decades and with the political implications thereof, will find that Downs' study resonates with contemporary as well as historical relevance.

Grace Services book is not only an amzing account of an important period in modern Chinese history, it is also an important personal, first-hand account of how foreigners worked and lived in pre-liberated China. Set during the late Qing and early Repebulican period, the book tells the story of a family who goes to China committed to serving the Chinese people and how they stand strong in that commitment through wars, civil unrest, and personal tragedies. This book is a must for anyone interested in the pioneering spirit that led foreigners from around the world to settle and live amongst what most westerner at that time (stupidly) considered an "uncivilized" people. The book is made more vivid through detailed historical and personal footnotes added by Grace's son, the noted dipolomat and "China Expert" John S. Service. A wonderful contirubtion to history and a wonderful read!