China Law Blog

As I am a Chinese,I would like also to suggest the best book "Managing The Dragon" by Jack Perkowski.

For all people who would like to understand
more about doing business in China.

I strongly recommend this book!!!

The above list seems okay to me, though I would suggest at least one book written by a professional historian.

Maurice Meisner's book *Mao's China and After* (3rd edition) is the single best survey of P.R.C history available. Though not a business book, per se, it still has much to offer those hoping to better understand China's recent past. Meisner's book is a true classic that is frequently assigned to undergraduate students of Chinese history in many American universities. It's a useful alternative to other surveys (i.e., Jonathan Spence's *The Search for Modern China*) that devote most of their text to a discussion of pre-20th century China. Meisner's book provides the kind of historical context that the books in the list above do not.

As far as the list goes, I also highly recommend the books by Philip Pan, James Kynge, and Peter Hessler.

I have to disagree with at least half of the books on this list. The Best Ten Books On China for Business has to include, Chinese Business Negotiating Style by Tony Fang. Also, no real education on doing business in China is really complete without some literature covering the Cultural Revolution. Virtually all of the decision makers in China today were shaped by the CR or its after affects and you do business in China at your own peril if you do not understand how that seminal event shaped the psychology of your counter parts in China.

I like your list, and I very much like your blog. Your blog is informative and personal, and just plain well written.
I am familiar with most of the titles you've set down, but, confess to only having read Tim Clissold's Mr China, and that simply at the recommendation of a friend.
I'm not particularly drawn to reading books about doing business in China. Firstly, this is because I'm intrigued as to why it exists as a separate genre. Are there many lists of books about doing business in America as opposed to the rest of the world? (I don't know...perhaps in China.)
Secondly, and this is related to my first point, I find that a lot of books about China try to draw a list of similarities about "doing business in China" and it tends to perpetuate myths about it. Yet, I have seen many instances of Westerners in China operating counter to "type" and just reaching out on a personal level to their Chinese counterparts in a way that defies stereotypes, and succeeding.
I don't mean to denigrate from the books on your list, or even the whole exercise. As I said, I've a lot of respect for your blog.
All I mean to do is start to challenge our thinking of China as the "other" and accept that it is now the norm.
Doing business in China, or with China, is pretty much just going to be doing business.

Don Vong,

I too am a big fan of Jack Perkowski's, Managing the Dragon, and of Jack himself. And I almost put that book on the list. It really came down to Managing the Dragon versus Mr. China and it was a close call. Ultimately, I picked Mr. China over Managing the Dragon because Mr. China came first and is more of a classic. I think Managing the Dragon is as good as any book though in explaining how foreign-Chinese business gets done.

Ma Bole,

I thought about including a real history book, but then decided that would have to go in the next ten list. But definitely thanks for your picks.

Rick Switzer,

I completely agree with you re the Cultural Revolution (and history in general), but one has to start somewhere and a number of these books do cover the Cultural Revolution, particularly on how it impacts China today. In fact, if you go to the Forbes article itself, I list this very coverage as a reason for including a couple of these.

I also thought long and hard about including the book, Red Scarf Girl, which is easy and fast, yet fascinating and well written. In the end though, I just thought a book like that needs to go on a second top ten list.

Geraldine Johns-Putra,

Thanks for the compliments. Much appreciated. And thanks for being a reader. I agree with you that we should not view China as the other, but I also think virtually all of these books (because they are well written) actually help advance the idea of China not being "so much" the other. Just bay way of example, I defy anyone to read "Out of Mao's China" and/or "Chinese Lessons" and still argue there is one way to categorize "the Chinese."

Bob,

Great idea. I hadn't even thought of suggesting books that are popular in China. If I were to do such a list, I would also be sure to include "Unhappy China" as well.

This is the classic for me. Who knew Mao got his political start in 1919 with the help of an American Christian doctor from Yale? Spence is the man to read for background. Some of the above listed top ten are just embarrassing due to their subtle attitude of “why can’t they be like superior yet victimized me?” Of course, it IS easy to read too much history and let it make one to cautious.

To Change China: Western Advisers in China by Jonathan D. Spence
"To change China" was the goal of foreign missionaries, soldiers, doctors, teachers, engineers, and revolutionaries for more than three hundred years. But the Chinese, while eagerly accepting Western technical advice, stuck to their own methods and traditions. As a new era of relations between China and the United States begins, the histories in this volume will serve as cautionary histories for businessmen, diplomats, students, and other foreigners who believe China will change as Democratic countries so often do with each election.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=to+change+china&x=17&y=16

Just read Chinese Lessons. After living in China for a long time this book really had a story to tell. After you have read the business books and gathered first hand experience then this is my number one book.

Dan,

I would also add Brook Larmer's "Operation Yao Ming." It not only covers the very different paths Yao and Wang Zhizhi took in getting to the NBA, but also their family backgrounds all the way back to their grandparents - this lets Larmer give a good deal of background on twentieth century Chinese history (the section on Yao's mother's role as a Red Guard, and the impact this would later have, is intriguing). Larmer also provides details on the business experience of companies such as Nike and the NBA - how some of their assumptions about China turned out to be wrong, the role of having the right government allies paid off, etc.

Cheers, Jim

Mr. China is a good book. "Alibaba: The Inside Story Behind Jack Ma and the Creation of the World's Biggest Online Marketplace" and "Rupert's Adventures in China" are two others to consider. For more recommendations of books on China and other books by category visit http://apellicon.blogspo​t.com/2009/12/china-book​s.html.