Customer Reviews

Five-Fold Happiness: Chinese Concepts of Luck, Prosperity, Longevity, Happiness, and Wealth

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm 2nd generation Chinese-American, and this book is like an encyclopedia to my heritage! I've bought copies for all of my 2nd generation friends. My sisters are using this book to help them teach their children about these fundamental principles of Chinese culture, which otherwise may have been forgotten. Another Chinese-American friend of mine (who grew up in Taiwan) said that she learned so much from this book; many of the Chinese idioms she heard all of her life are now explained, with great accuracy in context and origin. Even my parents (who are from China) were impressed with this book's comprehensive coverage and accuracy. It is also aesthetically striking, from the beautiful cover, to the photos and drawings on nearly every page which complements the storytelling perfectly. What an amazing compilation!

I bought this book without the slightest beginning knowledge of Chinese culture or history. I just thought it looked interesting. Now, I can tell anyone who is interested in this type of book that it was wonderfully illustrated, extremely easy to understand and intensely knowledgeable and helpful. I am in awe of all the "little" things about Chinese history and culture, and this book goes thoroughly through all of it's promised categories with ease of understanding and helpful information.

This is a quick reading book, but is also a very helpful reference tool. I now know what not to give/not give as a gift, and I even know why! It is helpful in what to surround yourself with or others, your home, business, gift giving or for different types of lifestyles or happenings. Five-fold Happiness is a great gift for anyone of any age, or a wonderful read for yourself. I think that anyone who begins this book will finish it over and over again.

Enjoy and Learn!

Ever look at the art around your favorite Chinese restaurant and the designs on the plates, and wonder if they have a hidden meaning? They do. And Five-Fold Happiness beautifully shows and clearly explains it all. What a reference! Read this, and dazzle your friends with your insights next time you go out for lo mein.

This is a beautifully constructed book: the glossy, thick paper of each page assures long shelf life, the traditional character typeset and calligraphy would make it easy for elders to read with a magnifying glass; the illustrations and photographs are simple and relevant to the text. The irony of all of this is that the Chinese text is printed in red on a white background in most of the pages in the book: it is a malicious breach of "courtesy" in Southern Chinese culture: red ink on white is only used for funeral-related situations or if you wish the recipient death. Less than one-quarter of the book has the "chapter" topic calligraphed in Chinese. The body of the text in English seems to be a relatively simple overview of each topic. However, I wish the author would have included the specific Chinese characters when she included proverbs or other "words" in PinYin. She assumes that one can read all of the Chinese characters provided or all of the English with a clear ear or understanding of PinYin. I do not believe that she reaches the illiterate, foreign-born Chinese who could have found this type of book as a treasured reference or as an explanation behind an elder's "old-fashioned ways" or even as a stepping stone to pique further investigation. There are no references nor bibliography. It is graphic eye-candy for pre-teens and best one that I've found as an introductory teaching tool.

I initially bought this book for my non-Chinese boyfriend, but as I was looking through it, I found it interesting to read myself! A lot of things I did as a matter of fact were explained really well in there, and some things that I didn't really understand were also elucidated. While it is not broken up into sections as I would put it, I would still give this five stars for its conciseness, its clarity, and its completeness. I LOVE it because there is also Chinese, which allows me to look at the words in its original language (I can't always tell what is being said just by looking at romanized Chinese, for a milieu of reasons that any other Chinese person would know). Many of the expressions are explained using a more Northern Chinese taste, but still quite universally Chinese! Very good book as a reference and also a fast read. Interesting coffee table book too (if you keep books on your coffee table that is).

Vivien Sung has to be congratulated a million times: her book is a lesson of style, design, culture and - above all - the highest knowledge of art!

It is a little masterpiece I have now in my bookcase.

I liked this book so much I bought it for a friend as a gift. The explanations are helpful and done in easy doses for those of you who may use it for "educational" purposes. A real great reference done in a reader friendly format.

I love how this book has pictures of the symbols, description of what those symbols bring you (wealth, luck, happiness, etc) AND why the symbols carry their meaning. I have several Feng Shui books and also live in Hawaii. Hawaii has adopted a lot of traditions of all the cultures that live here including many Chinese Traditions. I know that certain things bring luck but was not knowledgeable in why. This book tells me why and I love it! I recommend this book to anyone interest in Feng Shui and/or the Chinese Culture and it's rich symbolism. I really love the fact that it is a very visual book with illustrations/pictures on almost every page!

I've read a fair amount on China and, although I've lived in 6 countries, I've not yet been to China, but am studying Mandarin. This book answered so many "Why do they do that?" sort of questions that I've had for years and provided delightful simple and engaging explanations of so much more. T

I picked up this book and found that many of the items in it are related to Feng Shui symbols and its origin. It's meant to give beginners a glimpse into the Chinese culture. It's bilingual with Chinese on one side and the English translation on the other side. The pictures are nice. I recommend it for beginners, but it is also a nice coffee table book.