Customer Reviews

Mandarins, Jews, And Missionaries: Jewish Experience In The Chinese Empire

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* Me: I'm someone interested in serious, semi-academic books about Jewish history. I'm not someone looking for a James Michener book, but I'm not some equipped to critique Pollak's scholarship. * The book: This is a wonderful, well-written book that seems to discuss every old reference to the Jews of China in just about every language. It seems to give every known detail about the lives of China's Jews. Because China's Jews were one of the peoples of the "Silk Road" (the collection of ancient trade routes that linked China with Europe for many centuries), the book is also a pretty good introduction to the history of the Silk Road. * Who for: I think this book might be especially useful to anyone interested in Central Asian history; Jewish history; or extreme Jewish genealogy (i.e., the DNA testing folks). It could also be the basis for a pretty fine martial arts movie.

This one definetly one of the best books available with regards to the history of the Jews of Kaifeng. Pollak writes a convincing and yet entertaining piece of history that is sure to educate all its readers.