A Thousand Pieces of Gold: Growing Up Through China's Proverbs [Hardcover]

Adeline Yen Mah (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 2002

"A Thousand Pieces of Gold" is a cultural memoir as well as a personal account of China's past, illustrated by proverbs taken from a fascinating period of history when China was ruled by the First Emperor, Qin Shihuang (259- 210 B.C.E.), the sovereign who united China, built the Great Wall, and standardized the Chinese language.

"New York Times" bestselling author Adeline Yen Mah combines fascinating historical insights with personal stories from her own life to show the enduring relevance and influence of proverbs in Chinese life, even to the present day. Yen Mah recreates a lost world in which warlords, scholars, and courtiers plot and counter-plot to create some of the world's greatest dramas. Her unique perspective creates a window into the Chinese mind, enabling Western readers to better comprehend Chinese thought and culture, while being mesmerized by stories first told by the legendary historian Sima Qian, China's Herodotus. Combining probing historical analysis with stories of tremendous personal insight, "A Thousand Pieces of Gold" is a work of heartfelt intimacy and a singularly authentic portrait of Chinese culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As she related in her memoir, Falling Leaves, Chinese-born writer Yen Mah has earned her sense of victimhood. She was resented and punished by her family for the death of her mother during childbirth. With the deaths of her brutal father and stepmother, Yen Mah ended her quest for filial love. Though this new work discusses events and themes similar to those of Falling Leaves, it is largely free of the mawkish notions of what family life should be like that burdened that work. This leaves the current book with more room for what many readers will find more enlightening: the history and use of Chinese proverbs, which she traces to their origin in the ancient writings of Sima Qian, China's venerable historian and chronicler of the great power struggles that crippled the Middle Kingdom's first dynasty 2,200 years ago. Yen Mah recalls points in her life where Sima's poignant proverbs resonate. Descriptions of the early emperors' extravagance and sadism are both repulsive and captivating, and make for sometimes interesting comparisons with the battles fought by Yen Mah in her privileged but cruel home. More often, though, the disparity between the tyranny imposed upon the Chinese peasantry and the disloyalty and neglect endured by the author tends toward self-pity. Many of the digressions into Yen Mah's personal history relate her childhood relationship with her estranged elder brother, who has not spoken to her since her first memoir was published. These passages make the book read at times like a desperate letter the author should have written to him.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Mah, best-selling author of Falling Leaves (1998), brings an abiding love of Chinese proverbs to this collection. She draws parallels between the ancient proverbs and their application as well as evocation by historical and modern figures in Chinese politics--Chiang Kai-shek in the 1930s, Mao Zedong during the Vietnam War, and everyday Chinese citizens in that nation and abroad. Mah recalls the proverbs of legendary Chinese historian Sima Qian (145-190 B.C.E.), which were delivered to her by her beloved grandfather. She combines these proverbs with her own personal reflections, memories of growing up, and eventual understanding of the significance of the proverbs to her personal life and the history of China. She notes the deep connections between Chinese culture and its history: "A Chinese view of the world is highly dependent on the lessons learned from our forebears." And that wisdom is often rendered in proverbs. Readers interested in Chinese culture and proverbs will enjoy this collection as well as the broader perspective Mah offers on Chinese and Western life. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1 edition (October 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060006390
• ISBN-13: 978-0060006396
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,398,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Chapters in Chinese History Brought Together, August 31, 2003

By 

Kevin Freibott (Spokane, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Thousand Pieces of Gold: Growing Up Through China's Proverbs (Hardcover)

Having just read her other book, "Falling Leaves", I was instantly struck by how well the two books go together. Anyone who has read "Falling Leaves" and loved it should read this book. In it she ties ancient and recent Chinese history together in an enjoyable and approachable way while including more detail from her own life.

I have read many other books on China. Most of them have been dry and unexciting. This book, however, brings Chinese history to life and applies it to the modern world. Finally I understand why Mao Zedong and the first emperor of China are so often compared. Yen Mah brings it all together and binds it with proverbs that I well remember hearing from my own travels in China.

If you are a student of Chinese history, or you're simply curious, definately read this book. It will bring you in and give you a unique insight into not only China of the past, but China now and in the future.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice read for a "guai low", December 29, 2003

By 

TEO HWEE LIANG (Corvallis, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Thousand Pieces of Gold: Growing Up Through China's Proverbs (Hardcover)

I'm an overseas Chinese. I tried reading this book through the eyes of a "guai low" (foreigner) to see if it was a book that would open the eyes of the westerner to the thoughts of a Chinese.

If you aren't Chinese, grew up in a western civiliation, and want to try to understand something about how the Chinese think, this is a great introductory book.

What I felt could have been done better is the explanation of the proverbs (cheng yu). I feel strongly about this possibly because Chinese proverbs has defined my life and values. Then again, that might have made the book unnecessary lengthy and boring.

There are 3 stories in this book. That of the first emperor of China - Chin Shih Huang, Mao Ze Dong and the author herself. All 3 are important stories.

Kudos to the courage of Adeline. Only another Chinese can understand what it took to write her books.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Purchased my mistake but I like it., July 28, 2006

By 

Wayne (MD USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Thousand Pieces of Gold: Growing Up Through China's Proverbs (Hardcover)

I purchased this book by mistake thinking it was the Thousand Pieces of Gold by Mah. Each chapter is based on a Chinese Proverb with analogies between Chinese historical events and the author's life. Some attempt is made to equate some of these proverbs to English sayings, such as Pearl Harbor, some with more and some with less success. We generally don't go around saying "... a Pearl Harbor ..." or "... a Kennedy Assasination ..." as the book seems to imply. The book itself is a good reading from an historical perspective with explanations of how Chinese think. BTW my Chinese wife has not heard of some of these proverbs which makes me question their modern usage but then again China is a country about the same size of the US with a lot more people and the culture varies by province (changing though).