Discover GEEO’s recommended books to read before you travel to China. Our book club is a way for travelers to learn through literature about the places they’ll be visiting.

These are some of our favorites about China, so if you’re heading there, take a look (the GEEO book club is not a required element of our programs, just a bit of added fun)! We hope you will enjoy the books we have selected and they will enhance your experience.

You should be able to find most of our selections through the links below and in your local library system as well. Do you have any feedback on our selections or suggestions for additions? Contact us and let us know!

Recommended books to read before traveling to China:

Fiction:

• To Live: A Novel by Yu Hua (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

Nonfiction:

• China: A History by John Keay (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China by Peter Hessler (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

For those looking for more suggestions, here are some other books you may want to consider:

Fiction:

• Empress Orchid by Anchee Min (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Flowers of War by Geling Yan (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

Nonfiction:

• When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs and Money in the Age of Sail by Eric Jay Dolin (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Search for Modern China by Jonathon Spence (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices by Xinran (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory by Peter Hessler (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Yin-Yang American Perspectives on Living in China edited by Alice Renouf and Mary Beth Ryan-Maher (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

GEEO utilizes both Bookshop.org and Amazon Associates links for the above-suggested books. If you purchase a book through one of the links above, you’re supporting us as a nonprofit and helping more teachers travel through GEEO!