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

adeline yen mah

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In this poignant memoir the New York Times bestselling author of Falling Leaves , Adeline Yen Mah, provides a fascinating window into the history and cultural soul of China. Combining personal reflections, rich historical insights, and proverbs handed down to her by her grandfather, Yen Mah shares the wealth of Chinese civilization with Western readers. Exploring the history behind the proverbs, she delves into the lives of the first and second emperors and the two rebel warriors who changed the course of Chinese life, adding stories from her own life to beautifully illustrate their relevance and influence today.

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,2002

This edition

Format
272 pages, Paperback
Published
September 16, 2003 by HarperOne
ISBN
9780060006419
ASIN
0060006412
Language
English

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About the author

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adeline yen mah

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Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 65 votes)
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65 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
bryanfuryz
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I've been checking out books on Chinese history for a while, but having had no awareness around key events and historical context, it all becomes a jumble of confusing names as an outsider. This book is a wonderful hook into Chinese history. It starts out with the sort of stories about history that you'd hear from your favourite teacher or a patient elderly relative, and then adds details layer by layer. The proverbs and how they apply to Mah's life are just icing on the cake.

Highly recommended if you want an approachable intro to Chinese history from the First emperor to the founding of the Han dynasty
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Naherth
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I have mixed feelings about this book and am giving it 3.5 stars. I loved the telling of ancient Chinese history through its proverbs aspect as well as the snippets comparing that history to Mao's era and today. I feel I came away from this book knowing more about China and factors that have influenced its people over the generations and interested to learn more. Where I lost interest was in her personal family outtakes. At first I enjoyed them and saw the value in continuing the explanation of the proverbs from her own life prospective but pretty soon it was evident that these were just a way for her to vent about her stepmother cutting her out of her will. She managed to bring almost every proverb back to this event some way or another and by the end I was sick of hearing about it. I haven't read Falling Leaves yet but am now hesitant to pick it up least it is just more of the same. At least in this book I had the excitement of another storyline full of murder, revenge, conquest and the shaping of China to break up the monotony of the 'I had an evil stepmother who denied me my inheritance" story.
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usernome
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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3.5*

So interesting! Just wished I’d read Falling Leaves first
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DI0XYD3
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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China

This is book on the history of China . It tells how this history affects how Chinese think I know several people from China. A fascinating history. I enjoyed it
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lights_blacK
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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While the decades of Chinese history begin to feel much the same after chapters and chapters of battles, schemes, usurping of thrones, and beheadings, the repetitive nature of the subject is no fault of the author, whose handling of her narrative structure is excellent. The way in which she interweaves her own life, the history of the First Emperor, and the history of Mao Zedong allows all three subjects to complement and support one another, giving the reader a strong sense of the circular nature of history and of the vast importance of their heritage to the Chinese mentality. Altogether, the book is an enlightening look at a subject many Westerners are all too unfamiliar with and certainly merits reading for the cultural exposure alone.
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Sapphiregleams
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Biography of an unwanted Chinese girl. Adeline is a real fighter. You won't only read her story, you'll feel it. One of my favorite books.
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BariBoyB
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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As someone who is fascinated with Chinese history, I love this book that delves into the origins of Chinese proverbs. Many of the proverbs are based on actual historical events, while others reflect universal human values. Yen Mah has created a great resource. I found her writing a bit tedious though, and have to confess I didn't read this book completely through. I will keep it as a resource though, because it references important linguistic features of Chinese that one encounters often while studying the language.
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mugwump
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Slow at times but full of history and Chinese proverbs. It was a really interesting blend of memoir and history. Some passages came alive better than others but good read nonetheless.
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