This book goes back and forth from Ancient China to present day observations from the author about her life and the effects of Chinese proverbs throughout history and living in general.

A fascinating interweaving of Chinese history, Chinese language and personal memoir, which highlights the depth of culture that informs the experience and interpretation of contemporary Chinese events and decisions. It should be required reading for every American diplomat to China.

All I can really say is that it's breath taking.

Couldn't keep my interest. I loved Watching The Tree, though.

I read this sound the time it was first published, and the story has always stuck with me. Excellent read!

"... the renowned British poet Philip Larkin ... described Chinese proverbs as 'white dwarfs' of literature because each was so densely compacted with thoughts and ideas... He said that the enormous heat radiated by these small stars is equivalent to the vast knowledge and profound wisdom contained in certain sayings gleaned from China."

"General Meng Tian, who built the Great Wall, supposedly first invented the writing brush by binding rabbit or camel hair to a wooden shaft with string and glue and using pine soot as ink."

Ah yes, this is my favorite book by Adeline Yen Mah, I absolutely loved learning about ancient Chinese history and proverbs, it's like you're learning a whole new language! It's great! I highly recommend it!

Read while still in school and reread recently while on vacation to Taiwan and Hong Kong. A fascinating way of putting so much information into context for the unfamiliar reader and a great way to introduce yourself to Chinese history and culture. Adeline Yen Mah's writing is excellent and the story she has to tell is unique and engaging.

A Thousand Pieces of Gold: My Discovery of China's Character in Its Proverbs is fascinating blend of memoir and history written by Adeline Yen Mah the author of Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter.

‘The best proverbs come from our history ... Proverbs mirror the past to benefit the present.’

The author's stated purpose is to explain to Westerners the Chinese way of thinking through proverbs. I don't feel that she accomplished that goal. The book is a weird combinaition of Chinese history and snippets of her family story. The only connection that I could see between the family story and the proverbs was that her grandfather was interested in them. The "proverbs" are common sayings that mostly don't have the depth or moral instruction that I associate with proverbs. The history part is a re-telling of an ancient Chinese text which contains the source of these sayings and an exhaustive (and exhausting) narrarive of military and political warfare. It went on far too long for me. The author adds very little information about how the proverbs apply to modern culture. One exception, and the most interesting material, is about the Maoist era in which the author does draw some parallels with the ancient proverbs.

A Thousand Pieces of Gold is essentially a commentary of Sima Qian’s Historical Records, or 史記 (Shiji). The writing is, at times, extremely tedious and the personal testimonies are unnecessary, detracting from what could have otherwise been a very elegant book. Nevertheless I respect that it would have taken great courage and determination to write this book, and that the Author’s stories about why these proverbs are so important obviously matter to her even if the point is never properly made to the audience. There’s a loose thread in there somewhere, and the tapestry gets a little muddled. The stories matter less in the end then the history, and the history seems to matter more than the proverbs, and it only serves to make you wonder if Sima Qian pulled some of his penned phrases from The Odes or any of The Four Books.

The positives about this book are that it incites you to read and provides a greater understanding of Chinese history, and a cultural background, to those that might not understand that history is an ever-present being that never really falls into the past.

Didn't finish. Had to return ebook to library.