China - The Land And The People

A very large country, a very short book title, and a heroic attempt to explain the gap between the two.

China – The Land and the People (Evans Brothers, 1984) by D. C. Money is one of those cheerfully ambitious volumes that looks at the world’s most populous nation and says, “Yes, I can summarise that, thank you.” Geography, history, agriculture, industry, cities, villages, deserts, rice fields, pandas, and the odd political shift – all bundled into a neat, educational package that would very much like you to pay attention.

This is classic 1980s “serious but approachable” non-fiction, the sort of book that comes with carefully labelled photos and maps determined to prove they have seen actual atlases. Inside you’ll find:

• Landscapes doing the full range: mountains, plateaus, plains, rivers that don’t know when to stop, and climate zones that appear to be competing for variety points.

• People in cities, on farms, in factories, all politely asked to stand still for a photograph that will explain “modern China” to puzzled Western readers.

• Economy and society, described in that studiously calm tone that says, “A great many things are happening; here are some charts.”

• Just enough history and politics to stop you thinking this is purely about rice yields and river systems, but not enough to trigger a late-night seminar.

It’s the kind of book that wants you to come away saying, “Ah yes, China, a complex country of striking contrasts,” while quietly hoping you noticed its excellent double-page spread on the Yangtze.

This copy is brought to you by Crappy Old Books, in proudly stated Condition: Good, which in our carefully calibrated, totally scientific grading scheme means:

• The laminated cover (or dust jacket, depending on issue) shows light to moderate shelfwear: small rubs, a faint scratch or two – more “school library veteran” than “ancient relic from forbidden archives.”

• The boards are straight and sensible, sturdier than several of the bridges in the photo section.

• The pages are clean, intact and gently mellowed to a soft off-white, the bibliographic equivalent of “light Beijing haze” rather than “lost in a monsoon.”

• Expect minor corner bumps, possibly a school stamp or a very serious previous owner’s name – these are classified as authentic educational patina and come at no extra cost.

ISBN: 0237507323, for cataloguers who like their global overviews neatly barcoded.

Recommended if:

• You’d like a pre-internet, pre-smartphone snapshot of how we tried to explain “China” in one book before we all started arguing about it online.

• You enjoy maps, charts and photographs that quietly shout, “Look! Geography is interesting!”

• You want something that sits comfortably between textbook and travelogue, and doesn’t require you to pretend you understand every dynasty since the Shang.

China – The Land and the People: one earnest attempt to capture a continent-sized country in a single, well-illustrated volume – now in pleasantly timeworn but trustworthy Good condition, ready to occupy a disproportionate amount of understanding on your bookshelf, just as the real thing does on the map.

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