The Old Regime and the French Revolution

The Old Regime and the French Revolution

by Alexis de Tocqueville（translated by Feng Tang） The Commercial Press， August 2012

More than a hundred years after its first publication， The Old Regime and the French Revolution has suddenly found wide circulation and popularity with Chinese readers. The book was written in French by Alexis de Tocqueville， a celebrated political philosopher of French nobility.

When the book was first introduced to China by Commercial Press in 1992， only 2，000 copies were printed. However， at the beginning of 2013， the prestigious publishing house pressed an additional 200，000 copies， not including editions produced by other publishers for the Chinese market.

The books recent popularity surge can be attributed to Wang Qishan， who recommended it when discussing corruption with eight scholars shortly after he was elected to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 18th CPC Central Committee last November. “Many of our scholars tend to read material on the post capitalism era， but I believe we should read more about the early stages of capitalism，” he asserted at the meeting. “The Old Regime and the French Revolution is one title worth a look.”

Of course， rather than the books depiction of the French Revolution two centuries ago， Wang values it for the authors writing style and assertions such as “judging facts is the prerequisite of determining values”， “revolution doesnt necessarily break out because people are living on the edge of survival”， “revolutionaries sow dragons teeth and harvest fleas，” and “hope contains the greatest danger.” Contrasting todays mainstream attitudes about revolution， such ideas naturally inspire readers to contemplate modern Chinese reality. Clearly， publishers didnt mind the CPC leaders unintentional favor. Thanks to his recommendation， the title has become one of the years first bestsellers.

（Text by Wang Yongqiang） The second volume， from a global perspective， reflects on democratic politics and market economies with an eye on the integration of rebellious culture and social movements， repeatedly raising questions related to the changing times and how to shape the future.

Zhang Tiezhi， a Taiwanbased political and cultural critic， is a popular columnist whose work is syndicated by major media outlets throughout Taiwan， Hong Kong， and the Chinese mainland. He currently serves as editor-in-chief of Hong Kongs City Magazine， and his books include Sound and Fury and The Noise of Time.

Time Is Changing

by Zhang Tiezhi Guangxi Normal University Press， January 2013

Flexing the intelligent and rational critical writing style that characterized his previous work， author Zhang Tiezhi challenges established political， commercial， and cultural power structures and stresses the importance of personal struggle and participation in the changing of times with his new book， which is broken into two volumes. The first volume is devoted to review and commentary on the democratic progress of Taiwan and its contemporary social problems， with particular focus placed on the arduous path the citizens of Taiwan have traveled in social development， in hopes of dispelling Chinese mainlandersmisunderstandings about Taiwan from the perspective of a participant as well as a researcher.

Answers to Unexpected Questions

by Scientific Squirrel Society and Its Friends Published by Zhejiang University Press， September 2012

A compilation of the popular “Dr. You” column has been published as a book. Most articles were submitted by readers from all over the world. So， Dr. You， who is never daunted by any question， was jointly created by readers. Dr. You is especially good at dealing with standard tough questions， such as： Why do familiar words sometimes become strange？ Why does tea sink after its chewed？ Why do bath bubbles pile up and spin？ Readers will find answers to these questions and many others in the book.

The question-answer so- licitation is a long and complicated process involving about 15 to 20 staff members. The society includes its own science jury. Serving on the jury are doctoral students and scientific personnel from top global universities and research institutes specializing in physics， chemistry， biology， medicine， engineering and other subjects.

However， Dr. You is not the first of its kind in China. Before “him”， the most influential similar book in the country was A Hundred Thousand Whys， written by a former Soviet scientific writer， which deeply influenced a generation with new and bizarre questions coupled with humorous and surprising answers. Dr. You was also greatly influenced by the Last Word column in the British magazine New Scientist.

Not for Happiness： A Guide to the SoCalled Preliminary Practices

by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche （translated by Yao Renxi） Publishing House of Shenzhen Press Group， January 2013

Preliminary practice is a system of spiritual exercises that forms the foundation for Buddhist Dharma meditation and involves all essentials for finding enlightenment via the Vajrayana path. Not only is it foundational for novice Buddhists， the tenets should also be followed by practitioners throughout their life. In addition to practical approaches， the book highlights inspirational wisdom of the Dharma and the importance of spiritual cultivation， providing fresh and invigorating insight to kindle and fuel Buddhist awakening.

The first practical guide by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche， the book provides detailed illustrations of every step of sadhana （spiritual exertion towards enlight- enment） as well as the doctrine behind the practice.

Born in Bhutan in 1961， Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche has earned global acclaim for his efforts to preserve the tradition and teachings of Tibetan Buddhism， and is recognized as one of the most creative Tibetan Buddhist gurus of the younger generation. For decades， he has remained active in the promotion of the religion by establishing learning centers， providing financial aid to practitioners， publishing sutras and classics， and traveling around the world to teach. He also wrote and directed two award-winning films with Buddhist themes： The Cup （1999） and Travelers and Magicians （2003）. His third movie， Vara： The Blessing， is coming soon.