"There is no friend as loyal as a book," said  Ernest Hemingway and we couldn't agree more. And so we decided to cozy up under a thick blanket with a cup of hot tea and took a deep dive into the fantastic world of Chinese literature."

To live 活着 by YU Hua 余华

From the author of Brothers and China in Ten Words this celebrated contemporary classic of Chinese literature was also adapted for film by Zhang Yimou.

This searing novel, originally banned in China but later named one of that nation's most influential books, portrays one man's transformation from the spoiled son of a landlord to a kindhearted peasant. After squandering his family's fortune in gambling dens and brothels, the young, deeply penitent Fugui settles down to do the honest work of a farmer.

Forced by the Nationalist Army to leave behind his family, he witnesses the horrors and privations of the Civil War, only to return years later to face a string of hardships brought on by the ravages of the Cultural Revolution. Left with an ox as the companion of his final years, Fugui stands as a model of gritty authenticity, buoyed by his appreciation for life in this narrative of humbling power.

Life and death wearing me out  生死疲劳by MO Yan, Nobel Literature Prize Winner 莫言

Today's most revered, feared, and controversial Chinese novelist offers a tour de force in which the real, the absurd, the comical, and the tragic are blended into a fascinating read.

The hero-or antihero-of Mo Yan's novel is Ximen Nao, a landowner known for his generosity and kindness and benevolence to his peasants. However, during Mao's Land Reform Movement of 1948, he is not only stripped of his land and worldly possessions but cruelly executed, despite his protestations of innocence.

The novel opens in Hell, where Lord Yama, king of the underworld, has Ximen Nao tortured endlessly in order to force a confession of guilt from him. When his efforts remain fruitless, Lord Yama allows Ximen Nao to return to earth, where he is reborn not as a human, but first as a donkey, then a horse, a pig, a monkey, and, finally, the big-headed boy Lan Qiansui.

Through the eyes of animal and boy, Ximen Nao takes us on a deliriously unique journey through fifty years of peasant history in China, right to the edge of the new millennium. Here is an absolutely riveting tale that reveals the author's love of a homeland beset by ills inevitable, political, and traditional.

Fortress besieged 围城 by QIAN Zhongshu 钱钟书

Set on the eve of the Sino-Japanese war, Fortress Besieged recounts the exuberant misadventures of the hapless hero Fang Hung-chien, who after aimlessly studying in Europe at his family's expense returns to Shanghai armed with a bogus degree from a fake university.

On the liner back, Fang's life becomes deeply entangled with those of two Chinese beauties - while when he does finally make it home, he obtains a teaching post at a newly established university, encounters effete pseudo-intellectuals, and falls into a marriage of disastrous proportions.

A glorious tale of love, marriage, war, calamity, disillusionment and hope, this is one of the greatest Chinese novels: combining Eastern philosophy, Western traditions, adventure, tragicomedy and satire to create a unique feast of delights.

Wild Swans: 鸿:  Three Daughters of China 三代中国女人的故事

Author Jung Chang presents family stories of three female generations. Novel talks about suffering of a woman, Chinese tradition and history. Work opens with a biography of author's grandmother who was a concubine. Then it presents her mother's life who married a high member of Communist party. Novel ends with an autobiography and present to the reader her young life in a communist country.

Mao's Last Dancer 最后的舞者

Mao's Last Dancer is a memoir written by Li Cunxin, who was one of the most successful Chinese ballet dancers. He was born in a poor family, but he was selected to travel to Beijing to attend audition for a Ballet school. He was admitted for the Madam Mao's Dance Academy dance school. His hard work payed off, since he got an opportunity to travel to US, which was a great honor at that time in Chinese history.

Understanding a Changing China: 了解变化中的中国： Key Issues for Business 商业中的关键问题

Dear students of Economy, here is one great recommendation for you. Book by H. Davies and M. Rašković presents key issues and potential threats that will arise with the growth of the Chinese Economy.