MAY 2015 - AudioFile
Huan Hsu's great-great-grandfather left buried porcelain behind when he fled Japanese attacks on China in 1938. The author's narration of his search for the porcelain grows more compelling as he journeys back to the places of his family’s history. Describing his life as an “ABC”—American-born Chinese—living in Shanghai, he injects a tone of humor that sneaks up on listeners. His keen observational eye also comes through as he tells about subway rides and the company he works for. His daily experiences are blended with Chinese history and a general exploration of porcelain, but what sets Hsu's story apart is his fascinating family history. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
03/16/2015
American-born journalist Hsu hears that his great-great grandfather, a landowner in Xingang, buried a large collection of porcelain when Japan invaded China in 1938. Hsu sets out to find this treasure trove more than 70 years later. The book recounts Hsu's travel to China and ensuing three-year search, "equipped with only a few threads of a family legend and an irresistible compulsion to know more about it." This compulsion drives the story as he meets and interviews family members and acquaintances, and gradually "unearth pieces of family's history and to weave them into a coherent narrative." He conducts his search, in his own words, "naïvely, indirectly, protractedly." While it is hard to argue with this characterization of the search and the book as a whole, the book's naïveté and indirectness enable the narrative to wander across genres. In addition to documentary and family history, Hsu explores China's social and political history, as well as his personal feelings about China, and the value of documenting and sharing Chinese family stories. Hsu's fluid writing helps to synthesize these threads into a coherent story well worth reading. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
An ambitious family saga that marries the intimacy of memoir, the sweep of political history and the suspense of an adventure novel… [Hsu's] thoroughness leads to a rich, welcome discussion of porcelain, making the book a valuable introduction to this artistic tradition.”– Wall Street Journal
“[A] standout book.” – New York Times Book Review
“Not only is The Porcelain Thief a tantalizing mystery — will he find the treasure, or will it be a wild goose chase? — but it is an unearthing of various kinds of booty for the reader: a riveting lesson in Chinese history; a fascinating story of porcelain and its prominent place in the development of China; a gastronomic tour; a vivid and complex portrait of contemporary Chinese culture and the texture of modern life in the world’s largest country; and a group portrait of an extended, sprawling, fascinatingly eccentric Chinese family. Moreover, the story is all told through the lens of an ABC, or an American Born Chinese. And not just any old ABC, but one with attitude.”
– Washington Independent Book Review
“In addition to documentary and family history, Hsu explores China's social and political history, as well as his personal feelings about China, and the value of documenting and sharing Chinese family stories. Hsu's fluid writing helps to synthesize these threads into a coherent story well worth reading.” – Publishers Weekly
“[Hsu’s] persistence in the face of numerous obstacles is beyond admirable… He offers plenty of intriguing information about Chinese history and culture, from wild Shanghai traffic to family dynamics. Some first-rate detective work.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Huan Hsu takes us on an intriguing journey into his family's and China's tumultuous past. The Porcelain Thief provides a great, intimate view into how modern China really works.” – Frank Langfitt, NPR Correspondent, Shanghai
“Huan Hsu's return to his ancestral Chinese village in search of buried treasure keeps readers turning the pages, eager to see what he finds. The dig turns up more than ancient family valuables, as Hsu meets distant relatives and learns of the turmoil that they endured and that he, as an American-born Chinese, avoided. Part memoir, part journey, and part archaeological expedition, The Porcelain Thief is as suspenseful as any Indiana Jones adventure.” – Michael Meyer, author of The Last Days of Old Beijing and In Manchuria
“Huan Hsu blends a fascinating search for his own family’s roots with an illuminating portrait of modern China. The Porcelain Thief is a wonderful read.” —Rob Gifford, author of China Road
MAY 2015 - AudioFile
Huan Hsu's great-great-grandfather left buried porcelain behind when he fled Japanese attacks on China in 1938. The author's narration of his search for the porcelain grows more compelling as he journeys back to the places of his family’s history. Describing his life as an “ABC”—American-born Chinese—living in Shanghai, he injects a tone of humor that sneaks up on listeners. His keen observational eye also comes through as he tells about subway rides and the company he works for. His daily experiences are blended with Chinese history and a general exploration of porcelain, but what sets Hsu's story apart is his fascinating family history. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2015-01-04
A former journalist and current professor searches for the rare porcelain buried by his great-great-grandfather in 1938, when Japanese invaders approached his property in Xingang, China.We don't learn until near the end what (if anything) Hsu discovered on his remarkable odyssey, which took lots of time and required confronting some tricky, even ominous, forces. His search involved the interpretation of a number of stories coming from family members—some, like a grandmother, were very reluctant to talk about certain aspects of the past—descendants of former neighbors, museum employees, experts in ancient porcelain, and local and regional authorities. The author traveled to Shanghai to begin his search, gaining employment with a relative and facing the frustrating knowledge that his understanding of Chinese language and custom was not sufficient for his needs. So he embarked on various plans of study and eventually became more or less competent. As he tells his story, he has to bring us along carefully, for he (correctly?) assumes that most readers do not know much about Chinese history and geography, and so he tells us a lot about the former, especially, often to the eye-glazing point. He also interweaves much family history—again, sometimes to an excessive degree. What fascinates him about his family will not always transfer to his readers, but his persistence in the face of numerous obstacles is beyond admirable. He journeyed to a host of remote locations—including, of course, the very much changed family property, where he eventually figured out how he could dig without too much official interference—and endured all sorts of reluctance and doubt from a variety of relatives and strangers. He offers plenty of intriguing information about Chinese history and culture, from wild Shanghai traffic to family dynamics. Some first-rate detective work sometimes obscured by excessively thick historical shrubbery.
