"Dragon's Gate is a superb book, a fascinating story written from the heart and woven into a complex cultural and historical tapestry - a modern classic in the making." - Robert Macklin, author of Dragon and Kangaroo Shi Ding is seventeen. In an attempt to impress a girl, he joins a local Red Guard unit and succeeds in having a nine-year-old boy arrested and a widowed professor of foreign literature driven to a shameful suicide. But when his father's death is also revealed as suicide, Shi Ding is expelled from the gang. He suspects there was more to the relationship between his father and the professor than friendship and he moves into her empty house. There he discovers a library of translations of forbidden Western classics. Himself a born storyteller, he is transfixed by the stories in these books by the likes of Dostoevsky, Stendhal, Hugo, Dickens, and Dumas … Set in China in the mid-60s, Dragon's Gate is about the power of storytelling. Within its overarching narrative, there are stories of little-known worlds: river logging in remote mountains, armed fighting between Red Guard factions, fortune telling on long train journeys, community life in the courtyards of Beijing hutong. Memorable characters abound in this rich and varied tale - characters like Sun Lanfen, the nosy, tough but decent residential compound leader; the blind singer who was struck dumb when he had to sing songs set to Chairman Mao's quotations; and the Buffalo Boy who was reputed to have fathered a hundred children in a Tibetan village. "The unique interweaving of fascinating tales set in exotic places with familiar and much loved western classics makes this book a page turner from beginning to end." - Jane Sydenham-Kwiet, German teacher and translator

An engrossing fantasy, a high-seas adventure, an alternate history epic—this is the richly imagined and gorgeously realized second book in acclaimed author Barry Wolverton’s Chronicles of the Black Tulip, perfect for fans of The Glass Sentence and the Books of Beginning series. A magical white jade stone and a map inscribed in bone that may be the key to an even greater mystery—this is the treasure Bren and Mouse have found buried on the Vanishing Island. Mouse is determined to follow the map to a place called the Dragon’s Gate, convinced it will explain who she really is and the powers she possesses. Bren has had enough adventure for one lifetime and would like nothing more than to return to his father in Map. But nothing goes according to plan when the survivors of the Albatross are rescued by Lady Jean Barrett, a charismatic archaeologist with a sense of destiny. Barrett is on a quest for the Eight Immortals, ancient artifacts she believes are buried in the tomb of China’s first emperor—the location of which has been hidden for nearly two thousand years. The only way for Bren, Mouse, and Barrett to all get what they want is to work together on a dangerous journey into the heart of China, a kingdom long closed to outsiders, where the greatest secrets about Mouse and Bren are waiting to be unveiled.

Jean O'Hara is now a prominent psychiatrist in London, but she grew up in a humble tenement flat in Hong Kong in the 1960s, the daughter of an Anglo- Burmese librarian (later a senior civil servant) and his Chinese wife. Her childhood was a simple one, sleeping on a straw mat in a tiny bedroom which she at first shared with both her grandmother and sister. As Jean grew up she developed a fascination for medicine and moved to the UK to attend medical school, eventually becoming a consultant psychiatrist. This book is her account of a childhood steeped in the culture of China, and first steps in a career in medicine. Central to the story is the character of Jean's Chinese grandmother, a charismatic matriarch who gave her a rich understanding of Chinese culture and an oriental outlook which has never left her.ÿ

This authorized biography of the contemporary Taoist expert Wang Liping (1949 -) tells the true story of his apprenticeship in Taoist wizardry, as well as Taoist principles and secrets of inner transformation. The 18th-generation transmitter of Dragon Gate Taoism, Wang Liping is heir to a tradition of esoteric knowledge and practice accumulated and refined over eleven centuries. This is the first English translation by noted writer Thomas Cleary of the authorized biography by two longtime disciples of this living master of the Dragon Gate branch of the Complete Reality school of Taoism, which integrated Buddhism and Confucianism into a comprehensive new form of Taoism.

This text examines the enormous pressure placed on University students in Japan, Korea and Taiwan which have led to the rapid expansion of the "cramming" industry and to a growing number of students looking to religion and spirituality for guidance. The book examines the issue of the rise in youth suicides, and the dramatic rise in levels of cheating; both raising fundamental questions about the education system in the late 1990s.

"A must read for all young adult fiction fans!" -5-Star reviewer "D.C. and Michael pack a wealth of wonder and fantasy into this young adult adventure. Incorporating some of the most fascinating legends…I found myself being drawn to the depth of the characters and enjoyed watching their bonds grow as they explored the gifts hidden deep within them as well as the evil that hunts for them. I recommend this story for anyone who loves folklore and monstrous fun! From vampires to dragons, from witches to eerie ferrymen, this tale has it all." Solomon J. Inkwell, Author of Vickie Van Helsing The attack on Hunter’s Grove High School by a Greater demon and the bully Donnie Wickles delivered a crushing blow to Charlie Sullivan, his friends, their families, and their once quiet, peaceful community. Everyone soon discovers the demon terrorizing Hunter’s Grove is only the beginning of their troubles. A trail of destructive, sinister activity—including the theft of a dangerous artifact, the release of a bloodthirsty Greater from captivity, and the threat of all six main portal cities coming under siege—stretches Charlie Sullivan and a broken and tired team of monster hunters across the globe. The first team lands in Japan, at the site of one of the most embarrassing events in the country’s history—Rashomon, the Dragon Gate. There, Charlie Sullivan faces the King of Demons, his vengeful lieutenant, and an army of creatures rising from the worst of nightmares. What happens next triggers a series of global cataclysmic events that some will not survive. A new breed of monsters is released to level chaos against humanity as the master plan and purpose of evil in our world is revealed. Suffering loss, exhaustion, and being tested beyond the limits of human understanding, Charlie Sullivan and the Monster Hunters face their most dangerous task as they set out to quell an ancient darkness that has now been awakened. "I picked this book up for my oldest daughter. I thought she might enjoy it and asked her to let me know what she thought. She loved it! I ended up reading it with her and I have to say that I enjoyed the story as much, maybe more, than she did." -Amazon reviewer "The characters are real enough that I found myself cheering them on and hoping they succeed in their mission. I look forward to reading the next installment." Amazon reviewer From The Authors We began this journey together, as father and son, with the goal of writing a story that spoke to friendship, overcoming obstacles (and the ultimate evils in our world), and of the power of working together to face the biggest challenges in our lives. Yes, it's full of monsters, peril, and steeped in exciting mythology and folklore, but it centers around the powerful bonds formed between an unlikely group of friends as they face a unique set of challenges. We wanted to write a story that we would be proud to read aloud to our then newborn son/baby brother (who now, years later, has read them through twice more). It has turned into the adventure of a lifetime as we are meeting people from all over the world who are falling in love with Charlie Sullivan, Darcy Witherington, Nash Stormstepper, and the twins Lisa & Liev Vadinknov - along with a wild, often humorous, and mysterious cast of humans and monsters alike. Charlie Sullivan and the Monster Hunters: The Dragon Gate (Book 4) is the next adventure in the series, with Rise of the Ancients (Book 5) to be released soon, and a total of 6 books in the series! "In my opinion, this series deserves to be a huge hit ... I can guarantee you'll be hooked!"

I suspected I was crazy because I could see something strange after a mountain climbing accident. He was born unlucky, but never expected that after being fired, he would find himself a high-paying shop job on an antique street. The boss was still a handsome guy. The Boss doted on me and ravaged me, but I didn't expect to be caught up in a plot in the end ...

From bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis comes the second book in the thrilling A Dance of Dragons series—perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and Tamora Pierce! Drenched in darkness and surrounded by the echo of screams, Jinji waits deep in the dungeons of Rayfort, haunted by the memory of the knife stabbing Rhen, plagued by a foreign voice whispering through her mind. A few floors above, Rhen rests trapped in a coma, about to wake to a changed world--a world where his best friend is a woman, his nephew is the king, and an enemy army surrounds him on all sides. But human wars are insignificant compared to the darkness gathering unseen. Memories of lives she never lived flash through Jinji's thoughts, hinting at a past that cannot be repeated. A mysterious phantom visits Rhen, carrying cryptic messages of the future. And somewhere out there, the shadow continues to lurk in silence. Startled by their altered relationship and tempted by new feelings, Rhen and Jinji must find a way to work together. The fate of humanity rests on their shoulders and the real battle has only just begun... Keywords: teens and young adult, sword and sorcery, action and adventure, fantasy romance, coming of age, fantasy, teen fiction, dragons, magic, dual perspectives

The first part of this book Searching for Kung Fu recalls my own journey over decades in the search for both the most traditional Kung Fu practices and the philosophical teachings embedded within. It begins as a teenager studying Karate in America, learning from one of the great Okinawa masters Shihon Kenneth Funakoshi. Realizing that the root of Karate is actually Kung Fu, the journey brought me to China, to the legendary Shaolin Monastery seeking the source of Kung Fu. During these years I have had the opportunity and privilege to train under many of China’s great masters whose stories and philosophies are imparted in this book. I am sharing the story of my journey, as it is really the shared journey of every martial artist. The second part of this book The Gate of Nine Dragons reflects nine key Kung Fu principles presented through the traditional “Nine Dragon Sons.” These are nine Kung Fu concepts that can be understood as a code shared by and belonging to every school of martial arts. As a code this set of nine principles represent a set of integrated mind-set values that we can adopt in our daily lives: Perseverance, Loyalty, Balance, Change, Centering, Harmony, Flow, Emptiness, Non-violence. These nine Kung Fu principles can be understood as nine stages of training, nine aspects of Chinese philosophy, or nine values shared by martial artists offered here as a code.