Whenever I learn a new language, I love discovering its people’s culture, whether it’s with books, music, movies… In my opinion culture is fondamental then, as languages don’t exist in a vacuum, you know? Ignoring it just wouldn’t make any sense to me. As I’ve said in my post about how I learn Spanish, I’ve started learning Chinese at the beginning of January, so of course I made a list of (translated into English) Chinese books to read! (I know it’s so common and it makes me feel a bit like a heroine of romance novel but yes, I do make lists of everything 😳)
Without further ado, let’s start !

Disclaimer : I’ve tried to be the most accurate possible when adding the genres of the books, but I might have been mistaken. Feel free to tell me if that’s the case!




- Young Babylon by Lu Nei – genre : Modern Fiction, Contemporary – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- Ball Lightning by Cixin Liu – genre : Science-fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- Brothers by Yu Hua – genre : Historical Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- Little Aunt Crane by Geling Yan – genre : Historical Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads




- Fortress Besieged by Qian Zhongshu – genre : Historical Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- The Three-body Problem by Cixin Liu – genre : Science-Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- The Four Books by Yan Lianke – genre : Historical Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- Ruined City by Jia Pingwa – genre : Modern Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads




- Lust, Caution by Eileen Chang – genre : Historical Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian – genre : Historical Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- Life and Death are Wearing me out by Mo Yan – genre : Historical Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- A Hero Born by Jin Yong – genre : Historical Fiction/Fantasy – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads




- Northern Girls by Sheng Keyi – genre : Modern Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- Invisible Planets and Broken Stars – genre : Science-Fiction (short-stories) – I’ve actually read and reviewed Invisible Planets on Goodreads, and I cannot wait to read Broken Stars! Add them on Goodreads : Invisible Planets – Broken Stars
- Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan – genre : Middle Grade (Historical Fiction) – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads




- The Chili Bean Paste Clan by Yan Ge – genre : Contemporary Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang – genre : Science-Fiction – Hao Jingfang’s stories were my favorites in Invisible Planets, so imaginative! read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan – genre : Science-Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads
- The Romance of the three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong – genre : Historical Fiction – read the blurb & add it on Goodreads

This is a great list! Broken Stars and Invisible Planets are on my TBR, and I’ve read The Three-Body Problem. It was a good hard-sci-fi book, but it was definitely one that required a lot of thought while I was reading it. For me it wasn’t an easy read, but it was worth it!
Thank you! Yes, I’ve seen reviews saying the same thing about The Three-Body Problem and that’s why I started with Invisible Planets, as scifi short-stories are easier for me to get into… and less intimidating 🙈
That makes a lot of sense! I like short stories for the same reason.
Great list! I have seen good ratings on A Hero Born.
Thank you! And me too! I can’t wait to read it 😁
This is a really great list – thank you 🙂
Thank you so much for reading!
What an amazing list! There are so many on it I want to read one day. I loved Eileen Chang’s Half a Lifelong Romance and I think I will love Lust, Caution. Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out is new to me, and Chinese sci-fi is certainly something to be reckoned with!
Thank you so much for reading!! I have yet to read Eileen Chang’s books but they look so interesting!
These recs are so cool and interesting~ Young Babylon and Ball Lighting sound so cool~
Thank you!!! And right? I have yet to read them but they sound so interesting!