In this list
Reader notes translated by Google Translate
338
-
101
Pillars of the Nation: A Century of Chinese Business Rivalries, Parts One and Two 国之重器：百年中国商战传奇（上下部）
[Grand historical saga + Self-Strengthening Movement + coastal and frontier defense + Sino-French War + China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company] The late Qing business world is rocked by turbulent waves, and a tycoon of his generation turns the tide! See how pioneers of industry build an economic Great Wall in the face of despair! In the final years of the Qing dynasty, Western powers force the Qing government to open treaty ports, while Western steamships monopolize China's shipping. Chinese
201Reads9.6Score—Shelves
Reader note
- 102 The Prequel to the Chinese Empire: The Hegemony of the Spring and Autumn Period 中华帝国前传之春秋争霸 [History + Chinese orthodoxy + the transformation from Zhou to Qin + institutional reform] After two hundred years of rival powers rising, see how a hegemon rewrites history. Based on historical works such as the Zuo Zhuan, the Records of the Grand Historian, and the Discourses of the States, this book tells the stories and introduces the figures of more than two centuries of Spring and Autumn history in vivid detail. Centered on the struggle for supremacy, it weaves together the major events an 58Reads9.3Score—Shelves
-
103
The Complete History of the Han Empire (5 Volumes) 大汉帝国全史（全5册）
Another major work of popular history after "Those Things in the Ming Dynasty"! An entertaining, informative, and rigorous introduction to the history of the Han dynasty. The mighty Han dynasty lasted 400 years and shaped the next 2,000! Why did it define the boundaries of Chinese politics and culture for the following 2,000 years? Promoting unity! Boosting the economy! Opening up! Improving people’s livelihoods! Advancing science and technology! The reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, the Silk Roa
6.3kReads9.6Score1.3kShelves
Reader note
-
104
The Ying Clan’s Startup Story: Three Hundred Years to Build Great Qin 嬴家创业记：三百年拼出一个大秦
This book follows a core approach of “popular humor + historical facts + character deconstruction + dramatic pacing.” Building on the tradition of the storyteller, it offers a lighthearted take from the perspective of a historical observer, toning down the elevated, formal feel of traditional storytelling and looking back on the rise and fall of the Qin dynasty with down-to-earth humor. We see the Qin people’s courage and tenacity: from a tribe raising horses on the western frontier to an empire
14Reads—Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
105
The Bamboo Annals 竹书纪年
The Bamboo Annals is an important chronological history of ancient China. It is traditionally attributed to an official historian of the State of Wei during the Warring States period. In the Western Jin dynasty, it was unearthed on bamboo slips from an ancient tomb in Jixian, in present-day Henan, which gave the work its name. The book is divided into two volumes and records history from the Yellow Emperor through the twentieth year of King Anxi of Wei during the Warring States period, though so
32Reads8.1Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
106
In This World of Everyday Wonders, I'm Glad I Have You 这人间烟火，幸好有你
[Workplace + Pure Romance + Healing] The world measures people by their peak achievements. Some chase glory, while others simply seek a steady life. Xiao Man and Lan Yue are no elite geniuses. They left their impoverished mountain village for the city, making an honest living far from home. The way they struggle to make a life for themselves is a portrait of countless families. After a lifetime of moving from place to place, the long-buried past has already planted its seeds deep in the years be
7Reads—Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
107
Back to the 1990s: A Political Science Graduate's Son-in-Law 重回90，从政法女婿开始
No womanizing, no System, one female lead, a serious officialdom novel, a crime thriller set in a past era, and a fiercely protective wife. A slow-burn story, written simply to make you smile. During the urban transformation of the 1990s, crimes were rampant and restoring order was an urgent priority. Li Feng, once an experienced grassroots criminal investigator in the twenty-first century, was reborn by accident in 1996 as a young captain with a master's degree in criminal investigation. He w
2.6kReads8.2Score197Shelves
Reader note
- 108 I Love the Sun Because I'm a Sunflower 因为是向日葵所以喜欢太阳 After suffering bullying as a student, the male lead, Wen Shuo, closed himself off emotionally for years. Then he met Hua Yuqiao, the little sunshine who would brighten his whole life. From then on, this shy, introverted, innocent young man began a long journey of secret love. After overcoming countless hardships, he finally got the happy ending he had hoped for. 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 109 Reborn as Handan's Famous Courtesan, I Changed Qin's Fate with Two Men: Zhao Ji 重生邯郸名妓，我靠两个男人改写秦国命运：赵姬 Reborn as Handan's most famous courtesan, I changed the fate of Qin with the help of two men: Zhao Ji —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 110 The Bridal Sedan’s Shocking Twist: A Minister’s Daughter and a Marriage of Convenience 花轿惊变：户部尚书嫡女的联姻风云 A Shocking Bridal Procession: The Marriage Alliance Turmoil of the Minister of Revenue's Legitimate Daughter 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 111 Ancestral Hall Grudge: A Bride's Curse in a Republican-Era Village, Five Girls Go Mad Overnight 祠堂怨：民国村落的新娘诅咒，五个姑娘一夜疯癫 Ancestral Hall Grudge: A Bride’s Curse in a Republican-Era Village, Five Girls Go Mad Overnight —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 112 What Exactly Lies Buried Beneath the Ancestral Hall in Heishui Village? 黑水村祠堂底下埋着的到底是什么 What exactly is buried beneath the ancestral hall in Heishui Village? —Reads—Score—Shelves
-
113
Marry Me Beneath the Bright Moon 明月嫁卿卿
Song Chuyu thought she and Kang Rui were deeply in love, and that no one could ever come between them. Yet that person had been living by their side all along, pampered under the title of “sister-in-law.” After being reborn, Song Chuyu didn’t spare Kang Rui a glance as he rode through the streets in triumph, and she certainly wouldn’t marry him again. * When Kang Rui woke up to find himself back in the impoverished days of his youth, he struggled to get used to the drafty windows after having li
85.4kReads9.3Score10.9kShelves
Reader note
- 114 Empress Dowager Cixi's Extravagance and the Scent of Fruit in Chuxiu Palace 慈禧太后的奢侈，储秀宫的果香 Empress Dowager Cixi's extravagance, the scent of fruit in Chuxiu Palace 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 115 My First Love Wants to Rekindle Things, but I’m Married 白月光想破镜重圆，但我结婚了 Everyone said Jiang Zi Yan was hopelessly in love with Huo Yi Huai, and was his most loyal toady. Jiang Zi Yan was scared out of her wits. What kind of thing was that to say? Calling her a loyal toady was fine, but there was no love involved. What would Young Master Huo think of her if he found out? As for the person she loved, Jiang Zi Yan did have someone she liked: the son of President Huo’s chauffeur. That boy was quiet and handsome, with a dimple when he smiled. When he filled in for his fa 28.8kReads9.1Score4.1kShelves
- 116 After She Ascends the Throne, She Takes a New Husband, Leaving Her Ex to Weep 她登基后换了夫，新夫不见旧夫哭 (Power! It's a woman's second face! She loves it!) (1V2 + advancing the nation through technology + two men competing for her, only to end up regretting it) Lu Jichen: He is an ill-omened man. On the day his elder brother got married, they smeared dog blood all over his face and locked him in a cellar. Later, she brought him out, washed his hands, let him sit at the table, fed him, and paid for his education. Wei Chiyuan: He is the young lord of an aristocratic clan; she is a young widow. One sc 17.2kReads9.3Score2.1kShelves
- 117 Chang’an in Ashes, the Heart of an Old Friend 长安烬，故人心 Chang’an in Ashes, an Old Friend’s Heart —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 118 Four People Make for a Crowded Romance. Reborn, I Choose to Walk Away 四个人的爱情太拥挤，重生我选择了退出 There's no room for love with four people. Reborn, I chose to walk away —Reads—Score—Shelves
-
119
Moonlight over Goddess Lake 女神湖的月光
As modern pollution encroaches on the home of the gods, a Mosuo girl who refuses to accept her fate and a young man who relies on science must join forces. By bringing modern science and technology into harmony with traditional culture, they must restore vitality and help humanity and nature thrive together.
2Reads—Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
120
The Poor, Handsome Guy She Married Out of Spite Is a Madman 她赌气嫁的穷帅哥，是个疯子
[A spite marriage + tortured romance with a mad husband + an epic spanning three generations of women] In 1983, Li Xiuyun married Zhou Zhiqiang, the poorest but most handsome young man in the village, out of spite. She thought she'd won her freedom, never realizing this was the beginning of hell. Three years into their marriage, her husband was driven mad. He began beating her, flying into rages, and smashing everything in sight. Everyone urged her to divorce him, but she gritted her teeth a
2Reads—Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
121
Soul of the Silhouette 轮廓之魂
Soul of the Contour builds a unique narrative universe centered on the symbiosis of data-based life and humanity, blending criminal investigation, science fiction, philosophy, and psychological exploration. Through the evolution of Tan Yan and Contour's relationship, from parasite and host to comrades; the cases' escalation from conventional crimes to high-tech ethical crises; and an in-depth exploration of philosophical frameworks such as “name, number, and image,” “snowball theory,” and “the m
2Reads—Score—Shelves
Reader note
- 122 The Symbiotic Realm 共生之域 The realist fantasy novel "The Domain of Symbiosis" explores the awkwardness and wonder of humanity caught between Daoist artifacts and tools, matter and spirit, and silicon-based and carbon-based life. The protagonist, Lei Mo, is a forty-year-old single male freelance artist with a wild, unruly temperament and a disdain for money. —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 123 Without Delusion 無妄 Xu Jue is the crown prince of the Vermilion Bird Dynasty on Resonance Continent, in the super cultivation world of Tanxing, which lies 50 billion light-years from Earth. He studies under Master Wanyi, a cosmic powerhouse and the Imperial Preceptor. Xu Jue stole an Eight-Plum Diagram from his master, allowing him to travel instantly to different eras on Earth. He is a formidable martial artist, skilled in both literature and combat, but poor at political maneuvering. To escape the harassment and 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 124 Lord Lin Chong 林冲君 There have been heroes who were not sages, but never sages who were not heroes! One who can rouse himself may be called a hero. To rouse oneself is for one’s nature to arise from one’s vital energy. Dragging one’s feet and simply going along with the world, accepting what is and rejecting what is not, working all day yet never rising above a life of rank, land, house, and family, counting every grain of rice and every bundle of firewood until one’s spirit is worn down day by day, looking up at t 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 125 Idiom Cognition Dictionary: Unlocking the Algorithms That Shape Your Life 成语认知词典：解锁人生底层算法 A contemporary urban romance about a woman's growth and rebirth. The story begins on the night of her former lover Lu Chenzhou's lavish engagement party. Su Wan, a jewelry designer, chooses to stay alone in her studio, setting fifty-seven chips of diamond into a platinum base as she begins creating a pair of earrings called “Breaking Free.” Eight years of waiting and the collapse of her family's business have not crushed her. Instead, they have forged a quiet, resilient brilliance within her. W 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 126 The Bottom-of-the-Barrel Dictionary 底渣词典 The CEO’s Contract Wife: His White Moonlight Turns Out to Be Me To save her gravely ill younger brother, Pei Yuwei signs a contract and becomes a stand-in for the late wife of business tycoon Jiang Hanzhou. Thirty million yuan, three years: she must live as the shadow of another woman, copying her smile and preferences, even wearing the earrings she left behind. Jiang Hanzhou is cool and cruel. He sleeps beside her every night, yet gazes through her at his lost white moonlight. Day after day, 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 127 Career Leap: A Guide to Going from Rookie to Expert 职场跃迁：菜鸟到大神的认知法 Three months into the job, Ling Che has become the company's most miserable “office tool”: he takes the blame, works overtime, and gets dumped on by other departments. Colleagues steal credit for his hard work, connections get the promotion he deserves, and he earns an entry-level salary while doing core work. He's nearly laid off! At his lowest point, he unexpectedly awakens a Workplace Insight System and unlocks eight smart tools: The Entropy Reduction Engine sorts messy materials in three mi 2Reads—Score—Shelves
-
128
A New Life on Egret Island 鹭岛新生
This is a new work of realism, covering birth, aging, illness, and death, as well as exams, employment, civil service tests, job hunting, and work. The protagonist’s past is marked by pain, humiliation, joy, and glory. The author depicts the pressures, lives, ideals, loves, and resentments of ordinary people. Rebellious and reckless, unwilling to settle for mediocrity yet powerless to change things, they keep striving and gradually make progress through twists and turns. This is both the protago
121Reads—Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
129
The Officialdom Game 官奕
My name is Wei Zilong, and I’ve spent my career in government. Through my story, I want to show everyone what the political arena is really like... When you’re in public service, you can’t always control your own fate. If you never weather a storm, how can you ever mature?
13kReads7.6Score1.1kShelves
Reader note
-
130
Adoption into the Family 过继
This is a novel about a man growing up through blood and tears. Along with the cruelty of reality comes the trickery of fate. But if you’re a man, wipe away your tears and face every hardship. Make yourself tough as steel, unbreakable...
29.9kReads9.3Score3.2kShelves
Reader note
-
131
Questions of the Uncanny 诡异问
Through the coming-of-age story of “me” (Meng’er), this novel traces the transformation of the Chinese countryside from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. The brutality of family-planning policies, the rise of the migrant-worker boom, the unraveling of traditional clan ties, clashes between old and new ideas, and the rough-and-tumble world of small towns... It captures a microcosm of an era in transition, with a realism and density of detail worthy of anthropological study. Through my perspectiv
8Reads—Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
132
The Record of Lanling’s Return to the Present 兰陵归今录
When other people transmigrate, they become princes or imperial consorts. At the very least, they can recite a couple of Tang poems and thrive. But when our family transmigrated, all five of us, ancestral home included, landed straight in the twenty-first century as undocumented people. My name is Xiao Ran, an ordinary corporate drone. Then one day, I got a call from my hometown: “You’ve got a bunch of Tang Dynasty ancestors in your family shrine, trying to figure out how to burn incense to a Wi
1Reads—Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
133
Pretty Widow Bai Hehua Is Spoiled by Suitors from the Whole Village 俏寡妇白荷花全村花粉追着宠
[Period setting + 1990s + rural life + farming + family squabbles + strong-willed heroine + tough female lead + revenge on scumbags + building wealth + raising three daughters and turning her life around + humor] Bai Hehua has been married into the Li family for three years and has given birth to three daughters in a row. Her mother-in-law calls her a jinx, and her scumbag husband takes his anger out on her. Then an accident takes her husband's life. She becomes the prettiest widow in Li Fami
1Reads—Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
134
The Regrets of the Red Chamber 红楼遗恨
Dream of the Red Chamber is by no means a boudoir romance. It is, in truth, a secret history of the Han people’s lost kingdom, written under the crushing pressure of literary inquisitions! Cao Xueqin used “Zhen Shiyin” (hiding the truth) to conceal the pain of a fallen kingdom, and “Jia Yucun” (preserving falsehoods) to hide a will to resist the Qing. Beneath a mythological facade, he wrapped a truth soaked in blood and tears. The stone that lacked the means to mend the heavens embodies the Han
4Reads—Score—Shelves
Reader note
- 135 A Dream of Red Mansions, Explained by Wei 韦说红楼 My new work is here! You can read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 136 The Records of the Grand Historian: Those Stories 【史记】那些事 Records of the Grand Historian is the first general history of China written in the biographical style. Compiled over more than a decade by Sima Qian, a historian of the Western Han dynasty, it was praised by Lu Xun as “the swan song of historians, a Li Sao without rhyme,” and is regarded as a work of exceptional historical and literary value. The book aims “to investigate the relationship between Heaven and humanity, understand the changes from ancient times to the present, and establish a scho 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 137 A Chapter-by-Chapter Deep Dive into Dream of the Red Chamber 【红楼梦】逐回深度解读 A Chapter-by-Chapter In-Depth Analysis of Dream of the Red Chamber is a scholarly work of literary appreciation focused on Dream of the Red Chamber, the pinnacle of classical Chinese literature. Organized around the novel’s chapters and grounded in close reading, it draws on a century of research to examine the work chapter by chapter from multiple angles. It is a “guide to solving its mysteries” and a “reading map” for fans of Dream of the Red Chamber. 88Reads—Score—Shelves
- 138 Tales from the Dream of the Red Chamber 红楼梦那些事 A laugh-out-loud, tradition-defying take on Dream of the Red Chamber bursts onto the scene! Using a delightfully unhinged deconstructionist approach, this book turns the rise and fall of the Four Great Families into a hilarious three-in-one guide to workplace life, relationships, and survival, letting you rediscover this classic masterpiece between fits of laughter. Jia Baoyu becomes a lovesick rich kid, constantly caught between Daiyu's sharp-tongued jabs and Baochai's humblebragging. Wang Xife 2Reads—Score—Shelves
-
139
The Beloved Royal Chef 团宠御食妃
An experiment spanning a thousand years quietly begins anew. Cai Chuyi, a modern food blogger, transmigrates to the Dayong Kingdom, where four brilliant talents transmigrate alongside her to protect her. With a dish called “A Taste of the Mortal World,” she stirs up the imperial court. From disguising herself as a man to being named the “Imperial Cuisine Consort,” she rises above all expectations and builds an ideal home where “good food lasts forever.” When glory finally comes her way, she unco
2Reads—Score—Shelves
Reader note
- 140 Zhang Yifeng’s 19th Book 张一疯第19本书 A new work is out! You can head over to Tomato Novel to read my stories. I hope you enjoy them. Your support motivates me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 141 Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: The Humorous Edition 聊斋志异【幽默版】 Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is a collection of classical Chinese short stories written by the Qing dynasty author Pu Songling. Completed in the late seventeenth century, during the final stage of China's feudal society, it contains 491 stories. Using ghosts, fox spirits, and immortals as its subjects, the book reflects real society through supernatural tales. It depicts romantic love between humans and spirits, as in “Nie Xiaoqian” and “Yingning,” while also exposing the corruption of th 6Reads—Score—Shelves
- 142 Those Things About Journey to the West 西游那些事 (Clears throat) Attention, everyone! Here's a fresh take on Journey to the West so good even Buddha would hit the "Follow" button. When an overworked office drone protagonist drops into the pilgrimage campaign with a "Plot Correction System," he discovers that every demon in this version is a real character! By day, the White Bone Spirit acts in horror films; by night, she livestreams "How to Eat Tang Monk's Flesh with Style" from her cave. The Great Peng is sick of being a mount and secretly op 2Reads—Score—Shelves
- 143 Tales from Investiture of the Gods 封神演义那些事 Want to uncover the mysteries of the ancient war between gods and demons? Investiture of the Gods: The Story Behind the Legends takes you back to the fantastical era when the Shang and Zhou dynasties changed hands! Here, the foolish King Zhou is bewitched by a fox spirit and rules with debauchery and cruelty, filling the court with chaos through tortures like roasting people alive and throwing them into pits of venomous creatures, as well as carving out hearts and gouging out eyes. Meanwhile, Ji 25Reads—Score—Shelves
- 144 Tales from the Water Margin 水浒那些事 Water Margin: Those Stories is a labor of love, a humorously deconstructed retelling of the Water Margin legend. With a deliriously playful style that brings the past and present together, it gives the outlaws of Liangshan an entirely new spin! Song Jiang becomes a startup CEO, leading his 108 heroes in “The Water Margin Group's IPO.” Wu Song's tiger fight turns into a showdown for the ages between an animal-protection group and a hardcore mukbang streamer. Pan Jinlian becomes a relationship inf 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 145 Tales from Romance of the Three Kingdoms 三国演义那些事 The Three Kingdoms: Those Stories is set during the Three Kingdoms period, from the late Eastern Han dynasty to the early Jin dynasty. By examining the connections between people and events, it explores the historical forces behind the changing political landscape. Using a narrative approach that blends roughly seventy percent historical fact with thirty percent fiction, it draws on historical sources such as Records of the Three Kingdoms as well as the literary interpretations of Romance of the 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 146 The Complete Guide to Oratory 口才学大全 The Complete Guide to Public Speaking is a practical guide focused on improving communication skills. It dispels the misconception that eloquence is an inborn talent and helps readers master essential communication skills through a systematic approach. The book first lays a solid foundation, explaining how to build logical arguments and teaching readers to structure what they say using "point + example + transition" so they can avoid rambling. It then covers a wide range of situations, from list 17Reads—Score—Shelves
- 147 A Grand Compendium of Famous Figures from Every Chinese Dynasty 中国历代名人大鉴 A must-read classic for every bookshelf: A Comprehensive Collection of Famous Figures Throughout Chinese History breaks through the barriers of dense historical sources. Forget rote memorization of complicated facts. Journey across five thousand years of Chinese history, from ancient sages to modern luminaries, all gathered here and presented in engaging detail. Stripped of excessive glorification and free from obscure language, its accessible yet elegant prose brings every famous figure vividly 6Reads—Score—Shelves
-
148
Breaking the Deadlock Across Two Lifetimes: I Storm the Imperial Stronghold in Ancient Times 两世破局：我在古代捅皇家老巢
[Comedic transmigration, smart protagonists, equally matched and devoted leads, political intrigue and murder investigations] Forensic pathologist Xia Nanfeng opens her eyes to find a corpse lying beside her! Wait! Why am I poor and crippled? Did I transmigrate? In the blink of an eye, she gets herself into serious trouble and nearly kills the head of the Seventh Palace Bureau. He is cold and suspicious, closing in on her step by step. “Tell me! Who are you really?” “...” She’s just as baffled
342Reads8.2Score—Shelves
Reader note
-
149
The Tianya Divine Post Series 天涯神贴系列
This book contains a wealth of knowledge to broaden your understanding and sharpen your thinking. Human nature, gaining insight, and achieving wisdom and enlightenment are the fundamentals, and they'll all be covered here. Everyone is welcome to read.
1.7kReads8.3Score136Shelves
Reader note
-
150
Su Malagu 苏麻喇姑
This is the story of an extraordinary woman who lived through five reigns and served four emperors, holding a very special status and identity. Though she was only a maid, she took part in designing Qing official robes and was also the earliest designer of women's qipao. She spoke Mongolian, Manchu, and Chinese, and was skilled in Manchu calligraphy. She was Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's “secretary” by day and an outstanding “spy” during the struggle for the throne. She was also Kangxi's teacher
10.2kReads9.6Score895Shelves
Reader note
Other lists with Pillars of the Nation: A Century of Chinese Business Rivalries, Parts One and Two