Popular Songs and Ballads of Han China

Rating:
Summary: Excellent work
Review: I was delighted by Anne Birrell's book "Popular Songs and Ballads of Han China" when I first read it. The author was well informed of the current progress in related studies by international authors and their Chinese counterpart. I found the translation of 77 carefully selected ballads particularly useful for both experts in sinology and general, non-expert readers interested in but less familiar with the topic. Despite a few necessary errors (or points of controversy) in interpretating the original text, I'd say this book is a remarkable achievement. It's my pleasure to recommend this book to my fellow Chinese readers since I find a refined foreign mind often surprises me with pleasant insight to the topics in concern.