Taiyang Hua

It has never been easier to visit China and see for yourself how this ancient land—famous in the annals of history for its sages and wandering poets, humble peasants and powerful emperors, golden dynasties and periods of upheaval and rebellion—is transforming itself into a modern nation squarely in the center of twenty-first century global affairs. Following are the ten best China travel memoirs, written by authors - both foreign and Chinese - who REALLY know China.

Expats have been keeping diaries and writing memoirs of their exciting experiences in China for time immemorial, though not until the 1980s, beginning with one Mark Salzman, followed by the omnipresent Peter Hessler, have their careers as published authors launched a few fortunate foreigners in China into superstar status.

The cultural life of the 1.3 billion people who live and work in this economic superpower remains a closed book to many in the west – their bestselling authors unfamiliar, their most exciting writers untranslated. However, in 2005, the Chinese government started a sponsoring program for translations of government-approved Chinese books, which has already resulted in more than 200 books being translated from Chinese into another language.

Taking pictures in China can land you in a Chinese prison if you are not careful! It takes a keen eye and familiarity with Chinese culture for a photographer to be able to evade the Communist authorities and escape the country with his roll of film in tact.

Life in China for expatriates today is not as difficult as in years past. The living standard in China's largest cities like Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai is as enjoyable as that of the western cities like New York, London and Paris. Many expats in China have become celebrities, either from capitalizing on their western face for television, by blogging about current events, or publishing memoirs of their adventures. Following is a sampling of the most extraordinary expats living in China.

American billionaire Donald Trump proposes trade war with China, backs up opinion with reading list of 20 favorite books on China.