Searching for Sacred Space: Essays on Architecture and Liturgical Design in the Episcopal Church Book

Most of this book felt tainted by an obnoxiously sarcastic undertone which seemed to hint at derision for much of Chinese history. While I've nothing against criticizing modern or historical leaders, the kind of criticism, implied or obviously stated, that was found in the pages seemed more snide than helpful. Overall, though, this was a very readable overview of Chinese history. It is definitely from a macro view, so you don't get a lot of the details, but from this view it presented well the continuance implying repetition of a certain kind of Chinese perspective on the nation known as China and on the outside world - and it definitely is an inside-outside/insider-outsider perspective.

I'm trying to be careful, because while I've seen hints of this, I don't think it's true for everyone in China and the majority of my personal interactions have belied it in fact. But there is something to support it in the fact that in China you are either Chinese or a foreigner. And there is a lot of serious confusion and, I think, annoyance at this confusion, over ethnically Chinese people who consider themselves members of other nations but return to China to learn about and understand it and their parents' (or parents' parents') history and who may not be completely fluent in Mandarin - definite shock and confusion at the least.

On a side note, I almost hesitate to write anything in a review, partly due to my own ignorance of Chinese culture and history (I'm working on it - slowly, but working nonetheless) and the so often experience of being sure of a fact or understanding of China one moment, having it disproved the next, and reproved the next, and... well, you get my point. And foreigners (is it strange that I include myself in a word that means, basically, 'outsider'?), both within China and without, seem to get it wrong so often... but then, I suppose many Chinese are mistaken on things regarding China as well. We are never so blind as when we try to examine our home culture/nation.