A review by ruthailuj
The Porcelain Thief: Searching the Middle Kingdom for Buried China by Huan Hsu

5.0

So, my enjoyment of this memoir comes from a weird point of view. Yes, I enjoy the history of an heirloom, the journey to track it down, and the historical background that surrounds it. I had really liked The Hare With The Amber Eyes. But also, as someone who has read a bit of Sci-fi and also loves to watch Sci-fi- this was great. In a lot of Sci-fi China is a big part of the environment. Its borders have stretched and it encompasses a large part of the world. The culture is prominent in many of these fictional future Earths. That being the case, it was fascinating to read Huan Hsu's experience in that country. His descriptions of the crowded cities and the even smaller areas of the country mirrored many of the worldsI have read/watched. There were just so many factors to make this book a great read.
Huan Hsu chronicles his journey to unearth his family's porcelain, said to have been buried during WW2. The treasure was then lost during China's Cultural Revolution. Although the surviving family members can't agree to what was owned and what became of the porcelain, Huan Hsu'S journey to for the truth has given him some great stories.
He learns his family's history and discovers a China he was completely unprepared for.