Jade Fever

Beautiful, translucent and indestructible, jade has a mystique that's captivated people since Neolithic times. Stan Leaming, Canada's leading jade geologist, was fascinated by this unusual gem; he is credited with pioneering the emergence of the jade industry in British Columbia. Leaming shares his unique insight into the science and magic of jade in this passionate exploration of the green stone's development from prehistoric tool to objet d'art. The reader is invited along with Leaming, a fascinating subject in himself, on a trip around the world as he hunts for the stone of heaven throughout BC and Canada, the United States, Mexico, Europe, Siberia, China, and even Down Under, where black jade is found. This book examines jade's appeal as a global industry, a divine inspiration, a medium for artistic expression and even as a precipitator of some bizarre crimes. Rockhounds casual and serious will appreciate this comprehensive celebration of jade, enhanced with maps and photographs. The 16-page colour section includes photos of jade art by Lyle Sopel, Deborah Wilson and other incredible sculptors.

In this World Fantasy Award-winning novel of magic and kungfu, four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis. *Named one of TIME's Top 100 Fantasy Books Of All Time ​* World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, winner Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for -- and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion. Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon's bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation. When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone -- even foreigners -- wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones -- and of Kekon itself. Praise for Jade City: "An epic drama reminiscent of the best classic Hong Kong gangster films but set in a fantasy metropolis so gritty and well-imagined that you'll forget you're reading a book." --Ken Liu, Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award-winning author "A beautifully realized setting, a great cast of characters, and dramatic action scenes. What a fun, gripping read!" --Ann Leckie, Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author "An instantly absorbing tale of blood, honor, family and magic, spiced with unexpectedly tender character beats." --NPR The Green Bone Saga Jade City Jade War Jade Legacy

This is a comprehensive guide to the Forbidden City in Beijing, featuring a complete tour of the Forbidden City, with nearly 400 photographs of the buildings, people and artefacts in the Forbidden City.

WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD FOR BEST FANTASY NOVEL, 2022 "Lee's series will stand as a pillar of epic fantasy and family drama." —Library Journal (starred review) The Kaul siblings battle rival clans for honor and control over an East Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis in Jade Legacy, the page-turning conclusion to the Green Bone Saga. Jade, the mysterious and magical substance once exclusive to the Green Bone warriors of Kekon, is now coveted throughout the world. Everyone wants access to the supernatural abilities it provides. As the struggle over the control of jade grows ever larger and more deadly, the Kaul family, and the ancient ways of the Kekonese Green Bones, will never be the same. Battered by war and tragedy, the Kauls are plagued by resentments and old wounds as their adversaries are on the ascent and their country is riven by dangerous factions and foreign interference. The clan must discern allies from enemies, set aside bloody rivalries, and make terrible sacrifices . . . but even the unbreakable bonds of blood and loyalty may not be enough to ensure the survival of the Green Bone clans and the nation they are sworn to protect. Praise for the Green Bone Saga: "Jade City has it all: a beautifully realized setting, a great cast of characters, and dramatic action scenes. What a fun, gripping read!" —Ann Leckie "An instantly absorbing tale of blood, honor, family, and magic, spiced with unexpectedly tender character beats."—NPR The Green Bone Saga Jade City Jade War Jade Legacy

This first volume of the guidebook series Northern British Columbia Canoe Trips describes in detail eight northern BC paddling routes over eleven rivers, and is designed to provide canoeists with all the information they require to plan a river trip appropriate to their skill level and special interests. Each route includes: a summary of the main attractions of the trip where to start and where to finish along the river trip length in days and kilometres required maps suggestions about when to go star ratings for difficulty and for historical and recreational value Northern British Columbia Canoe Trips: Volume One covers numerous routes never documented in any publication before, including the Taku, Jennings, Omineca and Gataga rivers, among others, as well as more well-known favourites such as Fort Nelson and the Dease. The book provides paddlers of all types with a variety of river trips to choose from based on comprehensive and comparative information, as well as detailed and specific navigational notes to aid them along their chosen route.

Family networks and wider personal social relationships - guanxi - have long been held to be a significant factor making for the success of many Chinese family businesses, and guanxi is often seen as a special characteristic which shapes the nature of all business in China. This book re-examines this proposition critically, bringing together the very latest research and comparing the situation in different parts of "Greater China" – mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. It considers entrepreneurship, venture capital, intergenerational succession, disputes, family businesses in different sectors of the economy, and particular family businesses. Among the book’s many interesting conclusions is the observation that guanxi capitalism has evolved in different ways in the different parts of Greater China, with the particular institutional setting having a major impact.

A pioneering examination of history, current affairs, and daily life along the Russia–China border, one of the world’s least understood and most politically charged frontiers. The border between Russia and China winds for 2,600 miles through rivers, swamps, and vast taiga forests. It’s a thin line of direct engagement, extraordinary contrasts, frequent tension, and occasional war between two of the world’s political giants. Franck Billé and Caroline Humphrey have spent years traveling through and studying this important yet forgotten region. Drawing on pioneering fieldwork, they introduce readers to the lifeways, politics, and history of one of the world’s most consequential and enigmatic borderlands. It is telling that, along a border consisting mainly of rivers, there is not a single operating passenger bridge. Two different worlds have emerged. On the Russian side, in territory seized from China in the nineteenth century, defense is prioritized over the economy, leaving dilapidated villages slumbering amid the forests. For its part, the Chinese side is heavily settled and increasingly prosperous and dynamic. Moscow worries about the imbalance, and both governments discourage citizens from interacting. But as Billé and Humphrey show, cross-border connection is a fact of life, whatever distant authorities say. There are marriages, friendships, and sexual encounters. There are joint businesses and underground deals, including no shortage of smuggling. Meanwhile some indigenous peoples, persecuted on both sides, seek to “revive” their own alternative social groupings that span the border. And Chinese towns make much of their proximity to “Europe,” building giant Russian dolls and replicas of St. Basil’s Cathedral to woo tourists. Surprising and rigorously researched, On the Edge testifies to the rich diversity of an extraordinary world haunted by history and divided by remote political decisions but connected by the ordinary imperatives of daily life.

Few people have read as widely in the field of Canadiana as has John Robert Colombo. The curiosity of this Toronto writer, editor, and anthologist knows few if any bounds when it comes to the lore, literature, history, culture, and character of Canada. He has an inquiring mind and he seems able to find national and even international twists to subjects of interest or importance. Fascinating Canada, his latest book, is the product of over half a century of research, reading, writing, and thinking. Some years ago the author produced a trilogy of question-and-answer books 1,000 Questions about Canada, 999 Questions about Canada, 1,000 Questions about Canada. The first two were published by Doubleday Canada, the third one in 2001 by Dundurn Press. The same format is adapted to the material in the present book, but this time the majority of the questions are short whereas a good many of the answers are quite long discussions of the subjects at hand: concise questions followed by considered answers. Here is a book about the Canadian past, present, and future. The information in Fascinating Canada is organized under four headings (People, Places, Things, Ideas) and there is a detailed Index for ready reference. This book may serve as a work of popular reference, but it has been written to stimulate inquiry and spark the sense of surprise in the minds of readers who know something about this amazing country but perhaps not as much as the author. Open this book and begin to read ... and match wits with author and researcher John Robert Colombo.