There’s a simple objection to the stories presented in this collection. They are all outdated. As a summary of Chinese culture prior to the death of Chou En-lai and Mao Tse-tung and the fall of the ‘Gang of Four’, they are acceptable, but they have not taken into account the transformation of Chinese society following the exposure of the ‘Gang’ and the repudiation of their ‘Line’. The introduction in fact makes it plain that the collection of stories, written by the Sydney University China Education Society (SUCES), is based on visits to China in 1972 and 1976.