In just 125 pages Nancy Pellegrini provides fascinating insight into the remarkable (and rarely explored) role of Shakespeare in China. This is not just a love letter to Shakespeare, it's a fantastic introduction to China past and present. Prose is fluid and information is plentiful but never overdone. A must read for anyone with an interest in Shakespeare, China or both. --Jemimah Steinfeld, Little Emperors and Material Girls: Youth and Sex in Modern China Shakespeare is arguably the world's best-known cultural icon-with universal appeal. In China, his appeal, like everything else in China, is special--and Nancy Pellegrini guides us through all the complications of culture clash, language difference and political interferences with a sure and elegant touch. Her book, as intended, is an excellent introduction to a protean topic--and for most of us may well be all that we need to know. I strongly recommend it. --Alan Babington-Smith, President, The Royal Asiatic Society Beijing