Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China and the West - Peter Hessler

Peter's Hessler's second book drawing upon his time in China, ranging from pre history and the archaeological record represented by the Oracle Bones themselves to the social and political change of 20th and 21st centuries, telling the stories of the Uighurs of Xinjiang, academics who lived through the Cultural Revolution, his River Town students who become the migrant workers out in the stimulated economies of the Special Economic Zones. All completely fascinating. Editing could have been tighter though - but don't let the random reappearances of topics put you off.

Amazon.co.uk link: Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China and the West - Peter Hessler