Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi by KangxiMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a great idea. This book is basically an autobiography (or self-portrait) of someone who never wrote an autobiography (or self-portrait), by taking what he did write, and grouping it by certain subject matters. It doesn't hurt that it's of one of the smartest and most interesting Chinese emperors.
Interesting notes:
How he spotted cheaters on national examinations
"The Seven Military Classics are full of nonsense" (p. 22)
His notes on the difference between Manchus and Chinese (p .44)
His discussions on Catholicism (page 81) and Jesus
His discussions on Western knowledge (p. 68) and Western doctors (p. 99)
His discussions on Math
His comments on his son's odd behavior
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