Haven Books is an English-language press that aims to put a wide range of interesting books into readers' hands. Our titles focus primarily on Hong Kong and Asian themes.

China: Portrait of a People

Tom Carter

"An extraordinary photographer whose powerful work captures the heart and soul of the Chinese people."

- Anchee Min, author of Red Azalea and Empress Orchid

"An honest and objective record of the Chinese and our way of life... [Tom Carter's] camera leads us through 33 wide-sweeping scenes of the real and the surreal."

- Mian Mian, author of Candy

"It takes a great boldness of spirit to set out to capture the essence of so diverse a people as the Chinese in a single volume of photography. The thrill is to discover that Tom Carter has achieved just that."

- Chris Wood, Editor-in-Chief, Asia Literary Review

"If you don't quite have Carter's persistence to travel those 56,000 kilometers to see it for yourself, China: Portrait of a People is the best way to get started." ****

- HK Magazine

Armed with his backpack and an Olympus camera, Tom Carter travelled to all 33 provinces of China and captured the distinct features and lifestyles of the nation's 56 ethnic groups. The images he collected during his epic journey break all stereotypes of the Chinese. This 15cm-squared book is small but substantial at 638 pages, and it offers a stunning visual tribute to the People's Republic of China.

A joint publication with Blacksmith Books: www.blacksmithbooks.com


"Unless you want to undertake your own two-year trek through some of the mainland's most difficult terrain to take your own shots, this is a study well worth having on your bookshelf." —Steve Cray, South China Morning Post
"Through Carter's journey of self-discovery, we end up discovering a little more about ourselves - and a land so vast, so disparate, that 638 pages of photos barely manage to scratch the surface." —Simon Ostheimer, TimeOut Hong Kong
"The book attempts to give a portrait of China as it is, rather than the China some want us to see." —Winnie Chau, HK Magazine
"Carter discovered a China that may soon be no more." —Cecilie Gamst Berg, Culture Magazine
"My 20 top books on China" —Donald Trump


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  • HK$198
  • ISBN 978-988-99799-4-2
  • Softcover
  • 15cm x 15cm
  • 638 pp
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