4 h 31 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 4 h 31 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What changes when a traveller stops passing through and chooses to make a life far from home?
In Landscapes of China and Japan, Wenceslau de Moraes gathers impressions of places, customs and beliefs across two countries. A Portuguese writer and former naval officer, he looks from the position of someone who spends much of his adult life in the Far East, rather than someone making a brief visit.
The book moves between landscapes, towns and ways of life in China and Japan, drawing attention to their contrasts. Moraes brings affection to his observations, especially toward the Japanese life he grows close to. The appeal lies not in a fast plot, but in following his eye for everyday things and the beliefs surrounding them.
What you’ll discover
- Two countries side by side Explore China and Japan through the contrasts that draw Moraes from places to ways of life.
- The value of staying Follow observations rooted in long experience rather than the impressions of a short visit.
- Everyday things in focus Look closely at the customs and ordinary details that hold this resident writer’s attention.
- Beliefs within the landscape Encounter places through the beliefs Moraes gathers alongside his impressions of towns and daily life.
- An affectionate European eye Discover a Portuguese writer’s closeness to Japanese life, while keeping his personal viewpoint in sight.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy folk tales of dragons, mermaids and painted cats, travel notebooks from old Macau and Kobe, or the confiding voice of a writer who laughs and mourns together.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Nature becomes a human story
- Seasons reveal what people value
- Kindness and wit meet the supernatural
- Sacred figures reflect their keepers
- Humor becomes a way of seeing
- Compassion reaches across opposing graves
- Small gifts carry deep meaning
- Beauty stands beside desire and cost
- The observer belongs in the picture
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Landscapes of China and Japan
by Wenceslau de Moraes · 1906
A mermaid, a jellyfish and a clay goddess of laughter fill a Portuguese writer's notebook of Macau and Japan.
Challenging2–5 hours to readEnglish
Learn a language with challenging classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
Picture a bride in a gold palanquin, stopping her wedding procession beside a forgotten grave on a mountain. She steps down, kneels and kisses the earth.
Landscapes of China and Japan at a glance
- Reading time
- About 2 h 45 min2 h 10 min fast, 3 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 39,100 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1906by Wenceslau de Moraes
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Legends explain why nature looks as it does
The book opens with two origin tales, one Chinese and one Japanese. Where do butterflies come from, and why does the jellyfish have no shape?
The first is the legend of Choc-In-Toi, a girl from a village on the Yangtze. She longs to study, so she dresses as a man and attends the empire's most famous university for three years. Her classmate Leun-San-Pac becomes her inseparable companion and never guesses her secret. He comes to her village too late. Her parents have already chosen a husband, and Moraes stresses that obedience to parents is the foundation of Chinese moral life. So the girl bows her head, and the wedding procession sets out. Before she reaches her new home, the bride asks for a small detour.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1906
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Moraes, Wenceslau de. Landscapes of China and Japan. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/landscapes-of-china-and-japan.
Moraes, W. de. (2026). Landscapes of China and Japan. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/landscapes-of-china-and-japan (Original work published 1906)
Moraes, Wenceslau de. Landscapes of China and Japan. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/landscapes-of-china-and-japan.
@book{moraes2026landscapes,
author = {Moraes, Wenceslau de},
title = {Landscapes of China and Japan},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/landscapes-of-china-and-japan},
note = {First published 1906}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Landscapes of China and Japan
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Landscapes of China and Japan about?
It is a collection of retold Chinese and Japanese legends, seasonal sketches and essays. Moraes writes about festivals, temples, art, mermaids, demons and cemeteries, always from the viewpoint of a Portuguese exile who admires what he sees.
Who was Wenceslau de Moraes?
He was a Portuguese writer who died in 1929 and who lived in Macau and then Kobe. He wrote books on Japan, and this one gathers impressions and tales, with a dedication to Camillo Pessanha and João Vasco expressing his longing for them.
Are the stories in Landscapes of China and Japan true or folklore?
The tales are folklore, such as the legend of the butterflies, the jellyfish, Issumboshi and Urashima. The essays and sketches describe real places, people and events, including the 1868 Sakai incident, seen through the author's own impressions.
The author
Wenceslau de Moraes
1854–1929 · Portuguese writer
Wenceslau de Moraes was a Portuguese writer and naval officer, born in Lisbon in 1854. He lived in Macau before moving to Japan in 1898. He wrote books and essays about China and Japan. In 1913 he settled in Tokushima, Japan, where he lived until his death in 1929.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
