Red China Blues by Jan Wong is an unidentical twin of The Trouble With China. A fascinating account from during the Cultural Revolution and beyond, she first went to China 5 years before I was born, and was last there 5 years before I arrived. Many of the (after) effects of events she witnessed are described and analyzed in The Trouble With China. 
A Key Influence
In terms of observing and analyzing China, Wild Swans by Jung Chang was a key factor. The author emigrated (or some could say “escaped from China”) one year after I was born. Her anecdotes about her grandmother, mother, and herself enabled me to observe and analyze the diverse range of behaviour from a diverse range of people of all age groups.
