誰說歷史一定要正經八百、一把鼻涕一把眼淚地講？讓紐約時報盛讚地旅遊作家麥克‧布斯Michael Booth以生動活潑的口吻滔滔告訴你！

　　「一山不容二虎」，人人都聽過這句格言。
　　中國、韓國、日本鄰近彼此，對彼此又愛又恨，箇中緣由又是為何？

　　二戰過後，德國背負滿身戰爭罪，但還是被整個歐洲原諒了，為什麼日本的鄰居──中國、韓國，卻做不到呢？現今，中日韓在島嶼所有權、戰爭史、傳統信仰等議題爭論不休，而導彈系統的配置與軍事局勢的加溫，讓三方緊張的關係不言而喻。倘若他們能握手言和，肯定能從中獲取極大的利益，為什麼他們卻反倒寧可讓仇恨的業火燎原呢？

　　中國、韓國與日本不僅只有地緣之親而已，他們皆受孔子文化悠遠的影響，就像從同一個家庭出來的孩子一樣，擁有相近的生活方式與文化涵養。譬如說，他們都發展出森嚴的階級制度與嚴謹的官僚體系，而早在千年前，日本與韓國就從中國那裡習得種稻、藝術、建築、筷子、麵食並應用於生活中。

　　至於近代，中國不再是被仿效的對象，轉而向戰後經濟快速發展的日本取材，形塑出符合現代的工業型態與經濟模式；此外，也相當傾心於韓國的娛樂文化。儘管如此，他們對彼此還是潛藏敵意，稍有不慎便可能將全球拖入21世紀的戰爭之中。

　　本書融合了人類學、歷史、政治及旅遊見聞，生動地告訴讀者，亞洲三虎如何在歷經被併吞、戰爭甚至一蹶不振後，成長成全球最富有、最先進甚至最有權勢的國家。

　　作者搭車、搭船、搭火車、搭飛機走遍中國、韓國與日本，最後止於台灣。少有人知道，台灣與三虎之間是如何剪不斷理還亂，其中的愁緒也是千絲萬縷。本書是精彩幽默的旅遊導覽，也帶領讀者以新鮮的角度觀看歷史。（文／博客來編譯）

　　'The next Bill Bryson' (New York Times) explores international relations past and present between three East Asian countries – Japan, South Korea and China – in this lively, absorbing travelogue

　　‘Two tigers cannot share the same mountain’ - Chinese proverb

　　China, Korea and Japan are the neighbours who love to hate each other. But why?

　　Europe has forgiven Germany’s war crimes, why can’t Japan’s neighbours do likewise? To what extent do the ongoing state-level disputes about island ownership, war history, controversial shrines and statues, missile systems and military escalation reflect how the people of these countries regard each other? They have so much to gain from amicable relations, so why do they seem to be doing their level best to keep the fires of hatred burning?

　　The Chinese, Koreans and Japanese are more than neighbours, they are siblings from a Confucian family. They share so much culturally, from this ancient philosophy with its hierarchical, bureaucratic legacy, to rice-growing, art, architecture, chopsticks, noodles and much more which has been passed down from China over millennia. In turn, China has modelled much of its recent industrial and economic strategy on Japan’s post-war manufacturing miracle, and adores contemporary Korean popular culture. Yet still East Asia festers with a mutual animosity which frequently threatens to draw the world into a twenty-first-century war.

　　In his previous international best-seller, The Almost Nearly Perfect People, Michael Booth set out to explore the Scandinavian tribes and what they think of each other.

　　In this new book, which blends popular anthropology, history, politics and travel, the subjects are these Asian tigers that have endured occupation, war and devastation to become among the richest, most developed and powerful societies on Earth.

　　In this deeply researched, revealing book, he sets off on a journey by car, boat, train and plane through all three countries, ending up in a fourth, Taiwan. Here, he hopes to find a positive story but instead discovers the Taiwanese are not merely in conflict with the Chinese, but they also harbour another, less well-known but still bitter grudge towards an East Asian neighbour.



作者簡介

　　Michael Booth, an award winning English author and journalist.

　　He has written five books:

　　- 'Just As Well I'm Leaving - To the Orient with Hans Christian Andersen', which was nominated for an Irish Times first time author award;

　　- 'Sacré Cordon Bleu', a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week;

　　- 'Sushi and Beyond', which won a Guild of Food Writers award and has recently become a best seller in translation in Japan;

　　- 'Eat, Pray, Eat', which was nominated for a British Press Award;

　　- and 'The Almost Nearly Perfect People - Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia,' which was voted the British Guild of Travel Writer's Best Narrative Travel Book of the last two years, in 2016.

　　He is a broadcaster and public speaker, and writes regularly for a variety of newspapers and magazines around the world, including the Guardian, Monocle, The Times and Condé Nast Traveller.