A memoir of contemporary China, especially interesting for its critical perspective on Chinese society and culture during the "China Spring" of 1989. Bao incorporates interviews and testimonies of friends and colleagues in her narrative. Dedicated "For The Chinese People," the novelist author born in China (who also wrote Spring Moon) is unstinting in her criticism of Chinese policies and practices. Wife of a former American ambassador to China, the author now lives in the United States.  (CHN84, $19.00)