A razor-sharp, witty memoir of Rachel Dewoskin's time in Beijing. Determined to improve her Mandarin and broaden her cultural horizons, the 21-year-old lands a dreadful job with a PR firm in Beijing -- only to find herself starring as the sexy, aggressive, fearless Jiexi, the femme fatale in the wildly successful Chinese soap opera of the book's title. The opportunities for cross-cultural (mis)communication are many, varied and enlightening.  (CHN478, $13.95)