Rating: 
Summary: Iron and Silk
Review: A nice movie that shows some of the contrasts between the way we live and the things that we take for granted can be quite different in other cultures. This is the story of a young teacher, Mark Salzman, who goes to China to teach english. He finds that China is not at all what he had expected, in some ways it is so much more. It explores the relashonships that this young man establishes and how they evolve. There is also some stunning martial arts footage in this film, this an easy movie to watch and should be enjoyable for most.
Rating: 
Summary: Smooth & Solid Reading
Review: Iron & Silk is the initial work of Mark Salzman. I had become a fan of Salzman after reading Lying Awake, the haunting tale of a nun plagued by migrane induced visions. Iron & Silk is a travel memoir of Salzman's two years of teaching English in China. It gives American readers a great deal of perspective of China's way of life.
I have a great deal of admiriation for the way of life in China since reading about Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, and other aspects of life in Asia. What I found most interesting in this book is the Chinese view of Americans. As a teacher of English, Salzman gains knowledge of the Chinese view of World War II. This perspective is often forgotten in American textbooks. It was certainly enlightening for me. While the book is centered around his teaching at the medical college, Salzman discusses his other explorations of Chinese life. I found it amazing how many families would take him in just because he was a foreigner. Salzman is well adept in martial arts. He discusses his studies of the martial arts, I found this to be tedious to read as I often had difficulty picturing what he was explaining.
Iron & Silk's primary function is to give readers insight into life in China. Some of the experiences Salzman writes of are truly eye-opening. Other experiences cater to a specific portion of the population. I enjoyed Salzman's insight.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written travel story
Review: This book is an account of the two years Mark Salzman spent as an English teacher at the Hunan Medical College. Salzman arrived in Hunan Province in 1982, fresh from Yale, where he had graduated with a degree in Chinese literature. He took with him his cello and his experience studying Chinese martial arts. Salzman was an ideal American emissary- -he brought his youthful yet serious enthusiasm to the classroom, and forged ties with the local populace through sharing his skills and interests. Once he even consented to attempt to tune a piano for his supervisor, his only qualification for the task being that he was familiar with the sound of well-tuned pianos back home. He befriended local fishermen and shared his art and music with them, but he also got to know Chinese grad students and professors through his interest in calligraphy and Chinese language. Foremost in his interests was martial arts. Before arriving in China, Salzman had studied Chinese martial arts for 9 years. He hoped to find a teacher of martial arts, or wushu, so that he could continue his practice while in Hunan. Because of his openness to meet others and because of his language skills, he eventually met and studied with some remarkably skilled wushu teachers in Hunan, including Pan Qingfu, perhaps the most renowned living practitioner of Chinese martial arts in the world. Much of Salzman's account is a record of how he met these teachers, and how they helped him develop his skill, each in his own particular way and style. Salzman's interest in calligraphy and martial arts opened doors for him that otherwise may never have appeared. Practicing calligraphy and wushu gave him the excuse for meeting Chinese citizens with similar interests, and for them to seek him out. But Salzman points out the ethical dark side of pursuing these interests as a foreigner. Salzman is very aware of the fact that, while he has studied martial arts for 9 years, no matter how seriously he had applied himself, he had practiced only on a hobby basis, a background to his academic and professional pursuits. On a Chinese scale, his 9 years of part-time study would barely constitute dallying with the sport. Yet because he was a foreigner who seemed to demonstrate such a serious degree of interest in the topic, he had access to the very best teachers, famous superstars that few Chinese wushu students could every dream of meeting. This is not meant to criticize Salzman, as he himself pointed out several times how distressed he was when his teachers would ignore their Chinese students so as to focus on his personal needs. Situations where an interested Westerner is given attention by experts that far exceeds that merited by their skills are unfortunately, quite common. Indeed, many Western musicians of very average talent manage to be accepted as students by famous classical Indian musicians, who may be fascinated by a Westerner who seems seriously interested in Asian music, or who may simply think that having Western students will somehow add to their prestige. I, myself, have benefited from such circumstances while studying Indian music, finding that my teachers give me extra attention or praise that is merited only by the color of my passport. What is remarkable about this book is how much Salzman is aware of this conundrum as he sees it playing out, and how he shows maturity in trying to address the situation both with humility and devotion to his art.
Rating:
Summary: excellent and entertaining!
Review: i was assigned this novel for a course and thought it would be another dry novel such as the ones typically assigned for university history courses. i was pleasantly surprised! salzman's sense of humor and good natured relating of the events surrounding his two years in china is only surpassed by his knowledge and understanding of the culture he lived in for those years. it is an excellent story for anyone who is learning about china or simply wants to know more about the culture. salzman's view as an american looking in is especially helpful for western readers.
Rating:
Summary: what a heartwarming eye-opener!
Review: Mark Salzman writes of his experiences while teaching in China. His book reminded me a little of the Tony Hillerman and "The No. 1 Detective Agency" series in that they all give us a look at an entirely different culture that many of us know little about. He is a martial arts student and continued learning from masters in China during his stay as a teacher. In some ways we could learn a little from their polite culture and they could learn from ours. They are a much more family oriented than I realized, children remaining with their parents until married in many cases and they are more respectful of their parents and others around them than many of us are. Their homes did not compare in any way to what we are used to, but, you know, when you've never had it, you don't know what you are missing and as most of them were in the same circumstances, they do with what they have. This is not to say that everything was great, because it wasn't, there were many things that could have been improved upon, but the book wasn't about that. It was an account by the author of his experiences and friendships that he developed during his stay in China. We get to know about a lovely group of individuals and how they lived and worked. The politeness, and their way of showing hospitality was endearing. I would have to say that Mark must have had a special touch also for them to react so warmly to him. His sincere interest in their martial arts and learning their calligraphy, etc. drew their support also. If you'd like to know more about how many of the people live and their customs this is a wonderful book that will give us a good unbiased view of them. Highly recommended! Enjoy!
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