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Summary: Great read...
Review: Because I will soon be traveling to China, I have been reading many books about the country and the culture. This book was fantastic. It presents a perspective of Chinese culture and life from fresh eyes; the author is knowledgeable about the country and culture but he also inserts his personal reactions and responses to some of the oddness he sees, never hiding behind what his reaction "should" be. His description of the road race in which he participated still sticks with me and makes me laugh. I appreciated his ability to see the humor in many of his experiences without ever taking a superior attitude. The book is not intended to be a history of China but rather a first person account of his own interesting experience.I am a big fan of travel writings, and this book stands out among the many I have read. I couldn't put it down, and I look forward to reading it again.
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Summary: Great book!
Review: I spend a lot of time in China and have recently been working/traveling the upper Yangtze area near Fuling. Just recently, while traveling by boat from Chongqing to Yichang I got into reading this book and was mesmerized. The author really captures the essence of life in a remote smallish Chinese city. Anyone interested in learning more about this country than what the papers write about should definitely read this book.
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Summary: Wow! Actually describes how Chinese think
Review: If you have been looking for a contemporary assessment about how the new Communist Chinese proletariat thinks, then this book should be on your short list. Books about the rising Chinese middle-class are far and few between. This book centers in a small river town along one of the largest rivers in central China, far from the hyper-cultures of the coasts or Beijing, with scenarios revealing a more forthright appraisal of contemporary China. The author, now working in Beijing, is a 3rd generation Italian / Irish, 27yr old round-eye (p229) from a small town about 100mi from the Mississippi River, St Louis, Missouri, who volunteers for a 2yr Peace Corp stint teaching American & English literature at a small local teachers college in a city famous for Fuling hot pickled mustard tuber (p210). From the start in 1996, he crafts a dialog of his journeys and experiences on his laptop (p62) and diary; this is not an after-the-fact memoir. Shunned by his Chinese teaching peers (Dept of English p61, 295, 337), he concentrates describing in intimate detail the thoughts, missteps, triumphs (p49), and fears of his students who come from peasant stock (p24). Furthermore, Ho Wei, his Chinese name (p237), insists on being tutored in Chinese (p60-67) over the two years to enhance his understanding and discourse in the local dialect when he ventures off-campus. He ventures far beyond the typical touristy culture shock dialog of staring crowds (p65, 381), open latrines, propaganda (p38, 59, 78, 220), two-tier pricing (p190), lavish banquets, bureaucracy (p73, 334), begging (p31, 304), macho drinking (p80), endless train and boat rides (p216), gambling (p367), pollution (p62), noise (p328), saving face (p201 318), yada, yada, yada that one gets in most 3rd world travel books. He carefully crafts many interludes, from solitude and peace and quiet (p192), to Rip vanWinkle comedic skits (p170), to the pandemonium of students giving a Spanish play based upon Don Quixote. The play, part of a college-wide competition, was produced by the students and became an irreverent satire on Chinese culture and college life was being reviewed at the dressed rehearsal stage. Of course, the political overtones were such that the entry was immediately banned by the Dept Dean via the college's Communist Party Secretary (p372). He concentrates on his students thoughts that are written in diaries and class papers, from fear, loosing face (p49), love (p271), public sentencing (p75), identity (p282), crying (363, 398), suicide (p273), new free enterprise (p275), abortion (392), prostitution (p241), to the emotions of daily life, abet all the good and bad of our society too, but from a unique Chinese perspective. Many vignettes, often quoted, compare the differences and similarities between Western society and Communist Chinese in the student's own words. Definitely an illuminating read. The book has 3 maps to help give perspective of the town, Sichuan province, Chengdu its capital, Chongqing, the birthplace of the Revolution, the mighty Yangtze River, and the Three Gorges Dam (p99) which will soon inundate the town. There are no pictures in the book even though the author has a camera (p385) and they videotape scenes (p380) at the close of their stint. He travels during the summer off to Xi'an, north near Inner Mongolia, and west along the old Silk Road. He was visited by his Dad and younger sister who had an internship prospecting for oil in the western Xinjiang province. The book also delves in the personal tragedies that some of the student's parents had to endure during the Cultural Revolution (p20, 198, 290, 315, 363). The author also struggles with his own conflicts for this PC stint, to escape a career in academia (p45), avoiding pretentious elitism (p276). He discovers censorship of his letters to the USA and endures political informants to his Dean's file and police dossier (p174). He faces the Good / Bad Cadre excuses when trying get permission from the Admin to present a topic that is inadvertently political (p334). Long distance running helped him escape frustrating stress (p71), yet winning brings him lasting notoriety in a 4K (p89) with 2,500 field from the college and town. He suffers severe sinus infections from the air pollution, looses hearing in one ear due to complications, and partial eyesight in one eye. And finally he fulfils his destiny, a journey to China spawned by his maternal grandfather (p229) long, long ago. The author also weaves modern Chinese history, Long March (p57), Taiping Rebellion (p53), Opium Wars (p169), Cultural Revolution (p224), Third Line Project (p330) into his narratives and shows how recent history affects the student attitudes. He also relates both political and social issues on a personal level, such as Democracy (p143), Socialism, Capitalism (p249), Reform and Opening (p187, 252), Shakespeare (p33), always with that added euphanism, "with Chinese characteristics." Many Communist activities ... are presented from a personal point of view, including Deng Xiaoping's death (p135), Hong Kong's repatriation (p180), Long March (p7), even Hitler & the Jews (p233), and personal rituals of annual events, like family Memorial Day (p154) and Chinese New Year (p294). After reading this book, you will see with fresh new eyes the contrasts between America's enjoyment of freedom of expression, pro and con debate, and ... theories, compared to the Chinese one-think. You will see the effects of Communist China's mass ..., effects of mentioning political and social taboos, where everybody thinks alike'for their personal survival is at stake. Odd-eggs and dissidents are ostracized and, when necessary, eliminated.
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Summary: An honest, engaging, amusing portrait of contemporary China
Review: Modern China is a place ripe with ironies, and among the greatest of them is them is that the Chinese have no sense of irony. It takes an understanding outsider to appreciate these ironic idiosyncracies that Chinese themselves are so oblivious to, and a gifted and sensative writer to portray them without resorting to caricature or mockery. River Town is the most honest and insightful portrayal I have read of China in the late 1990s. Although it takes a small town in Sichuan as its focus, most of Hessler's astute observations are applicable to the rest the country, from metropolis to village. The book is not so much a travelogue as a 'socialogue'. Personally, having lived elsewhere in China during the same periods that the book describes in Fuling, I found myself nodding in agreement throughout the book, and laughing aloud in many a section. Hessler's characterizations, both of China and of how a Westerner changes after a few years in China, are dead on. River Town is the best book available for getting a sense of what China is like, on the most basic level, and explains why we who live here simultaneously love and despise the place. If you are an old China Hand, you will love this book. If you are a total novice to the subject, you couldn't find a more accurate and enjoyable introduction.
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Summary: Wonderful book
Review: This is the third book I have read written by Americans who taught in China. The other 2 were Iron & Silk by Marc Salzman (also good) and Coming Home Crazy by ?. I have been reading in preparation for a trip to China, including the Yangtze. I really enjoyed Mr. Hessler's easy style and his insights and open mindedness. It was a touching story of life in China today, without excuses.The chapters focus on different aspects of life on this important river.
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Summary: Complete picture of a person and place
Review: There is, I think, a general suspicion of travel writers who engaged in their adventures as opportunities to write - in a search for "fodder". Hessler, in Rivertown, is quite up front about seeking out his Peace Corps position as an occasion and subject matter for this book. It doesn't matter. The experience is so fully immersive and complete that Hessler is forced to venture far beyond any writerly conventions to take a very fresh and engaging look at a place completely at odds with his own personal experience. The results are often fascinating. Hessler's never quite escapes the culture shock (both for him and his Chinese neighbours) that his teaching position in Fuling provides. He is stared at, mocked, and humiliated, but also adopted, pampered and adored. A book about his special status as an outsider in China would have been very interesting in its own right, but Hessler struggles to find ways to fully connect with the people of his town. That he is only partially successful is part of the story, and his attempts to make this connection are captivating if sometimes heartbreaking. From his early struggles with doctrinaire Chinese instructors to coping with traffic, noise and alienation, he paints a very honest picture of both himself and his situation. Insofar as he makes the connections he is looking for, the book paints a remarkable picture of Chinese life in a town that will soon be largely submerged by the rising waters of the Three Gorges Dam. The immediacy of the place, and his willingness to share his sometimes ungainly appreciation of his role there, make this both an unusual and dramatic discussion of modern Chinese life that is at once personal and universal.
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Summary: A different kind of "travel book"
Review: River Town probably is disappointing to some earlier reviewers because it does not follow the convention of viewing China as an impenetrable mystery for Westerners. Unlike books such as The River at the Center of the World (Simon Winchester), Hessler makes a point of trying to immerse himself in Chinese culture and daily life. This makes all the difference in the quality of the insights and personal change depicted throughout the book. Readers really get a sense of the struggles, problems, humour, and enjoyment Hessler went though during his time in China. Compare this to Winchester's journey, often using soft-seat trains and boats, which only reinforced his distance and separation from Chinese culture. Unfortunately, a lot of authors, including Winchester, never attempt to explore the gap between their cultural backgrounds and those of the places they attempt to describe. The resulting books are essentially just glorified tourist's diaries, with tired comparisons about how much more "advanced" and "civilized" Western countries are compared to China. Overall, Hessler's book is good for people interested in reading a thoughtful and often entertaining account of what it's like to live in a culture that is radically different from the US. It's well written and offers a great deal of personal insight, as well as occasional interludes describing various regions visited by Hessler. Those looking merely to confirm their preconceived notions about Western versus Asian culture should look elsewhere.
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Summary: beautifully written
Review: I read this book on my first trip to China. It helped me tremendously in understanding China from an American's view. As a Chinese American, I never been to China until recently. Every single details in this book reminded me all the stories my parents told me when I was young. It was hard to put this book down, and I hope I would never finish reading this book.
For people who looking for a "real China", this is the book to read. This book is not telling you about the citits with make-up like Beijing or Shanghai. This book is telling about a true China. Despite all the political and economic facts about China, this book tells the story about Chinese people, Chinese peasant, and Chinese family. All of these have never been realized by the otuside world.
The writing is witty and beautiful. I love this book.
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Summary: Wish I knew the author
Review: This a must read for anyone interested in China or just reading about a different culture. This book was so beautifully, thoughtfully and sensitively written, I wish I knew Peter Hessler as a friend. I felt like I had spent two years in Fuling with the author and wished the book would not end!
Rating:
Summary: good book
Review: Peter Hessler's memoir of a rural Chinese city was a very enjoyable read. Wonderful descriptions of the local people and scenery, and of his interations with both. Definitely worthy of its praise, and an eye opener to someone who wants to know what life as a Peace Corps volunteer is like. His experiences in the remote, outlying villages in rural China remind me of my own experiences on the tiny islands off the west coast of Thailand. Friendly people, with no harmful intentions, seeking to interact with "glamorous" Americans, often asking ridiculous questions. It is full of insights and humble confessions, but free of overly-wordy or oppressive prose. In depth enough to be used as a classroom culture study on rural China, but light and enjoyable enough to be used as a "beach book".
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