Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Harper Perennial (2006), Edition: Later Printing, 402 pages
DDC/MDS
| 910 |
Description
Records the author's experiences as a Peace Corps English teacher in the small Chinese city of Fuling, during which time he witnessed such events as the death of Deng Xiaoping, the return of Hong Kong to the mainland, and the construction of the Three Gorges Dam.
User reviews
LibraryThing member mattviews
In his concluding remarks of River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze, Peter Hessler points us to the nub of his experience in China:
"I had never had any idealistic illusions about my Peace Corps 'service' in China; I wasn't there to save anybody or leave an indelible mark on the town. If anything, I
In fall 1996, Peter Hessler, at the age of 26, took a Peace Corps assignment that relocated him to a small town in the Sichuan province of China. Many natives let alone a young American who made his inaugural entrance into the country did not know and hear of Fuling. It's a former coal-mining town that is bounded by the Yangtze and the Wu. Chongqing and the Three Gorges are just hours away by boats. The book chronicles, in a rather casual but detailed way, Peter's teaching experience at the Fuling Education College and his life and anecdotes in town. Interwoven into Peter's diary are descriptions of local landmarks and customs. This book is by far the most passionate and yet accurate and objective account written any foreigners. Peter really does possess a keen sense of his surroundings. Throughout his crisp, interesting prose and attention to details, the Chinese 'laobaixing' (common people) become alive as if we are actually interacting with them.
I am in awe of how far Peter has gone in making meticulous observations of the Chinese culture and its people. A lot of what he mentions in this book is often overlooked by foreigners. To cite some examples:
1)Cultural shock: Wherever Peter goes in town, he often gathers a crowd looking dagger at him, saying 'hello', calling name and following him. To his surprises later on, he realizes the town has never had a foreign visitor for at least 50 years. It is a mixed bag of xenophobia and curiosity for foreigners. No soon than Peter arrived in town than he realized that foreigners are usually treated differently in daily necessities and accommodation. Certain inns were forbidden to accommodate foreigners due to the untidiness. Foreigners often had to pay a higher fare for the steamboats.
2)Teaching style: Learning Chinese was excruciatingly painful for Peter (and for many Americans I'm sure). The Mandarin comes with 4 intonations and the thousands of characters have complicated strokes and dots. Suffice it to say that the slightest mispronunciation or missing a stroke in writing will reap a harsh admonishment from Peter's native Chinese teacher. 'Budui' is the devil word meaning 'wrong'. As Peter has pointed out, the Chinese teaching style is significantly different from the western methods. If a student is wrong, she needed to be corrected (or rebuked) immediately without any quibbling or softening. It is the very strict standard that motivates Peter to determinedly show his teacher he is 'dui' (right). His bitter encounter with the Chinese way enables him to finally relate to his Chinese-American peers, who go to school and become accustomed to the American system of gentle correction. But the Chinese parents expect more-unless you get straight A's, you haven't achieved anything yet! Hey, I can relate to this Peter!
3)Hong Kong handover: Little did I know about how the mainland Chinese made such a big deal about the turn-of-the-century event in 1997 until I read Peter's account. His students have been drilled on the shamefulness of history, of how the Britain defeated the Chinese in Opium War, of how China was coerced to cease the fragrant city for 150 years. I knew about how the Chinese (especially the Party leaders) awaited the moment when the five-star red flag ascend to full staff in Hong Kong but shamefulness? The magnitude of the colony's return to motherland simply overwhelmed Peter (and myself): the handover lapel pin, the handover umbrella, and the handover rubber flip-flops!
4)Chinese collectivism: This is something that not only amazes but also puzzles me and Peter has nailed it to the root. The Chinese people are often nonchalant, indifferent, and apathetic to politics, crisis or crimes. Well, according to Peter, 'as long as a pickpocket [or whatever] did not affect you personally, or affect somebody in your family, it was not your business.' So this is the usual Chinese mind-my-own-business attitude. This attitude is so implanted inveterately into the Chinese due to decades of isolation (from media and geography) and political control. I think Peter really brings it home. The consequence is a strictly standardized education system, common beliefs among the people, common reactions toward political issues, and an unchallenging submission to authority.
River Town is indeed one of the best books I've ever read for years. Peter is not only an on-looking 'waiguoren' (foreigner) but he has found his identity among the Chinese. He befriended the owner of the restaurant and his family. He established daily and weekly routines which include newspaper reading at the teahouse and chatting with the teahouse 'xiaojie' (girls), hiking up to the mountaintop, visiting the vendors at a local park, and hanging out with his students after class. During the summer vacation, he took an excursion to the Great Wall in Shanxi and Urmuqi in Xinjiang. The prose is vivid, crisp, and gripping. I really appreciate how he approaches the people and culture with an honesty-to have gone so far as some of the moments of candor become unpleasant. This is a page-turner, the kind of book that you don't want to end so soon.
"I had never had any idealistic illusions about my Peace Corps 'service' in China; I wasn't there to save anybody or leave an indelible mark on the town. If anything, I
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was glad that during my two years in Fuling I hadn't built anything, or organized anything, or made any great changes to the place. I had been a teacher, and in my spare time I had tried to learn as much as possible about the city and its people. That was the extent of my work, and I was comfortable with those roles and I recognized their limitations."In fall 1996, Peter Hessler, at the age of 26, took a Peace Corps assignment that relocated him to a small town in the Sichuan province of China. Many natives let alone a young American who made his inaugural entrance into the country did not know and hear of Fuling. It's a former coal-mining town that is bounded by the Yangtze and the Wu. Chongqing and the Three Gorges are just hours away by boats. The book chronicles, in a rather casual but detailed way, Peter's teaching experience at the Fuling Education College and his life and anecdotes in town. Interwoven into Peter's diary are descriptions of local landmarks and customs. This book is by far the most passionate and yet accurate and objective account written any foreigners. Peter really does possess a keen sense of his surroundings. Throughout his crisp, interesting prose and attention to details, the Chinese 'laobaixing' (common people) become alive as if we are actually interacting with them.
I am in awe of how far Peter has gone in making meticulous observations of the Chinese culture and its people. A lot of what he mentions in this book is often overlooked by foreigners. To cite some examples:
1)Cultural shock: Wherever Peter goes in town, he often gathers a crowd looking dagger at him, saying 'hello', calling name and following him. To his surprises later on, he realizes the town has never had a foreign visitor for at least 50 years. It is a mixed bag of xenophobia and curiosity for foreigners. No soon than Peter arrived in town than he realized that foreigners are usually treated differently in daily necessities and accommodation. Certain inns were forbidden to accommodate foreigners due to the untidiness. Foreigners often had to pay a higher fare for the steamboats.
2)Teaching style: Learning Chinese was excruciatingly painful for Peter (and for many Americans I'm sure). The Mandarin comes with 4 intonations and the thousands of characters have complicated strokes and dots. Suffice it to say that the slightest mispronunciation or missing a stroke in writing will reap a harsh admonishment from Peter's native Chinese teacher. 'Budui' is the devil word meaning 'wrong'. As Peter has pointed out, the Chinese teaching style is significantly different from the western methods. If a student is wrong, she needed to be corrected (or rebuked) immediately without any quibbling or softening. It is the very strict standard that motivates Peter to determinedly show his teacher he is 'dui' (right). His bitter encounter with the Chinese way enables him to finally relate to his Chinese-American peers, who go to school and become accustomed to the American system of gentle correction. But the Chinese parents expect more-unless you get straight A's, you haven't achieved anything yet! Hey, I can relate to this Peter!
3)Hong Kong handover: Little did I know about how the mainland Chinese made such a big deal about the turn-of-the-century event in 1997 until I read Peter's account. His students have been drilled on the shamefulness of history, of how the Britain defeated the Chinese in Opium War, of how China was coerced to cease the fragrant city for 150 years. I knew about how the Chinese (especially the Party leaders) awaited the moment when the five-star red flag ascend to full staff in Hong Kong but shamefulness? The magnitude of the colony's return to motherland simply overwhelmed Peter (and myself): the handover lapel pin, the handover umbrella, and the handover rubber flip-flops!
4)Chinese collectivism: This is something that not only amazes but also puzzles me and Peter has nailed it to the root. The Chinese people are often nonchalant, indifferent, and apathetic to politics, crisis or crimes. Well, according to Peter, 'as long as a pickpocket [or whatever] did not affect you personally, or affect somebody in your family, it was not your business.' So this is the usual Chinese mind-my-own-business attitude. This attitude is so implanted inveterately into the Chinese due to decades of isolation (from media and geography) and political control. I think Peter really brings it home. The consequence is a strictly standardized education system, common beliefs among the people, common reactions toward political issues, and an unchallenging submission to authority.
River Town is indeed one of the best books I've ever read for years. Peter is not only an on-looking 'waiguoren' (foreigner) but he has found his identity among the Chinese. He befriended the owner of the restaurant and his family. He established daily and weekly routines which include newspaper reading at the teahouse and chatting with the teahouse 'xiaojie' (girls), hiking up to the mountaintop, visiting the vendors at a local park, and hanging out with his students after class. During the summer vacation, he took an excursion to the Great Wall in Shanxi and Urmuqi in Xinjiang. The prose is vivid, crisp, and gripping. I really appreciate how he approaches the people and culture with an honesty-to have gone so far as some of the moments of candor become unpleasant. This is a page-turner, the kind of book that you don't want to end so soon.
Show Less
LibraryThing member aront
Good: Hessler does a good job of describing the character of the people he meets and the complexity of their lives. Those stories are all interesting, funny and often touching.
Bad: Hessler is an arrogant & condescending jerk who thinks he is being sensitive & understanding, but really isn׳t. I
Worst: yes we all know China lived for many years under an authoritarian madman who caused great hardship. But Hessler's political critiques of the China he lived in are most often superficial and ridiculous. Worst of all, he refuses to connect the dots and see how many of the same issues exist in identical ways in the country he comes from. Are the advertisement slogans that pepper US countryside any less worthless mind numbing propaganda than "happy happy safe safe" Communist party slogans? And sure in the US you can call the President a socialist fascist yahoo and not go to jail or get censored, and that is a great thing. But if you smoke the wrong plant you end up in jail. There are far more people in prison in this country than in China (or any other country for that matter) even though we have a quarter of their population. So are we really more "free"? And the average citizen here has no more power to effect change than his Chinese counterpart. We just have the illusion of participation. At least the Chinese are more realistic.
Bad: Hessler is an arrogant & condescending jerk who thinks he is being sensitive & understanding, but really isn׳t. I
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give him a discount because he was young & stupid (despite his Oxford education) when he wrote this. Nonetheless I find the book insufferable when he writes about himself which is way too much of the time.Worst: yes we all know China lived for many years under an authoritarian madman who caused great hardship. But Hessler's political critiques of the China he lived in are most often superficial and ridiculous. Worst of all, he refuses to connect the dots and see how many of the same issues exist in identical ways in the country he comes from. Are the advertisement slogans that pepper US countryside any less worthless mind numbing propaganda than "happy happy safe safe" Communist party slogans? And sure in the US you can call the President a socialist fascist yahoo and not go to jail or get censored, and that is a great thing. But if you smoke the wrong plant you end up in jail. There are far more people in prison in this country than in China (or any other country for that matter) even though we have a quarter of their population. So are we really more "free"? And the average citizen here has no more power to effect change than his Chinese counterpart. We just have the illusion of participation. At least the Chinese are more realistic.
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LibraryThing member tungsten_peerts
I really liked Hessler's Oracle Bones, but think this is a better book: more focused, richer, more personal. It all rings so true that it hurts.
Even if he doesn't like cats (boo, Mr. Hessler!), he seems to have deserved his MacArthur Fellowship. Excellent on every level. If you have any interest at
I'd love to write a more detailed review -- something beyond "whoa! it's so good!" -- but I just finished it and I'm still soaking it all in.
Even if he doesn't like cats (boo, Mr. Hessler!), he seems to have deserved his MacArthur Fellowship. Excellent on every level. If you have any interest at
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all in modern China, please read this book.I'd love to write a more detailed review -- something beyond "whoa! it's so good!" -- but I just finished it and I'm still soaking it all in.
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LibraryThing member Seajack
Engaging story of a Peace Corps volunteer's two years as a teacher in a remote Chinese city. Looking forward to reading his recent book on China.
LibraryThing member pbirch01
River Town by Peter Hessler is a good story and being able to relate to it as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer makes it even better. Hessler tells his story of two years of Peace Corps service living in a small city on the Yangtze River. Hessler tells his story well and is able to weave in the
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thoughts and emotions of the storyline without distracting the reader. Its often difficult to relate living in a different country to people who may not ever have been to that country but Hessler does it with skill by slowly adding thoughts and insights as the story progressed. He also does an excellent job of describing certain aspects of living abroad such as perception of one's home country as well as learning the local language and customs. Although the average reader may never visit Fuling, China, they can be taken there with this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member breic2
This is a fantastic book, much better than Hessler's more recent "Oracle Bones." It has many telling anecdotes of Hessler's two years living in Fuling (near Chongqing, on the Yangtze River, partly flooded now from the Three Gorges Dam) as an English teacher. Very insightful.
LibraryThing member lizhawk
Peter Hessler reveals the inner life of Fuling, upriver from the Yangtze, o the River Wu. A small (for China) town of 200,000 situated in a fertile river valley, its economy is sustained by grains, tung oil and lacquer wares. Peter and his friend, Adam, taught English in the Teachers' College to
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gifted students from peasant families. His efforts to learn Chinese and become acculturated lead to insights and observations about this area, and to some degree, about China's recent history. Show Less
LibraryThing member JessicaMarie
River Town is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to learn more about China, or are planning on living abroad for an extended period of time. I thought that the book was very interesting and was fascinated with the way the Chinese of Fuling treated Peter Hessler during his stay. It would be very
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helpful to know a little about China's past, as Peter Hessler mentions many different movements and leaders without going into detail, which can lead to many readers feeling lost. The reader also has to remember that this book is the opinion of just one person who lived in a remote part of China and should not consider his experiences to be the norm for a forgeiner living in China. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sarah_Beaudette
An entertaining, enjoyable book that you don't regret reading is not always the same as a really well-written book that you cherish. I'm an admitted style snob, and parts of this book read like poetry. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in China, or travel in general.
LibraryThing member techszewski
Beautiful book. Kind of experience I wish I had had for myself after collge. This was another book that after reading it pulled me to new parts of China. Never went on a Yangtze cruise or saw the dam in my trip out west. Too many people said it was over-rated. I did, however, SEE the thick murky
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waters of the Yangtze when I was hiking in Tiger Leaping Gorge. This is a must read for anyone living in China. Very well written. Would love to see if he's gone back since and to read an article on how the area has changed now that the dam project is complete. And, I'd love to hear what he has to say about the dam being blamed for triggering the earth quake that decimated northern Sichuan province. Show Less
LibraryThing member co_coyote
Peter Hessler was a Peace Corp volunteer when he spent two years teaching English in Fuling, a Yangtze river town in Sichuan province. This is his well-written and interesting account of the time he spent in the city and traveling around China. I found it an insightful, sympathetic, and
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illuminating look at the Chinese people and their complex culture. The book is often funny and always interesting. It is a wonderful introduction to China if, like me, you know very little about this important country. Show Less
LibraryThing member veevoxvoom
I’m normally a bit wary about books where Americans (or any First World citizen) explore developing countries, especially when it’s a country my family happens to be from and where I spent part of my childhood. But I shouldn’t have worried this time. Peter Hessler writes tenderly but with
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clear-sighted accuracy. Even though I’ve never been to Sichuan, I see a lot of truth in his observations, and some that he opened my eyes to (the awkward Chinese laugh, yes!). His humour, patience, and willingness to put his ego aside made him a great writer for the subject. I also liked that he taught English lit, particularly his classes on Shakespeare. Shakespeare in China brought back a lot of memories for me! River Town is probably the best travelogue of China that I’ve read yet. Definitely recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member gooutsideandplay
Great book that details the author's stint as a Peace Corps volunteer in China. Hessler, now a New York Times reporter, details his struggle with the Chinese language, the loneliness of being a foreigner -- as well as the haunting knowledge that much of his city will disappear underwater due to
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China's Three Gorges Dam project. This hugely ambitious engineering feat underscores and parallels Hessler's observations of the massive changes in China due to its incredible upward trajectory toward economic progress -- but also the fear that something is being lost, as well. I also really enjoyed Hessler's impressions of the students in his college English literature classes, most of whom were one generation away from peasantry. Hessler's interactions with them were both funny and poignant -- with much more than lessons in English being shared by both students and teacher. Show Less
LibraryThing member mcelhra
I chose this book for our group because David Sedaris (my new BFF), recommended it when I saw him on tour a couple of years ago. River Town is not meant to be humorous like a Sedaris book, but I still enjoyed it a great deal. Peter Hessler does write it with a light hearted tone. It’s clear that
Peter went by the name Ho Wei while he was in China and I absolutely loved how he explained the dichotomy between Peter Hessler and Ho Wei:
“Ho Wei was stupid, which was what I liked most about him…People were comfortable with somebody that stupid, and they found it okay to talk with Ho Wei, even though they often had to say things twice or write new words in his notebook. Ho Wei always carried his notebook in his pocket, using it to study the new words, as well as to jot down notes from conversations. And when Ho Wei returned home he left the notebook on the desk of Peter Hessler, who typed everything into his computer.”
There is quite a bit more about Ho Wei vs. Peter Hessler than just the above quote and I thought it was all so clever. I really enjoyed this book. Since reading it, I have learned that Peter Hessler also writes about China for The New Yorker and has written two more books about China. I really enjoyed his perspective and I’m looking forward to reading more from him.
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he greatly enjoys being in China and making friends with Chinese people even though he finds their culture and the people baffling or frustrating at times.Peter went by the name Ho Wei while he was in China and I absolutely loved how he explained the dichotomy between Peter Hessler and Ho Wei:
“Ho Wei was stupid, which was what I liked most about him…People were comfortable with somebody that stupid, and they found it okay to talk with Ho Wei, even though they often had to say things twice or write new words in his notebook. Ho Wei always carried his notebook in his pocket, using it to study the new words, as well as to jot down notes from conversations. And when Ho Wei returned home he left the notebook on the desk of Peter Hessler, who typed everything into his computer.”
There is quite a bit more about Ho Wei vs. Peter Hessler than just the above quote and I thought it was all so clever. I really enjoyed this book. Since reading it, I have learned that Peter Hessler also writes about China for The New Yorker and has written two more books about China. I really enjoyed his perspective and I’m looking forward to reading more from him.
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LibraryThing member sonofcarc
Nobody could read all the Westerner-in-China books published in the last 30 years -- but surely this is the best. Thoughtful and penetrating observation conveyed in clean effective prose. I was totally hooked by the fourth paragraph:
There was no railroad in Fuling. It had always been a poor part of
There was no railroad in Fuling. It had always been a poor part of
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China and the roads were bad. To go anywhere you took the boat, but mostly you didn't go anywhere. For the next two years the city was my home. Show Less
LibraryThing member robertg69
excellent rendition of expatriate experience working and living with mainland Chinese.
LibraryThing member cestovatela
Among the first group of Peace Corps volunteers allowed in China after the Cultural Revolution, English teacher Peter Hessler is stationed in the remote city of Fujian. Hessler writes about being a foreigner in a recently opened country in an engaging way, but he devotes most of the book to the
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haunting stories of his students and Chinese friends. The book is marred by a few overly poetic, italicized passages that don't fit in with the rest of the work, but on the whole, this is a beautiful book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sarah_Beaudette
An entertaining, enjoyable book that you don't regret reading is not always the same as a really well-written book that you cherish. I'm an admitted style snob, and parts of this book read like poetry. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in China, or travel in general.
LibraryThing member nemoman
This was a delightful book. Hessler lived for two years as a Peace Corps English lit instructor in Fuling, China, in the late nineties. China was in a state of flux, with the addition of the construction of the three gorges dam on theYangtze, which would eventually flood lower portions of the city.
Fuling, although a large city, was somewhat of a backwater, which fortunately allowed Hessler to integrate with the locals. He was quite sucessfull at this. He befriended many locals and their families, and through their interaction, you begin to understand the structure behind Chinese society.
Hessler's writing mentor in college was John McPhee, and McPhee's influences shine through in Hessler's limpid prose. Humorous, poignant and informative, this book is a must for understanding contemporary China. I only wish I had not taken so long to get to it.
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Fuling, although a large city, was somewhat of a backwater, which fortunately allowed Hessler to integrate with the locals. He was quite sucessfull at this. He befriended many locals and their families, and through their interaction, you begin to understand the structure behind Chinese society.
Hessler's writing mentor in college was John McPhee, and McPhee's influences shine through in Hessler's limpid prose. Humorous, poignant and informative, this book is a must for understanding contemporary China. I only wish I had not taken so long to get to it.
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LibraryThing member Library_Lin
I’ve never been to China. After reading the first book in Peter Hessler’s trilogy that chronicles his experiences as an American living in China on the cusp of the 21st century, I now understand that China is so massive geographically that there is no one China. A common history binds the
River Town is about the two years Hessler taught English in Fuling, a remote city in Sichuan in the mountainous center of the nation. As part of the earliest cadre of Peace Corps volunteers to enter China in the 1990s, Hessler was assigned to a small teacher’s college. Most of his students were peasants’ children, and the opportunity to teach school was an honorable advancement for them.
The students were diligent and well-behaved, but Hessler and his fellow volunteer, Adam, made plenty of missteps inside and outside the classroom. The pair learn the local Chinese dialect, make friends in town, and feel like they belong there. But unfolding events prove their confidence and comfort are premature.
I enjoyed this peek into Chinese society in the 1990s. With the newly opened economy, the country only recently allowed outside influences in, and the clash between the cultures was very real. But so was the humanity both sides displayed.
Hessler covers too much ground to examine in a short review. He was there while the nation built the Three Gorges Dam and lamented the imminent loss of the area’s beautiful landscapes. But he celebrates the kindnesses and honesty of the residents while denigrating the government propaganda that kept them under control. River Town is a wonderful book for anyone who genuinely enjoys a “slice of life” look at a particular place and time.
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culture, but the social conventions and language can differ depending on where you are.River Town is about the two years Hessler taught English in Fuling, a remote city in Sichuan in the mountainous center of the nation. As part of the earliest cadre of Peace Corps volunteers to enter China in the 1990s, Hessler was assigned to a small teacher’s college. Most of his students were peasants’ children, and the opportunity to teach school was an honorable advancement for them.
The students were diligent and well-behaved, but Hessler and his fellow volunteer, Adam, made plenty of missteps inside and outside the classroom. The pair learn the local Chinese dialect, make friends in town, and feel like they belong there. But unfolding events prove their confidence and comfort are premature.
I enjoyed this peek into Chinese society in the 1990s. With the newly opened economy, the country only recently allowed outside influences in, and the clash between the cultures was very real. But so was the humanity both sides displayed.
Hessler covers too much ground to examine in a short review. He was there while the nation built the Three Gorges Dam and lamented the imminent loss of the area’s beautiful landscapes. But he celebrates the kindnesses and honesty of the residents while denigrating the government propaganda that kept them under control. River Town is a wonderful book for anyone who genuinely enjoys a “slice of life” look at a particular place and time.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jonbrammer
Several people I know have read and raved about this book, it's gotten across-the-board good reviews from respected publications, so I started "River Town" with high expectations. Why, then, do I think this book is so terrible? Mainly I find Hessler's writing style grating and pretentious. He makes
Another thing that I dislike about the book is that nothing about it seems human: Hessler has a tendency to generalize about the Chinese, and he never really paints himself in a negative light. One of the dangers of putting too much stock in "expat on the ground" memoirs (or Peace Corps memoirs in general) is that there are a lot of impressions formed that come from limited experience in one town, region, or group of people, and all of it is colored by the writer's outsider status. I give River Town two stars because it made me nostalgic about my own Peace Corps service, but I really don't think it gave me any kind of real understanding of modern China.
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sure to mention early on that he went to Princeton and Oxford (and reminds us a couple times afterwards), even though it was totally irrelevant to the narrative, and his descriptions of the Sichuan countryside are overwrought and romanticized. Another thing that I dislike about the book is that nothing about it seems human: Hessler has a tendency to generalize about the Chinese, and he never really paints himself in a negative light. One of the dangers of putting too much stock in "expat on the ground" memoirs (or Peace Corps memoirs in general) is that there are a lot of impressions formed that come from limited experience in one town, region, or group of people, and all of it is colored by the writer's outsider status. I give River Town two stars because it made me nostalgic about my own Peace Corps service, but I really don't think it gave me any kind of real understanding of modern China.
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LibraryThing member Paul_S
I like the personal account, I think it allows the reader to see the strangeness of late 90s China better than an impersonal history book. The story is very engaging and multiple threads are woven without any one dragging on. It probably helps that the author seams like a nice person so even though
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he's almost as alien to me as China is, it's easy to sympathise with him. Show Less
LibraryThing member zoe.r2005
River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler is a terrific non-fiction book. The author tells his two years of successful teaching experience in a small town. His knowledge of modern Chinese history including the local history of Sichuan Province is amazing. It’s incredible that Hessler
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learned Chinese and used it with his colleagues and students as well as local residents, especially peasants, to gain first-hand experience and understand the culture and society as well. He makes literature alive for the Chinese students from peasants’ families through their performance of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the discussion of Kate Chopin’s “Désirée's Baby.” From the incident to the students’ performance of Don Quixote, the reader can picture Mao’s style of political control even over two decades later after his death. Peter Hessler is definitely an invaluable China Hand. Show Less
LibraryThing member liz.mabry
I really wanted to like it, but the writing is so distant that I feel absolutely no connection with the author, or any sense that he had emotions about the occurrences. Giving up on this one.
LibraryThing member untraveller
Second time to read this book....the first was when it first came out. Good stuff. Initially I thought I might be reading the book for purposes related to a Peace Corps stint, but when I found out a few years ago that I was ineligible for said duties, I thought I might rethink m first trip to
Good all around material for what life was like there about 20 years ago. I wish all travel books could be this honest.
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China. I've now been there and going back. This book serves as an excellent introduction to the land. I've got Oracle Bones and his book of essays lined up to read down the road. Good all around material for what life was like there about 20 years ago. I wish all travel books could be this honest.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2001
Physical description
402 p.; 5.31 inches
ISBN
0060855029 / 9780060855024