The book is three separate essays about the author's experiences in China. He has lived there for over a decade at the time of the book, and so he is both foreigner and culture guide. He knows enough to explain, rather than be merely dangerous.
The first section is about a trip along the Great Wall of China, which is not something that is offered as a tourist package in China, so really nice to have the story of what the wall looks like and how it functions for people along it's length.
The second section is about a village that he lived in on weekends for several years--as the economic opening of China unfolds from cities into the countryside, Hessler desctibes the transition of one rural family as a result. He also gives some insight into how village life operates (what is the same and what is different from any village anywhere), and the frustrations related to healthcare in the developing world. The third section is about how factories operate--which is far different from what manufacturing America is like. It seems unsophisticated, and yet the magnitude of it seems overwhelming. So the take home message for me? China has come a long way. There is so much that China will learn and get better at. We are seeing a China that is a toddler when it comes to manufacturing--as China matures into adulthood, the disparities between the Western world and China may become even more overwhelming. Or the environmental issues may creep up and clobber them, much as they did in the United States 50 years ago. Time will tell, but it is a great set of stories about the re-emerging big player on the planet.
I really enjoyed this book. Some of my takeaways were(1) how different the cultural norms are (like his references to the interesting questions on the drivers exam), (2) how hard work and pluck help advance one's life no matter what level one starts from or where one lives, (3) the environmental hazards of having so little regulation and such incredibly rapid boom and bust development.
ReplyDeleteI thought the driving test questions were more like a test of moral fiber than an indication of your knowledge of the rules and regulations of the road--very funny reflection of the cultural climate, and remarkably different from what we do here. Great point!
ReplyDeleteI am reading his wife's (Leslie Chang) book, Factory Girls, next week.