Customer Reviews

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze

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This is a brilliant book. This young man came to China with an open mind and is fundamentally different from much of the young expatriate population here, both in terms of his intellingence and his goals in coming. (Typical personalities: "I'm a Loser Back at Home, but when I come to China I'm a Big Man on Mulberry Street." Another: "I'm Young and Bored and Trying to Convince Myself That There is a Communist Revolution Somewhere.")

Some books that have been written have also tried specifically to address the political issues of this vast country. It is more interesting to someone who is not a professional protestor/ academic to see what happens in practice when some of the Romanticized Sacred Cows of Academics are implemented in Real Life (see: Communism, Authoritarianism, Big Government). This is also not taken from the perspective of people that are constantly whining about Human Rights.

In my opinion, the author does a good job of not reinterpreting China in terms of some of these Sacred Cows, be they of whoever.

The prose is clear, elegant and not overwrought with detail. But the reading is not overly light, either. It's just the things that any person would think about if they came here to teach. Or that any person might want to know if they wanted a perspective of China independent of political slants of any type.

Without argument, the most casual observer of China over the past thirty years would have to acknowledge that this country has been marked by very significant change. Having a passion for history, and a keen interest in the history of China, I tend to evaluate books based on their value as history. Every time I contemplate the hours of time that will be consumed if I set about to read a given book, I ask, "How will this book enhance my understanding of the history of modern China?" Well, this book is not an exploration of the past, it is a simple observation of a single moment in time by one who lived through it. As history, this book is not strong. But as sociology, it is exceptional. Current sociology is future history, so in that sense, this book is very useful for the purposes I have mentioned. So I read it. Now I must point out that China is a very diverse society. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that China is really a collection of societies. This book is not, by any means, a general statement about life in China. It is the story of life in one small community. But that's OK, because it never pretends to be anything else.

Really, this book is a testimony to the value of paying attention. I am sure that many folks living and working in situations similar to Peter Hessler's would have their own stories to tell. But so often we are fooled by the seeming ordinariness of our own mundane existence. So we live our lives endlessly, day by day without writing the story. Listen to me: If your life isn't worth writing a book about, you're doing something wrong. Change. Move. Do something. But become someone or be in the process of becoming someone that decent folks would really enjoy reading about some day. My highest commendation to Peter Hessler for this more than anything else.

The basic plot of the story is quite simple: A graduate student joins the Peace Corps, and teaches for two years in a Chinese university. What is especially useful about this book depends, I suppose, on your particular frame of reference, and on your needs, but for me, the book was most interesting as a very personal and honest description of how one person responded to the culture shock inherent in the cultural transition described. My parents were missionaries in northern Japan; that is where I grew up. For me, the most profound culture shock was when I came to America at the age of 13. I was, therefore, quite interested to see how this idealistic graduate student would respond to his own cultural adjustment. At times, he seems almost to have a "chip on his shoulder," but much of this is because of his simple honesty about how he is feeling at the particular moment. And I can hardly blame him for taking the pellet gun away from the kid who shot him in cold blood. Hessler talks very openly about feelings most of us would rather not admit we have at moments like that.

By far the most appealing part of this book for me, however, was the insight that it gave me into the nature of rural teacher training in China. Years ago I taught in a country school in North Dakota. I traveled to Yunnan Province some time ago, and participated in a benefit project where we donated some computers to a country school. I have a special interest in rural education, and the importance of giving kids in that kind of setting the same quality education that would be available to them if they lived a bit closer to the city. And the simple straightforwardness of the country young people who are the students in this University is so refreshing to anyone who has been frustrated with the way the American obsession with information has stuffed the minds of so many young people with all kinds of things they don't need to be worrying about so early in their lives. The sophisticated cynicism this too often causes is so wonderfully absent from the thinking of Peter Hessler's students.

I learned quite a bit from this book. Reading it was time well spent. I think even for those who do not have a particular interest in China, this book would be very attractive. But for those who are contemplating a life in China, it is definitely required reading. If you like people, you will like this book.

I am not surprised that there are over one hundred reviews of River Town. It is a superb book. If I could I would give it ten stars. The best book I have read in years.

Much is written by others about this book. It is a piece of narrative non-fiction. As such it reads like a novel. A real page turner!

My wife is Chinese. I have spent some time in China. But at a different place (Guangxi province) and time (ten years later). I certainly share Mr. Hessing's attitude towards the hospitality and friendliness of the Chinese people. As he mentions: it is hard to imagine that very many Americans (or Canadians) would invite an odd foreigner into their home after meeting him on the street for the first time. Although I don't speak Chinese they made me feel warm and comfortable in their homes. Mr. Hessing learned to speak Chinese and had an even richer experience for it.

In all the saber rattling towards China, few North Americans seem to appreciate that the Chinese are normal people with hopes and aspirations like all of us. Communism does not change that. This book paints a picture of common Chinese folks. It is required reading for anyone interested in Chinese sociology or, for that matter, anyone interested in a good read. Perhaps Mr. Hessing is the Dashan for the common folk (just joking Mr. Hessing!).

This is not an easy book to discuss because it does so many things so well. On the surface, it is the story of a young Peace Corps volunteer, named Peter Hessler, who goes to China to teach English literature to college students. The town where the college is located is known as Fuling. It is in the remote province of Sichuan along the Yangtze River. Hessler and his partner, Admam Meier, are the first foreigners to be seen in the town in 50 years. This alone would make Hessler's situation a little unusual, but the fact that both he and Meier immediately begin to question and indirectly challenge the roles they have been assigned, means that Hessler's experiences develop into real adventures.

Hessler's first year in Fuling is characterized by culture shock, disillusionment and a stubborn refusal to give up on his goal of learning to read and speak Chinese. He is shocked by the brainwashing of his students, by their intelligence and insightfulness when they are dealing with subjects that they don't have preprogrammed responses to. He struggles with the isolation imposed on him by the rest of the faculty, and begins to make forays into the hills just to get away from the regemented college routine, pollution and crowding.

In his second year, his Chinese improves and he begins to make friends in Fuling. He is still frustrated by attempts to control what he teaches, still struggles to understand his students' behavior, but he has begun to find his way in this strange new land. He makes friends with two of the professors, is befriended by a family in town and by a few of the people who have stopped to talk with him. On his breaks he travels to other parts of China. He hikes back into the hills for a second year and talks to the farmers.

But for all his understanding and insight, Hessler is never really happy in Fuling. His health is poor, he is disturbed by events at the school, by the fact that all his mail is opened before he receives it, by the political climate of the town and most especially by an alarming encounter with a group of angry townspeople. This last incident seems to crystallize many things for him, and he is ready to leave as the last few weeks of his term come to an end.

What makes this book special is Hessler's ability to capture the essence of Fuling - its sights, smells, people and overall character- and his willingness to share his inner process. We are there with him during drinking matches sponsored by the head of the English Department, and are introduced to each of his students. We watch as he struggles to understand their responses, and feel his frustation as he struggles with Chinese. Likewise we can see and smell the food at his favorite noodles shop, applaude his victory in a local cross country race and know his feelngs of anger and helplessness when he learns that one of his students has died.

If you have ever wondered what is is like to live in a foreign country, to try to cope with a culture that is radically different from your own; if you have wondered about China and its people, then this is a wonderful place to start your exploration. When you put down River Town you will feel that you have been there too.

Peter Hessler's "River Town" ranks among my favorite three books about China, the other two being Mark Salzman's "Iron and Silk" and Simon Winchester's "The River at the Center of the World".

More than the other two books, "River Town" is the story of a love-hate relationship with China. In my experience, this is the mode of existence that is predominant among expatriates in this country. What is quite unusual about Peter Hessler is the determination with which he tries to see China through Chinese eyes (quite unlike W. Somerset Maugham in "On a Chinese Screen"). He learns the language, he travels hard-seater, takes the slow-boats on the Yangtze, goes hiking among the rice fields, talks with the locals. He takes note of what he sees, and he takes notes. Lots of notes. They become the basis for the abundance of details about everyday life in the city and the college where he teaches.

The book is an impressive document of Hessler's love for the country, and at the same time, beneath the armor of his love, there is the anger and frustration he feels about not being accepted as the well-meaning, open-minded individual that he is (almost like a missionary whose good intentions are not valued). He works admirably hard at understanding the people, the culture, and the land, but the majority of Chinese do not change their idea of who he is, and very few change their behavior towards him. His frustration at being treated as a wai guo ren (the summary term for a person from a foreign country), as opposed to being treated as an individual, is palpable.

I am confident that this book will find readers years from now. For the time being it provides the most comprehensive picture of city life in the rural hinterland of a country in transition. Hessler has witnessed a very traditional China that is about to disappear in the process of the economic modernization, just like parts of the river town are about to be submerged in the lake created by the Three Gorges Dam. He is not sentimental about the old customs and traditions, but there is a whiff of nostalgia and a sense of loss in his book.

River Town is a memoir with an ambition to be more. It is not as original, crisp and witty as Salzman's memoir, and not as erudite as Winchester's travel book. Its ambition is to be poetic and realistic at the same time. Poetic in its depiction of the land, realistic when describing life in Fuling. This makes for a somewhat uneven mixture, and I think the book would have gained if Hessler had kept his talent for poetic evocation apart from his talent for reporting. He is very good at both, no doubt. My feeling was simply that the book would have been even better, albeit shorter, if he had concentrated on just one of his strengths.

River Town has the potential to become a classic China memoir. Peter Hessler is a gifted observer, and a person who has great empathy with the Chinese people. He is someone who tries to understand the country from the bottom up. Very admirable.

Peter Hessler spent two years working as a Peace Corps volunteer while teaching literature in the remote Sichuan province in southern China in the late 1990's. Being one the first Peace Corps volunteers in China and possessing an intense curiosity of his new surroundings has resulted in this superb travel memoir that provides the reader with an intimate glimpse into the hill city of Fuling and the history and politics of larger China. During his stay he eyewitnessed the incredible events of the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong and the building of the Three Gorges Dam.

Hessler reaches far beyond the average tourist by making a commitment to learn Mandarin and become acquainted with the locals and their individual stories. At the beginning of his stay he was easily started by the overt treatment of the locals of having seen a foreigner but was soon transcended more into Chinese society as his new knowledge and appreciation deepened. Throughout his narrative Hessler frequently ponders Chinese politics and their affect on his students in relation to the United States and as a result brings up numerous provoking issues and concerns. Highly recommended, especially for those interested in China or Peace Corp volunteers.

This spring I found myself totally engrossed in a New Yorker article by Peter Hessler. I didn't look up throughout the commute - eyes glued to the page as I navigated myself from the train onto a bus and then up the stairs to the couch of my apartment.

I immediately checked out his book. What a pleasure. Hessler writes fluidly and his observations are clean and palpable. He offers up a rich book filled with the appropriate amount of selfishness and gives us a wonderful insight into modern China.

I look forward to reading more books and articles by him.

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 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. 5.0 stars.

Having traveled frequently to China myself, Peter Hessler is providing great detail on Chinese society in rural areas like the city of Fuling. He looks at it with 'American eyes', however he is able to analyze once he starts to understand the Chinese culture,attitude towards foreigners and the local take on the government.
Something else than the usual one sided patronizing way westerners look at China.

The man is very good at observing human behavior and even better at writing about it. I was very sad when I hit the last page of this very enjoyable read. 'Nuff said!