River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (P.S.)

Amazon.com

In 1996, 26-year-old Peter Hessler arrived in Fuling, a town on China's Yangtze River, to begin a two-year Peace Corps stint as a teacher at the local college. Along with fellow teacher Adam Meier, the two are the first foreigners to be in this part of the Sichuan province for 50 years. Expecting a calm couple of years, Hessler at first does not realize the social, cultural, and personal implications of being thrust into a such radically different society. In River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze, Hessler tells of his experience with the citizens of Fuling, the political and historical climate, and the feel of the city itself.

"Few passengers disembark at Fuling ... and so Fuling appears like a break in a dream--the quiet river, the cabins full of travelers drifting off to sleep, the lights of the city rising from the blackness of the Yangtze," says Hessler. A poor city by Chinese standards, the students at the college are mainly from small villages and are considered very lucky to be continuing their education. As an English teacher, Hessler is delighted with his students' fresh reactions to classic literature. One student says of Hamlet, "I don't admire him and I dislike him. I think he is too sensitive and conservative and selfish." Hessler marvels,

You couldn't have said something like that at Oxford. You couldn't simply say: I don't like Hamlet because I think he's a lousy person. Everything had to be more clever than that ... you had to dismantle it ... not just the play itself but everything that had ever been written about it.

Over the course of two years, Hessler and Meier learn more they ever guessed about the lives, dreams, and expectations of the Fuling people.

Hessler's writing is lovely. His observations are evocative, insightful, and often poignant--and just as often, funny. It's a pleasure to read of his (mis)adventures. Hessler returned to the U.S. with a new perspective on modern China and its people. After reading River Town, you'll have one, too. --Dana Van Nest

Book Description

A New York Times Notable Book

Winner of the Kiriyama Book Prize

In the heart of China's Sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the Yangtze River valley, lies the remote town of Fuling. Like many other small cities in this ever-evolving country, Fuling is heading down a new path of change and growth, which came into remarkably sharp focus when Peter Hessler arrived as a Peace Corps volunteer, marking the first time in more than half a century that the city had an American resident. Hessler taught English and American literature at the local college, but it was his students who taught him about the complex processes of understanding that take place when one is immersed in a radically different society.

Poignant, thoughtful, funny, and enormously compelling, River Town is an unforgettable portrait of a city that is seeking to understand both what it was and what it someday will be.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-09-25

"River Town" is not only an entertaining read but an educational one as well. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in China, travel, Peace Corps, or biographies. I was very impressed with Hessler's writing and I can't wait to read his new book "Oracle Bones"

Up A Buzy River.......2007-09-16

I have been to China twice, the first being in 1989 -- right at the beginning of the era when Americans could visit most parts of China without being part of an organized tour. My wife made arrangements for us to fly to Guangzhou for two days, thence to Wuhan for two days, and from there a 1000-mile Yangtze river trip to Chongqing for two days (where there were already student demonstrations), ending up in Beijing for a week, our hotel being only a couple of blocks from the Tien An Men Square demonstrations, during which we were confined to our hotel. On that Yangtze trip, our river boat stopped at the little village of Fuling, allowing the passengers to roam there for a short while. Thus, when I happened across this book about that village, written by a Peace Corps volunteer, I could hardly wait to read it.

Author Peter Kessler, son of professors, is from my home State of Missouri. Being a writer was his High School dream, and he joined the Peace Corps in 1996 probably for the usual humanitarian and idealistic motives, having behind him a degree in English from Princeton followed by a Rhodes scholarship. So he was certainly well prepared to teach English literature in a small, out-of-the-way rural Teachers College for two years. The book relates his varied and extremely interesting experiences over the course of a year.

The Peace Corps gave Peter the basics of conversational Chinese, and he assiduously studies that language while teaching, assisted of course by his social intercourse with his students and with his Chinese colleagues. And his students were evidently equipped with about that same level of expertise with English. The stories that arise from the resulting linguistic "near-blind leading the near-blind" are very humorous, as you can imagine. The vignettes of life in China are insightful, humorous, credulous, and filled with his clear sense that he was doing what he wanted and thought useful. Accounts of his relationships with students and faculty are delicious.

I give this a rating of 5 despite the inability of the author to practice what he surely must have warned his students against in his assigned writing assignments: grammatical improprieties such as, "he can run faster than me" and "(they) speak better Chinese than me." There are English professors who label this comment picky and an impediment to creativity, and to them I plead guilty, though I think they are just plain wrong. Never mind, for otherwise the writing is fine.

The author has published a sequel to this book, Oracle Bones, and I will read it as soon as I can, partly because I want to learn what the title really means, but also because I want to read more by Peter Kessler, especially material about China.

Well Done.......2007-09-09

Very well written. Enjoyable reading. Interesting look inside the small town feelings of the Chinese people. Looking forward to reading Peter Heller's next book Oracle Bones.

Good Travel Writing.......2007-07-21

I originally purchased this book because of my interest in the Peace Corps. It is more than just an account of life as a Peace Corps volunteer, it is an account of life in modern rural China. I did find it a little slow moving but such is the life of a Peace Corps volunteer and it is a good read nonetheless. This is a great book for anyone interested in China or in travel writing.

A view of modern China.......2007-05-08

This unique book is funny, meditative, and an easy read. Hessler loves China, and shares his frustration, concerns, and rewards as he teaches and lives among the everyday Chinese.

I find China very interesting, and am compelled to read about how the country is faring now that they have opened up and are becoming part of the international community. This book should be read by anyone interested in modern China.

China has not allowed companies such as Amazon, Yahoo, Google, Intel, and others, to do business inside China without conforming to certain guidelines. People inside China have been arrested as a result of info divulged over the Internet, and people outside China are censored for similar reasons.

I am trying to alert people to this phenomena, this started on Jung Chang's biography of Mao. I have been partially censored. I am no longer able to comment, and have had my rating taken away. Amazon, when I questioned them why, had nothing but a form letter reply. For some reason, though, I can still write reviews. Thus I am now saving all my reviews and keeping them on a Word Document, as I imagine it's only a matter of time before my reviews are eliminated.

Anyway, China lives under censorship, it's just too bad the global community does not make a stand.

Average customer rating:

Great Book
I LOVE THIS BOOK
Boring and harsh
Great classic children's story
Take it or leave it

The Story About Ping
Marjorie Flack
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140502416

Amazon.com

The tale of a little duck alone on the Yangtze River, The Story About Ping is a sweet and funny book with wonderfully rich and colorful illustrations. On a day like any other, Ping sets off from the boat he calls home with his comically large family in search of "pleasant things to eat." On this particular day, he is accidentally left behind when the boat leaves. Undaunted, the little duck heads out onto the Yangtze in search of his family, only to find new friends and adventures--and a bit of peril--around every bend.

The exceptional illustrations bring the lush Yangtze to life, from Ping's family to the trained fishing birds he finds himself among to the faithfully rendered boats and fishermen. Certainly intended to be read aloud, The Story About Ping deserves a place on every young reader's (or listener's) shelf. (Picture book)

Book Description

Since 1933, The Story About Ping has captivated generations of readers, but never before has it been available in a mass-market paperback format. No one can deny the appeal of the book's hero, Ping, the spirited little duck who lives on a boat on the Yangtze River. Ping's misadventures one night while exploring the world around his home form the basis of this timeless classic, which is brought to life by Kurt Wiese's warm and poignant illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-08-24

This is a really cute book. My 6 yo son enjoyed it. He said, "Poor little duck. I wouldn't want to be hit just for being the last one in line!" I have to say, I thought the same thing! :)

I LOVE THIS BOOK.......2007-07-25

My children love this book. So many things can be discussed with this classic: discernment, responsibility, being able to take your punishment when you know you've done wrong, Chinese culture, etc. We used this for homeschooling and from here went into discussions about the Yangtze River (where the book is based), and learned about cormorants (the "strange, dark, fishing birds" in the book). It was very educational. Interestingly, it wasn't my favorite at first, but it grows on you, and has such depth. HIGHLY RECOMMEND******

Boring and harsh.......2007-07-25

The illustrations are plain and unappealing. The flow of the reading lags as well. My son never showed any interest in this book, and neither did I. Also, there are several references to beating ducks with a stick.

Great classic children's story.......2007-07-21

The Story of Ping is a great classic children's story that my children loved. I purchased this copy for my grandchildren to enjoy. Thanks for making it available.

Take it or leave it.......2007-07-12

I purchased this book because it appeared on a list of recommended read a loud books for children. After having read the book twice, I can't say that it's a favorite of mine. I am impressed, though, that Ping still receives the punishment he ran away from after he returns to his family.

The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time

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A Fascinating Collection of Historic Details Traveling Up a River
Following the Yangtze and learning about China -- one man's perspective.
Permit for Entry to China
Me like pictures!
Yes, terribly disappointing!

The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time
Simon Winchester
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312423373

Amazon.com

British born author Simon Winchester lived in Hong Kong before setting off on a journey up the Chang Jiang or Yangtze River as it is most often referred to in the West. In The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze and Back in Chinese Time, he chronicles his adventures across China along the 3,964-mile River. Employing nearly every mode of transportation--including boat, train, jeep and shoe leather--Winchester recalls his passionate exploration of the countryside, while providing important and engaging historical information. His recollections of the Chinese people are often less complimentary, as he exudes an air of disgust at the country's apparent disregard for pollution, its awkward modern architecture and decaying historical monuments.

Book Description

Rising in the mountains of the Tibetan border, the symbolic heart of China pierces 3,900 miles of rugged country before debouching into the oily swells of the East China Sea. Connecting China's heartland cities with the volatile coastal giant, Shanghai, it has also historically connected China to the outside world through its nearly one thousand miles of navigable waters. To travel those waters is to travel back in history, to sense the soul of China, and Simon Winchester takes us along with him as he encounters the essence of China-its history and politics, its geography and climate as well as engage in its culture, and its people in remote and almost inaccessible places. This is travel writing at its best: lively, informative, and thoroughly enchanting.

Customer Reviews:

A Fascinating Collection of Historic Details Traveling Up a River.......2007-08-03

I had never read Winchester before. On our recent trip down the Yangtze a fellow traveler was reading this book and recommended it. After reading it I would consider it a rich cultural experience through the history of this river.

Following the Yangtze and learning about China -- one man's perspective........2007-05-28

This travel essay from the author of "The Professor and the Madman" is subtitled, "A Journey Up the Yangtze and Back in Chinese Time". Here, the author uses all his journalistic and investigative skills to tell the story of his 1996 journey through China. He is an Englishman who has lived for many years in Hong Kong and had taken several trips to China at the time of the writing. His desire, however, was to explore areas where westerners were few and far between as well as learn more about this 3,900 mile river which runs through the entire land mass of China and begins in Tibet. As he is a trained geologist, he includes all the interesting details of the natural wonders of this river, as well as discussing the cultural history and introducing us to the varied ethnic groups who consider themselves Chinese.

Most of the area he explored is off-limits to foreigners because there is just too much red tape involved. But he planned his trip carefully, enrolled a Chinese companion and, starting in Shanghai, used whatever means available to take this journey. He was a passenger on several different kinds of boats and there were also some legs of the trip that included motor vehicles. The result is a lesson in history, geography and culture that is unique in its perspective.

The outside world connected through China through trade in its waterways and the history of this trade is fascinating. I learned about the tea industry and the opium wars and the agreements with the United Kingdom that changed the face of China forever. I also learned about the cultural revolution from a different prospective and started to understand the kind of man Mao was who was able to bring about a change from imperial rule to a communist country in just one generation. Mostly though, I learned about the environmental disasters that China is now bringing on itself, especially in the construction of the Three Gorges Dam project. As the book was written in 1996 I was curious about what was going on with this project my internet research found out it is scheduled for completion in 2009 and cost more than 25 billion dollars.

Simon Winchester is a fine writer. His descriptions made his journey come alive for me. There's a big map in the front of the book and a smaller map at the beginning of every chapter. The big map did not include every place name he talked about and so I had to look at the little maps. This made it a little confusing to follow but I was determined and so I had to put some effort into following these maps.

Armchair traveler that I am, I definitely recommend this book. I especially liked it because it piqued my interest in learning even more.

Permit for Entry to China .......2006-12-16

I agree with some of the previous reviews that it would have been an asset to the book to include more images of the trip (especially the Three Gorges Area), and to have more content on the people of the areas he visits. The book is still excellent. To cover every interest for a region like this would make it a three volume, 2,000 page edition. China is a rich subject and this is a one person of a billion view.

The author has done his work and achieved permits to travel the entire length of the River from the China Sea to Tibet. I am grateful to be able to read an account of a journey that is probably impossible for most of us. I read the book last summer and I still find myself thinking of it from the impression of the 21st. century city of Shanghai to the horrific history of the city of Nanking, the ledge walks above the Three River Gorges, and the remote, cold, snowy heights of the headwaters.

If you are not upset about a Brit-centrict view of the history of China and long for an impossible journey through lands beyond reach you will feel that this book is a very worthwhile read.

Me like pictures!.......2006-06-02

Maybe I should be a little embarrassed about this, but my first reaction is...why weren't there any pictures?

I know that travel writers often don't include pictures in with their accounts, and a lot of the time, that's okay. For example, Bill Bryson writes about journeying up the Appalachian Trail, and that atmosphere is familiar enough to me (and I would imagine many of his readers) that pictures of all the trees and mountains really are not necessary.

Winchester's account, however, is of travelling all the way from the mouth of the Yangtze River, near Shanghai, to its headwaters, just to the north of Tibet. You would think that this is a sufficiently unusual location that pictures might be appropriate. I'd venture a guess that 99.9x% of American readers have not ever been to the backwoods of China, so we, going in, wouldn't have the faintest idea of how to visualize what he talks about. A thousand words, like they say. (Probably more than that, in this case!) This omission is particularly annoying, in this case, because Winchester goes out of his way to note that he did, in fact, bring his Leica M6, a very expensive (almost $2000), high-quality camera that could, and no doubt did, take wonderful pictures of the awe-inspiring scenery that Winchester describes in words...and more words...and more words.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book a great deal. I really liked the basic idea of the book, and I was fascinated by his descriptions of the people and places in the more remote regions of China. The book does have sort of an unusual format, in that the farther Winchester travels up the river, the farther back in Chinese time he pulls history and historical anecdotes from. The history lessons are well-written, and it's obvious that Winchester knows his material very well. It's clear why he structured the book this way, although the historical digressions be disorienting (as in, "Wait...what were they doing again? Who is Mr. Tang?").

I do wish Winchester had included some of the mundane, day-to-day stuff, like random conversations he had with Lily, and the other unusual characters he meets along the way. I had very little feeling of what any of the people he met were really like; even Lily, who is with him for the entire journey, only speaks in the book when she has something important to say (usually a political rant). By the end of the story, I still had almost no feel for what she was actually like as a person, and this is even more true for the various minor characters he briefly introduces throughout the trip. As far as interactions with the locals go, this is a strictly-the-essentials book, meaning that unless there is some really good reason for including a snippet of dialogue or observation into the text, it won't be included. This lends the journey a kind of stripped-down air, which I think is not good in travel writing. Travel writing ought to have a sense of immediacy; immersing the reader in the journey important, and his omissions in that regard have reduced this immersion considerably, to the book's detriment, I think.

Also, I have to say, this book made me want to visit Tibet (or at least remote Qinghai), although, unless the situation has changed significantly since this book was written (1996), that probably remains an impossibility, since the Chinese government keeps the borders to Tibet locked with an iron fist.

Yes, terribly disappointing!.......2006-01-08

I agree totally with Yau in the previous review. Mr. Winchester is more interested in sharing the British (yawn) history of China, not giving us much else about the culture and beauty of the Yangtze and its people. I have been to China 2&1/2 wks and also taken a cruise (5 days) of the Yangtze and for him to make it all so boring is more than annoying, it is almost criminal. Perhaps his ego supersedes him. I would not buy this book, in fact I was uanble to even read more than a couple chapters, it was that boring and dry. The one by Mr. Hessler is an absolute winner. I read it once a year at least to refresh my amazing memories of China.

The River Dragon Has Come!: The Three Gorges Dam and the Fate of China's Yangtze River and Its People

Average customer rating:

It damns the dam with precise and powerful arguments.

The River Dragon Has Come!: The Three Gorges Dam and the Fate of China's Yangtze River and Its People
Dai Qing
Manufacturer: M.E. Sharpe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0765602067

Customer Reviews:

It damns the dam with precise and powerful arguments........1999-08-29

This is a collection of essays which document the many reasons the Three Gorges Dam should not be built, the lose of arable land, the dislocation of millions of people, the loss of 5,000 years of art and architecture, etc. Author Dai Qing, an outspoken opponent of the dam since the beginning, is to be highy commended for speaking out while others cower in silence. To put it in Western terms, it is David taking on Goliath, times 10.

Customer Reviews:

Yangtze thru the eyes of millions.......2000-01-24

A funny account of one man's cruise down the Yangtze with a group of American millionaires... Insightful, biting humor. An accurate description of tour-isms.

Average customer rating:

ChinaKid
as an adult I loved it!
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
This is a great book!
Just My Opinion

Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
Elizabeth Lewis
Manufacturer: Yearling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 044049043X
Release Date: 1990-01-01

Book Description

Introduction by Pearl S. Buck. This "accurate, vivid and well-written story" (The New York Times ) is about Young Fu, a country boy, who is apprenticed to a master coppersmith when he and his mother move to the city of Chungking during the exciting and often dangerous 1920s.

A Newbery Medal Book.

Customer Reviews:

ChinaKid.......2007-03-30

This book is good! It shows just how hard life can be during a war. It is about a young boy who has just moved from the country into the bustling Chinese city of Chungking. He is being apprenticed to a well-known coppersmith who goes by the name of Tang. I like this book because of the stage of life it describes during the 1920's China. The thing that I don't really like is that the book almost seems to drag on, but otherwise it is a great book!

as an adult I loved it!.......2006-06-23

Great book with huge insight into Chinese thinking and culture. Full of adventure and drama, with a rich cultural background. Very educational, with a focus on character issues! Definitely recommended for teens and adults or a challenge-loving younger student.

Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze.......2005-07-18

Young Fu, 13 has just arrived in the Chinese city of Chungking from the country. In between working at the copper shop where he's an apprentice and studying with the teacher that lives above him, he manages to squeeze in adventure such as, cheating the fire dragon of it's prey, saving silver from the Ban-keh, and rescuing a fellow worker from the Ya-men.

This is a great book!.......2005-03-22

I was sorry to see that many kids had trouble reading this book.
It's true that it may seem to bog down in spots, but only to build up to the next interesting bit that comes along.
This book is very well written, but, alas, it is not geared towards the younger set. One could compare it to, say, the Hornblower novels, or A Single Shard...
Perhaps the problem is with the Chinese culture being so different, but the main thrust of the book is a rags-to-riches theme, much like Horatio Alger's books, but not so simplistic.
People who have read the other works I mentioned should enjoy this book with little or no problem. But I know that there are cultures which I don't want to read about, maybe the Orient isn't your cup of tea (pun?)...
I wish it had been longer, as thick as "Shogun" or something...

Just My Opinion.......2004-04-22

I had to read this book for school. Personally, I thought that it was pretty good, but it is kind of hard to start. Also, I noticed quite a few generalizations about Chinese people in the book. I myself would recommend this for people who are 12 years old or above, because younger children may get tired of it.

Average customer rating:

A profound and powerful glimpse through time to a land on the cusp of drastic change

Three Gorges

Manufacturer: Flat Edge Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0972427902

Book Description

In the heart of central China lie the Three Gorges, a series of majestic canyons through which flows the Yangtze River. In 2003 the Three Gorges Dam began flooding this area creating a reservoir the length of Lake Superior, covering hundreds of square miles of land and displacing 2 million people. Controversial in almost every aspect from its conception to its construction to the corruption associated with the resettlement program, the dam is the largest in the world and perhaps the most destructive and most dangerous.

From 2001 to 2003 photographer Bill Zorn made multiple visits to the area now flooded, carrying large format camera gear and staying in tiny villages and farmer's homes. His black and white images capture in exquisite detail the soul of a people wrenched into the 21st century and a landscape lost forever.

The 65 beautifully reproduced duotone images are complemented by an introduction by Dai Qing, a Chinese journalist with the courage to go to prison for her writing critical of the dam rather than be exiled from her native land, and by quotations and poetry from Chinese history evocative of the sense of loss and longing conveyed in the photographs.

"Three Gorges" is a powerful testimonial in the tradition of Sebastiao Salgado, Dorothea Lange, Sally Mann and Walker Evans and will have value for generations to come.

Customer Reviews:

A profound and powerful glimpse through time to a land on the cusp of drastic change.......2006-09-14

Three Gorges is a coffee table book of black-and-white photography capturing the land, the people, and the natural beauty of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River in central China. All images were taken between 2001 and 2003; in the summer of 2003, the construction of the world's largest hydroelectric project, the Three Gorges Dam, created the largest reservoir in history and changed the lives of the inhabitants forever as the water levels rose and submerged much of the land. A few poems in both English and Chinese intersperse the images, but the majority of Three Gorges allows the images of people conducting their daily lives to speak for themselves. A profound and powerful glimpse through time to a land on the cusp of drastic change, highly recommended.

The Yangtze Valley and Beyond: An Account of Journeys in China, Chiefly in the Province of Sze Chuan and among the Man-tze of the Somo Territory

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The Yangtze Valley and Beyond: An Account of Journeys in China, Chiefly in the Province of Sze Chuan and among the Man-tze of the Somo Territory
Isabella Lucy (Bird) Bishop
Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Korea and Her Neighbours: A Narrative of Travel, with an Account of the Recent Vicissitudes and Present Position of the Country

ASIN: 1402194714
Release Date: 2001-10-03

Book Description

This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1899 edition by John Murray, London.

Three Gorges of the Yangtze River (Odyssey Illustrated Guide)

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Three Gorges of the Yangtze River (Odyssey Illustrated Guide)
Raynor Shaw
Manufacturer: Odyssey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 9622177743

Book Description

The 3,965-mile-long Yangtze River, which flows from the barren snowfields of Tibet to the fertile delta near Shanghai, has been a main trade artery for 2,000 years. Shaw's richly illustrated guide captures the most spectacular section of this remarkable river, the famous Three Gorges region, which extends downstream for a distance of 120 miles through the Wushan Mountains from Baidicheng to the Nanjin Pass near Yichang. Surrounded by towering peaks and enclosed by precipitous cliffs, each gorge has its own distinctive and dramatic scenery, containing features that have long attracted both local and overseas visitors. The economic and social history of this section of the river is an equally compelling read. 70 color photos, 9 maps & diagrams.

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Yangtze
Philip Wilkinson
Manufacturer: BBC Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (P.S.)

ASIN: 0563487798
Release Date: 2007-08-28

Book Description

Flowing over 3,900 miles, the Yangtze is as vast, varied, and mysterious as China itself. It rises in the highlands of Tibet, where glaciers create a network of icy channels that form what the Chinese call the Long River. From here, it snakes and cascades its way through some of the world’s most spectacular scenery, into the precipitous mountains, narrow gorges, and lush lowlands of eastern China. Yangtze follows the river on its journey through China; as it does so, it explores the teeming human activity along the river’s banks, its flora and fauna, and its role in some of the turning points in Chinese history. The book also examines the changes and challenges affecting the Yangtze today, including the controversial Three Gorges Dam. Beautiful and informative, Yangtze is a superb portrayal of the river and its long and absorbing history.

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