River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze in The Roundtable

Aug 14, 2012 Camelia Rose rated it it was amazing

Shelves: memoir-biography, location-china, travel

Very interesting first-hand observation of rural China in 1990s. Peter Hessler, armed with sharp senses and accurate observations, surprised me of his comprehensive understanding of the country and the people in a short period of two years. I also like his writing style. The book is rich in details and honest in reflection of the writer's experiences.

China is vast. China is diverse. I have read a fair amount of articles and books written by people who think they know everything about the country ...more

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Feb 12, 2009 Meghan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: chinese, favorites, own, nonfiction, american, memoir, asian

There is so much I want to say but I am at a loss other than to say Peter Hessler weaves words that aren't just lyrical, they paint a picture that matches my feelings of living in China--how living here can be overwhelming and frustrating and demoralizing, yet in an instant beautiful, amazing, and extraordinary. In some ways, this story is more than a story of living in China, it is about being an outsider--something that few Westerners truly understand. To be the only one of your kind, to have There is so much I want to say but I am at a loss other than to say Peter Hessler weaves words that aren't just lyrical, they paint a picture that matches my feelings of living in China--how living here can be overwhelming and frustrating and demoralizing, yet in an instant beautiful, amazing, and extraordinary. In some ways, this story is more than a story of living in China, it is about being an outsider--something that few Westerners truly understand. To be the only one of your kind, to have everyone staring at you, to be treated differently simply because you're different, talk different, look different, think different, and still, he writes of the kindness, the generosity, the openness he experienced in this backwater village in the rural province of 90s Sichuan.

This took place in 1996, and while I haven't been to any real rural villages, I don't think that particular China exists much any more. Almost 20 years later, China has moved well past Deng and even Zemin. And then again some things never change. But for people who want to know what China is like, I encourage them to read this book. It is not all corruption and greed and human rights violations. There are real humans here, carving out a life for themselves and a better future for their children. And they are extraordinarily patient with foreigners, ready to show kindness despite the many social faux pas one can make here. I was raised and lived most of my life in the US and I don't think we are half as kind or patient with clueless foreigners who bumble around in a language that's not their own. But also, I find what Hessler did himself extraordinary. He embraced this culture, this language, this life as fully as he could and his experience was all the better because of it. Far too often I see "waiguoren" here fight it with every fiber of their being and be all the more miserable. If you plan on traveling to another country (not just China), this may give you a sense of how to behave and what to expect when you choose to enter in someone else's town. Judging them for not living up to your standards when you are visiting their "home" is not only foolish, it makes you look all the bigger an ass. And trust me, they are judging you as well but are too polite to tell you off.

Perhaps this book will touch you more if you have experienced China at least once. But I think Hessler writes well enough to give you a taste of what makes China both frustrating and wonderful, often at the same time.

I generally have not had good experiences with memoirs, but this one truly raised the bar for my expectations for future stories. If nothing else, I think you can appreciate this book based solely on his writing. ...more

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Jul 25, 2016 Natalie Tyler rated it it was amazing

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler 5 stars
Hessler was a Peace Corps volunteer in the late 1990’s in a fairly isolated town called Fuling in the Sichuan province of China. This is a good example of a “microhistory” because we see a remote place changing along with the historical sweep of the larger parts of the country. There isn’t even train service: if you want to get anywhere, you go by boat. (Note: There is now a highway). No Americans have been to Fuling in over 50 years; ...more

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