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An
Am
er
ica
n H
ero
in
Ch
in
a
IanJoh
nson
MAY 7, 2015 ISSUE
StrangeStones:DispatchesfromEastandW
est
byPeterHessler
HarperPerennial,354pp.,$14.99(paper)
OracleBones:AJourneyThroughTim
ein
China
byPeterHessler
HarperC
ollinsPublishers,491pp.,$26.95
RiverTown:TwoYearsonth
eYangtze
byPeterHessler
HarperPerennial,402pp.,$15.99(paper)
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MarkL
eong
PeterH
esslerwith
theH
uangs,a
localfish
ingfamilyd
escribedinhis2
003New
Yorkeressa
yUnderw
ater,o
ntherisin
gwaterso
ftheY
angtzeR
ivershortlya
fter
theg
ateso
ftheT
hreeG
orgesD
amwereclo
sed,W
ushan,C
hina,Ju
ne2
003
1.
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OnenightinSeptem
ber,threehundredpeoplecrowdedintothebasem
entauditoriumofanofficetow
erinBeijingtohearadiscussionbetw
eentwoofC
hinasmostpopularw
riters.Onew
asLiuY
u,athirtyeightyearoldpoliticalscientistandbloggerw
hohaswrittenabestsellerexplaininghow
Americandem
ocracyworks.
Herfanscallhergoddess
forherwritingsandherstylishlooks.
Butthisevening,L
iuwasjustafoilfortheotherw
riter:PeterHessler,alow
keyNew
Yorkerjournalist.B
asedinC
hinauntil2007,helaterwroteontheA
mericanW
estandnowlivesinE
gypt.Hesslerhasw
rittenthreebooksonC
hinaandacollectionofessays,allpublishedintheUS,andbeenrecognizedw
ithaMacA
rthurfellow
ship.
InChina,how
ever,hehasbeentransformedintoaw
riterofcultfigureproportionswhosefansanalyzehislove
life,histranslatorsfinances,andhischildrenseducation.Anenthusiasthasw
rittenabookimitatinghisprose
styleandretracinghiscareer,whileam
ensfashionmagazineflew
ateamfrom
Londontohissum
merhom
einColoradotoshootathreepagephotospread.C
hinahashadcelebrityauthorsbefore,butneveraforeignerwho
writesonitsm
ostsensitivesubject:itself.
IveknownH
esslerforfifteenyears,butsatsomew
hatbefuddledintheaudience.Asm
uchasIenjoyhiswork,
Icouldnthelpwonderingw
hypeopleintheaudienceseemedsoim
pressedwhenhesaidhisdaughtersw
erelearningA
rabic(notChinese!),orclaspedeachotherw
henhesaidhehopedtoreturntoChinaoneday(w
hatmysteriesaboutusw
illheunveil?).
Organizershadaskedpeopletoregisterfortheeventaheadoftim
e,andmorethanonethousandsignedupfor
thethreehundredseats.Peoplestoodinthebackoftheroomholdingcopiesofhisbooks,orm
illedaroundinthehallw
ayhopingtocatchafewwords.Suddenlytheeveningbegantohavesom
ethingrareinthisstaidcityoftw
entyoddmillion:theelectricityofagenuinepublicevent.
Theauthoritieshaddonetheirbesttopreventthis.T
hetalkwassupposedtohavebeenheldatanearby
university,butadministratorstherehadcanceledatthelastm
inuteafterreceivinginstructionsthattheywerent
supposedtoholdpublicevents,especiallyoneinvolvingaliberalintellectuallikeLiu.A
sChinasideological
atmospherehastightenedrecently,shehascurtailedherblogandseldom
appearsinpublic.
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Liuseem
edeagertomakethem
ostofthisrarepublicforum.Shepointedlydiscussedm
anyofChinasm
ostsensitiveissues:thedem
ocracymovem
entinHongK
ong,theCom
munistPartysrecentdecisiontoabolishthe
notorioussystemofreform
throughlabor,andtheclosingdownofanetw
orkofrurallibrariessuspectedofprom
otingcivilliberties.
Arew
etouchingonasensitiveissuenow?shejokedw
iththeaudience,bothknowingthattheyw
ere,andthatitw
asverboten.
Hessler,bycontrast,kepttohisw
ritingpersona:thewryobserverw
hoinhisworksonC
hinahastakensuchabroadview
thatdailypoliticsrarelyenterhiswork.H
etalkedlargelyaboutworkinginE
gypttheim
portanceofC
airoversustherelativeunimportanceofB
eijing,forexample,orw
hytheEgyptianrevolutionfailed.W
henChinacam
eup,hespokeinfairlyoptimisticterm
sthatcomplim
entedhisaudienceofyoung,whitecollar
workers.T
heynoddedandapplaudedwhenhesaidtheyw
ereagenerationofindividualists,withtheirow
nideasandthoughts.
Whenyoutalktoolderpeopleitisdifficultbecausetheydontliketotalkaboutthem
selves,hesaidinresponsetoaquestioner.B
utifyoutalktoyoungpeople,theyrewillingtotelltheirview
s.Idontknowwhat
theeffectofthiswillbe,butitllhaveanim
pact.
OneofH
esslersmainpointsw
astheimportanceofbeinganobserver.M
anyjournalistsinterviewtheir
subjects,hesaidhisownaim
wastow
atchanddescribe.Severalpeoplemurm
uredapproval.Later,Italkedto
atwentysixyearoldcom
puterprogrammerw
hotoldmethathedidntlikethew
ayChinaisportrayedinthe
foreignpress.Waitingattheendofatw
ohundredpersonlineforanautograph,hesaidofHessler:H
edoesntjudge.T
hatshowIw
anttobe.
Thelastquestionerbeforetheeveningended,though,hadbeenslightlyirritatedbyH
esslersneutrality.Shewasayoungw
omaninaknitdress,andshestutteredasshetriedtom
akeherpoint:Shouldnthiswritingsbe
morethanadescription
shouldnthetrytohelppeople?
Hesslershookhishead.M
yresponsibility,hesaid,istowritetruethings.T
hatsenough.
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2.
Oneofthem
ostvexingquestionsforawriteronC
hinaishowbesttocapturethedram
aofitstransformation.
Twentyyearsago,Ijoinedagovernm
entsponsoredreportingtriptoaremote,im
poverishedpartofthecountry.A
lowlevelofficialandIchattedforhoursasoursm
allbuswoundthroughthem
ountainsofGuizhou
insouthcentralChina,speedingthroughlongtunnelsandoversuspensionbridges.W
hy,heaskedme,do
foreigncorrespondentsonlywriteaboutthebridgethatcollapsesandnotthethousandsofbridgesthatdont?
Ithoughthewasjoking,butasw
etalkedIrealizedhemeantitseriously:countlessstudiesshow
thatoneofthebestm
easurestoalleviatepovertyisbuildinginfrastructure,andherewew
ereonaroadthatwassom
ethingofam
iracletolocalpeople,allowingthem
togettheirproductstomarket,theirchildrentoschools,and
themselvestojobsinthecities.C
hinawasinthem
idstofanunparalleledandlargelysuccessfulattemptto
reducepoverty,sowhyw
ouldntwew
riteaboutthis,heasked.AllIcoulddow
asstammerthatgoodnew
sisnonew
s.BackinB
eijingafewdayslater,Iw
roteastoryaboutagirlwhow
assopoorshelivedinapigstall.Myeditorsloveditandreaderspledgedm
oney,butIwasoftennaggedbythefeelingthatthishadbeenthe
easystory.Morechallengingtoexpectationsw
ouldhavebeentolookathowliveshadchangedinthispoor
partofthecountry.
Theansw
erispartlythatreportersinfreesocietieshaveanobligationtodissectproblems.Journalistsathom
erarelyw
riteaboutthehighwaysthatw
orkbecausethisisassumedtobeagivenw
hatcitizensneedtoknowaboutisthebacklogofunrepairedbridges.B
utwhenappliedabroad,thispracticem
eansasteadystreamof
negativestorieswithnooverallsenseofthebroadsituationofthecountry
inthecaseofChina,reportsof
dissidents,internecinecontestsforpower,andim
pendingcrises.
Certainlytherepressionofdissidentsm
ustbeknownandsom
epositivestoriesdoappear,forexample,about
thehighspeedrailsystemorgrow
ingwealth.B
utevenso,manyarefram
edasnegativestories:highspeedrailticketsaretooexpensiveforthepoor,orprosperityisconflatedw
itharisingclassofboorishandcorruptnouveauxriches.Itm
aybethatjournalismisnotthebestm
ediumforconveyingthebroadestsocialtrends,but
westilldontoftenhearaboutthequietem
ergenceofatruemiddleclassofshopkeepersandtradespeople,or
aninternationallyengaged,bookreadingpubliceagertohearfromtheoutsidew
orld.
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H Hesslersw
orkchallengestraditionalcoverageofChina.Im
ethimin1999,w
henIhiredhimtobearesearcher
intheBeijingbureauofT
heW
allS
treetJournal.B
ythenhehadalreadyspenttwoyearsinthesm
allChinese
cityofFulingasanEnglishinstructoratateacherscollege.H
ewaslivingathom
einColum
bia,Missouri,
havingjustcompletedthem
anuscriptforRiverT
own:T
woYearso
ntheY
angtze,butw
antedtoreturntoChina
tokeepwriting.Iw
asimpressedthathehadexperienceinafairlyrem
otepartofChinaandofferedhim
ajoboverthephone.
Likeallw
riters,Hesslersw
ritingvoiceandactualpersonalityarenotthesame.Inhisbooks,heisagood
naturedmidw
esternerwhogentlyintroducesustocharactersm
odestlydescribedasfriendsorpeoplehestum
bledacross.Heneverfoistsideasonthereader,butletsthem
flowfrom
hischaracters.Readinghisbooks,
itshardnottolikeandtrusthim.O
neoftheWestsgreatesthistoriansofC
hina,PaulCohen,recentlyw
roteanexceptional,tw
entyonepageappreciationofHesslerinT
heJo
urnalofA
sianStudies,laudingthisem
pathy:
Heobserves,hedescribes,heexplains,but,althoughoccasionallydism
ayedatthebehaviorofindividualChinese,healm
ostneverisjudgmentalabouttheC
hinesecollectively.Onthecontrary,hisbasic
humanityenableshim
,consistently,toenterthoughtfullyintothefeelingsandbehaviorofpeoplewhoare
differentinjustabouteverywayfrom
himself.
Inperson,heismorepointedinarguinghisideasandstubbornindefendingthem
.By2000,atagethirtyone,
hewasw
ritingregularlyforTheN
ewYorkerbuthisarticlesw
erenothispredominantconcern.Instead,he
pursuedbookprojectsandcarvedarticlesoutofthemforthem
agazineasopposedtotheusualpracticeof
magazinew
riterswhoproducearticlesandcobblethem
togetherintobooks.Forhim,hislargerunderstanding
ofChinacam
efirst,thejournalismsecond.
esslersawthestoryofC
hinainthe1990sand2000sasdrivennotbynationallyknownpersonalitiesor
dramaticnew
sevents,butbyanepochalmovem
entofhundredsofmillionsofpeopleoutofpoverty,andoutof
thevillagelifethathaddominatedC
hinesecivilization.Itwastheriseofindividuals
peoplewiththeirow
naspirationsandgoals,w
hichtheypursuedinthespacegrantedbythepostMaostate.H
esslerlivedinChina
whilepeoplelikefutureN
obellaureateLiuX
iaobowerepubliclyactive,butheneverw
roteaboutthem.T
ohim
,theymightbenoblebutw
eremarginal.T
hattheywerepersecutedprovedthestatesparanoia,nottheir
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largersignificanceforChinasfuture.
Duringhistour,Ihadthechancetotalktohim
atsomelength,andheem
phasizedtomethatheisntallergicto
politics.InEgypt,hehasw
rittenextensivelyabouttheMuslim
Brotherhoodandattendedform
erpresidentMoham
edMorsistrial.InC
hinahisbooksincludeanindepthlookatthePartysoperationinavillageandsensitiveissuessuchashiringunderagew
orkers.
ButinC
hina,hesaid,hefeltthatelitepoliticsarelessimportant,especiallyw
hentheyrevolvearoundclassicdissidentschallengingthestate.D
uringhiselevenyearsinChina,H
esslersaidhehadbeenentrenchedinacom
munitythreetim
estheteacherscollege(tw
oyears),avillage(sevenyears),andacompanytow
n(threeyears)
andcouldfolloweventstherelongitudinally.Ineachplace,thesam
epatternemerged:them
osttalentedpeopleeitherw
ererecruitedbythePartyorquietlydisengagedfromit.T
heonlypeoplewhoactually
foughtthePartywerepoorlyconnectedandoftendysfunctional
petitioners,forexample,orotherm
arginalfigures.M
anywereinterestingandhew
roteaboutthemindepth,buttheyw
erenotdrivingevents.
Thisisw
hyIthinkitsabigmistaketofocustoom
uchonthehighprofileandtrulyremarkabledissidents,
Hesslertoldm
e.ItgivestheAmericanreadertheim
pressionthatthereallysmartpeopleinC
hinaareopposedtotheParty.
Thesestronglyheldideasunderpinhisbooks.M
anyjournalistsinChinahavebeenturnedoff
Ioftenheardthem
saytheywishedhew
ouldfinallytacklearealtopicratherthanhisallegoricaltalesfromsm
alltowns.
Butreadersseem
tofindsomethingofvalue.A
ccordingtoroyaltystatementsattheendoflastJune,H
esslersfourbookshavesold385,000copiesintheU
S,afigurethateasilymakeshim
themostinfluentialpopular
writeronC
hinaindecades.
ManyreadersrealizeintuitivelythatifC
hinawereacountryprim
arilydefinedbythetroublesreportedinthemedia,itw
ouldbeabasketcase.Yetthisdoesntm
atchtherisingpowertheyknow
fromtheirshoppingm
allsorw
orkplaces.HesslersportraitshelpexplainarisingC
hina,anddosothroughgentleandoftenoptimistic
storiesthatparallelmythsfam
iliartoAmericans
HoratioA
lgertypetalesofpeopleonthemove.
Nottoolongafterhebecam
eafixtureinTheN
ewYorker,H
esslersstoriesbeganattractingChinesereaders,
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B too,thankstotheChinesetranslationw
ebsiteYeeya
n(www.yeeyan.org).R
eaderswerestunnedthataforeigner
wasinterestedinordinarypeople.C
hinahaslittletraditionofnarrativenonfiction.Thefew
booksthatdealwithdailylife,suchasthesociologistL
iangHongsstudyofherhom
evillage,LiangVilla
gein
China,have
soldwell,buttheyarerareandm
ostarepoorlywritten.
PeoplebeganbuyingChineseeditionsofH
esslersbookspublishedinTaiw
an.Chatroom
sbeganfillingupwithreportsofhisdoings.B
ythetimehisbooksbegantobepublishedinC
hinain2010,hewasafullblow
ncelebrity,eclipsinganyotherforeignw
riteronChina.H
isonlybooknottobetranslatedisOracleB
ones,a
widerangingw
orkthatincludestheNatobom
bingoftheChineseem
bassyinBelgrade,thecrushingofthe
Falungongspiritualmovem
ent,andethnictensions.HesslersC
hineseeditortoldmethatthesetopicsm
adethebooktoopoliticaltopasscensorshipsothepublishinghousehasnttried.Still,H
esslerhassold500,000booksinC
hinainjustfouryears.
utthisputsHessleratthecenterofavexingandheateddiscussion:H
owshouldW
esternwritersdealw
ithcensorship?W
ritingoncontemporaryC
hinaandpublishingtherealmostinevitablym
eanacceptinggovernm
entcuts.Isthisacceptableifawriteristryingtoachievew
hathetakestobethelargeraimof
portrayingalittleknownreality?
Theissuehasbeenw
idelydebatedintheWestoverthepastyear,w
ithTheN
ewYorkT
imespublishingam
ajorfeatureonthetopic.
Then,inM
ay,HesslerssuccessorasT
heN
ewYorkerscorrespondentinC
hina,Evan
Osnos,publishedanO
pEdintheT
imesabouthisdecisionnottopublishhisnew
book,Ageo
fAmbitio
n,inChina
whichrecentlyw
ontheNationalB
ookAwardfornonfiction
becauseaprospectiveChinesepublisher
toldhimthataboutaquarterofthebookw
ouldhavetobecutormodified.
Thisisntsurprisingbecause
Osnossbookdealsexplicitlyw
ithcontemporarypoliticsandportraysw
ellknowndissidents,suchastheartist
AiW
eiweiandtheblindlaw
yerChenG
uangcheng.Probablynoauthorwouldconsenttosuchw
holesalecuts.ButinhisO
pEd,O
snosarguedthatevenminorcutsareunacceptablebecausetheygiveC
hineseafalsesenseofw
hattheworldthinksofthem
andtheirpoliticalsystem:
Itistemptingtoacceptcensorshipasam
atterofthemargins
apruningthatleavesthecoreofthestoryintact
butalteringtheproportionsofaportraitofChinagivesafalsereflectionofhow
Chinaappearsto
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theworldatam
omentw
henitismakingfundam
entalchoicesaboutwhatkindofcountryitw
illbecome.
Recently,thew
ellknownC
hinesehistorianJosephEsherickjoinedthedebate,takingtheoppositetack.Inan
essayontheChinaFilew
ebsite,Esherickexplainedhow
censorsdemandedsignificantchangestohisrecent
bookaboutafamousfam
ilyinChinesehistory.H
edescribedhowhesuccessfullyarguedw
iththemonsom
epoints,butintheendagreedtocutsandalterations.T
hereason,hewrote,isbecausehebelievesthatchangein
Chinaw
illhappenbycontinuingadialoguewithC
hinesecolleagues,engagingthecensors,andpushingtheenvelopetoitsgreatestpossibleextent.
Hesslerjoinedthedebatehim
selfinTheN
ewYorker(T
ravelswith
myC
ensor,March9,2015),portrayingbookcensorshipinC
hinaasmuchlighterthanm
anyoutsidersexpect,andcarriedoutbypeoplew
hoareofteneagertocircumventrestrictions.
LikeE
sherick,Hessleragreedtotrim
s.RiverT
ownseem
stohavesufferedtheleast,withjustafew
referencestoD
engXiaopingandthehandoverofH
ongKongin1997excised.Iw
ondered,however,w
hatthecensorsmadeofhism
ostpoliticallysensitiveessay,aseventeenpagepieceintheessaycollectionStra
ngeS
tones
aboutthePartyleadershipsretreatattheseasideresortofBeidaihe.
IfoundthatahalfdozensentenceshadbeencutintheChineseedition,suchasthisone:C
ommunistC
hinahadneverhadanorderlysuccession
forhalfacentury,everytransferofpowerhadinvolvedcoupsorpow
erstruggles.Ialsofoundm
anysmallerexam
plesofthetranslatorsmoothingoverphrasesthatm
ightoffendcensors,substitutingthew
ordlocationforbattlegroundinreferringtothemeetingatB
eidaihe,orchaosinsteadofcrackdow
ntodescribethe1989Tiananm
enmassacre.
Hesslerhasrecentlyputupaw
ebsite(www.peterhessler.net)w
ithaChineselanguagepagethatliststhem
ajorcuts.H
ealsogothisChinesepublishertoincludeashortnoteatthestartofnew
editionsofhisbooksdirectingthem
tothissite.Todate,thesitehasallthem
ajorcutpassagesfromhisthreebookspublishedinC
hina,butnotthesm
allerwordchanges.
How
significantaretheseedits?ThepublishedaccountoftheB
eidaiheconclavelosesthetensionthatHessler
originallyintendedwhenheportrayeditasashow
downbetw
eenoutgoingCom
munistPartybossJiangZ
emin
andhissuccessor,HuJintao.T
hesharpsentencesmakingthispointareexpunged,blurringw
hatwasalreadyan
impressionisticessay.IfC
hinesereadersweretothinkthatthisisalltheW
estsmostinfluentialw
riterontheir
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countryhastosayonthesubject,theywouldbem
isled.
Andyettheessayw
asprobablyintendednotasacomprehensiveaccountofleadershipconclaves,butasalook
athowordinarypeopleperceiveelitepolitics.H
esslerwritesaboutarrivinginB
eidaiheandcheckingintoasanatorium
,wherem
ostresidentsareoldworkers
thesortofpeoplebeingcrowdedoutoftodaysC
hinesesociety.H
edescribesbeingfollowedbysecretpolice,andtalkingtotheoldw
orkerswhoknow
hesbeingfollow
ed.Theylaughatthecops,im
plicitlyshowingtheirsolidarityw
ithhim.A
llofthisisintheChinese
edition,withnochanges.ItsnotH
esslersfullaccount,butitsstillrevealingofChineselifeinH
esslersdistinctivew
ay.Isthatgoodenough?
3.
Thesedebatessw
irledthroughmyheadasIbrow
sedtheshelvesofabookstoreinBeijingcalledO
neWay
StreetSpace.Itoccupiespartofaformergovernm
entthinktank,athreestorystructurefromthe1950sm
adeofbrickandcoveredinvines.T
heownersguttedtheinsidetoexposethebrickandconcreteskeleton,andgaveit
asleekfinishofparquetfloors,whitebookcases,andspotlighting.Ifoundtitlesthathadbeenm
uchdiscussedinC
hina,suchasTheD
ictatorsH
andbookbyB
ruceBuenodeM
esquitaandPaulFussellsClass,but
wonderedw
hatwasbetw
eenthecovers.
ThisSeptem
ber,forsixhours,OneW
ayStreetwasgivenovertoH
esslermania.Intheafternoon,adozen
journalistsbadgeredhimfortw
ohoursonastrangevarietyoftopics,fromhisview
songeneticallymodified
crops(hehasnoopinion)towhetherhishum
orousstoryaboutarestaurantwhereratw
asservedwasm
eanttoshow
Chinainabadlight(itw
asntitw
asjustafunnystoryhehadsenthismentor,theauthorJohnM
cPhee,whorecom
mendedittoT
heN
ewYorker)andhow
hischildrenaredoing(fine).Nooneaskedhim
what
politicalideasunderlayhiswritings
whyhedidntw
riteaboutdissidents,forexample.W
henIaskedthejournalistsaboutthislater,theygavem
ethestockanswerthatH
esslerwasjustanobserver,faithfullyrecording
whathesaw
.
Butthejournalistsw
ereaskingotherquestionsaswell.M
ostdealtwithw
riting:whatw
ritershewasreading,
howtousedifferentvoices,andtow
hatextenttrueobjectivityispossible.Inoneway,itw
asanoddexercise
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evie
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ooks
http
://ww
w.n
ybooks.c
om
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les/a
rchiv
es/2
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ay/0
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ete
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becausenoneofthejournalistslaterpublishedstoriesonthisquestionmostdidfairlystandardstoriesabout
thefamousw
ritercomingtotow
n.Italmostseem
edsadheretheyw
ere,hopingtowritegreatnonfiction,but
wouldtheyhavethechance?Still,itsalsotruethattechnicalquestionscanleadtobroaderlessons.Ithoughtof
afriendwhorecentlylecturedinaclassrunbyaC
hinesephotographerfamousforhispicturesofpollution,but
alsoknowninphotographycirclesforposinghissubjects.H
ehadtoldhisstudentsthatthiswasokay,andso
thestudentswerestunnedw
henthevisitorsaiditwasnot
documentingrealityrequiresacodeofethics.It
isntsubstitutingoneformofpropagandaforanother.
Afterthepressconferenceandahastydinner,H
esslergavehisfamiliartalk,inC
hinese,toaboutonehundredreaderscram
medintothebookstoressecondfloorlecturehall.H
edescribedscenesfromhischildhood,w
henhegottoknow
afriendofthefamily,theC
hineseAmericansociologistPeterK
ongMingN
ew.H
esslerwas
namedaftertheolderm
an,andsaidhelearnedmuchofthecraftofobservationfrom
him.T
hemanalso
seemedextraordinarilytallandtalkative.
IgrewupthinkingC
hineseweregiantsw
holikedtotellstories,Hesslersaidtom
uchlaughter.
Itwasashrew
dtopicbecauseitmadeH
esslerintoaWesternerinfluencedbyaC
hinesescholaraw
elcome
reversalofrolesformanyw
hofeeltheyareconstantlybeingtoldtolearnfromtheW
est,onlytobelecturedthattheyhaventlearnedenough.ItalsoreinforcedtheassertionthatH
esslersChinesepublishersprom
ote:thatatheartheisasocialscientistlookingatC
hina,anobjectiveobserverwithnoagenda.Idheardthisfrom
manyreaders,w
hoseemedconvincedthattheyw
eredealingwithascholarcom
parable,say,toTalcott
Parsons,theprominentH
arvardsociologist.
Theeventendedandpeoplelineduptogettheirbookssigned.B
esidesHessler,Iseem
edtobetheonlyothervisibleforeignerintheroom
andpeoplesoonsurroundedme.
Hew
orkedforyouatTheW
allS
treetJournal?W
hatwashelike?T
ellusastory.
Iaskedwhytheyreadhim
.Afterall,theym
ustknowChinabetterthanaM
issourian.
Heshow
susafamiliarcountry,butonew
eneversawbefore,saidoneyoungm
an,atwentyfiveyearold
engineernamedB
rianCheung.H
ecaresaboutthelivesofordinarypeople.
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ohnson | T
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evie
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ooks
http
://ww
w.n
ybooks.c
om
/artic
les/a
rchiv
es/2
015/m
ay/0
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ete
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12345 Atallyoungm
anoftwentyninestoodinthebackground.W
henthecrowdthinnedout,hesteppedforw
ardandidentifiedhim
selfasanEnglishteacheratalocaluniversity.
Idliketohearmorefrom
himaboutpolitics.Ifeelw
eneedtoknowmoreaboutL
iuXiaoboandC
harter08,hesaidoftheim
prisoneddissidentandhismanifestoforpoliticalchange.
Butifhisbooksw
ereaboutthathewouldntbehereprom
otinghisbooks,Isaid.Thosekindsofbookscant
bepublishedhere.
Iknow,Iknow
.Theyoungm
ansaid.ButIstillw
anttoknowaboutthattoo.
Andyetyourehere.
HenoticesthingsaboutC
hinathatmakeusthink.H
eseesasloganonthewallanddescribesit,justlikethat.
Nocom
mentary.Justtheslogan,andw
henitstoldlikethat,itseemsabsurd,laughable,likeK
underasThe
Joke.A
ndwethink:W
hatarethoseslogansdoingthere?T
heyareabsurd.A
ndthenyoustarttothink:Why?
SeemyQ
&AwithL
uYiu,H
owtobeaC
hineseDem
ocrat,NYRblog,February3,2015.
PeterHessler:T
eacher,Archaeologist,A
nthropologist,TravelW
riter,MasterStoryteller,T
heJo
urnalofA
sianStudies,V
ol.72,No.2(M
ay2013).
SeeAndrew
Jacobs,AuthorsA
cceptCensorsR
ulestoSellinChina,T
heN
ewYorkT
imes,O
ctober19,2013.
SeeEvanO
snos,ChinasC
ensoredWorld,T
heN
ewYorkT
imes,M
ay2,2014.Osnossbookw
asreviewedinthesepagesbyPerryL
ink,August14,2014.
SeeJosephEsherick,O
nDealingw
ithChineseC
ensors,ChinaFile,O
ctober14,2014.
1963-2015 NYREV, Inc. All rights reserved.
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ooks
http
://ww
w.n
ybooks.c
om
/artic
les/a
rchiv
es/2
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ay/0
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