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Summary:
A century ago, outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. In Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation, viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful of ordinary people. In a narrative that gracefully moves between the ancient and the present, the East and the West, Hessler captures the soul of a country that is undergoing a momentous change before our eyes.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
Humanized China
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I have been to China on my own three times in the last year and I think that Peter Hessler's books, both this and his first books are excellent ways to prepare yourself for the China of today- modern, dynamic and yet with a rich history. For a Westerner, Hessler has an amazing ability to get underneath the official stuff and deal with real people. In doing so he lays bare the contradictions that are modern China. Everywhere I have been in China (both south China and Beijing so far) there are construction cranes and a bustling, active people, ugly high rise apartment blocks next to exquisite temples, and people in uniforms everywhere. Hessler's writing style portrays very well this activity and the people behind it. The people in Hessler's books, whether the students in his first book (many of whom he follows up with contacts in this book), or the doomed archaeologist who is the focus of much of this book, or his Uighur friends, all of them are people you would like to meet because Hessler portrays them with warmth and clear affection. A great read- I couldn't put it down. Can't wait for his third book. Also try, Ian Johnson's Wild Grass: Three Portraits of Change in Modern China for more of the same kind of writing.
Uncovering China's Past
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History may be defined by what has been written and recorded. Peter Hessler shows the truth within those words in his enlightening book, ORACLE BONES: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME IN CHINA. Not only is the book a travelogue of his excursion abroad, it is a very interesting and progressive observation of East meeting West in a country that has maintained its ancient traditions and cultures amidst the evolution of a booming economy that continues to progress with the rest of the world.
But ORACLE BONES is also a commentary on the people of China and its outlying landscape as well as the parallels that Hessler makes with his own experience living and writing as a journalist in Beijing as well as visiting neighboring city of Nanjing. And as Hessler examines the rich history of a country that many may think they know, there are still hidden histories that only researchers, scholars, and archaeologists may hold the key to revealing the ancient past. Hessler asserts: "...I conceived of the past as finished, and I imagined history as a straight line of cause and effect. Historians choose the events that matter, put them in proper order, and then move on. But the longer I've lived in China, the less neatly everything lines up" (About the book, 8).
Despite the glare of prosperity shining brightly in China, there are still polarized boundaries within the country's colossal geography, culture, people, and politics. While archaeologists continue to dig and unearth the past, the people grapple with unequivocal obstacles that involve its diverse ethnic make up which points mainly in the Central and Southwestern part of the country. And this may be seen with the encounters that Hessler experiences with Polat, a Uighur from Xingjiang, Imre Galambos, a scholar of Central Asia descent, William Jefferson Foster who's parents had experienced the Great Leap Forward, and Emily, a student he had taught while teaching English; all of these individuals had an impressionable connection to the western world through popular culture. But throughout the pages of the book, there is an over abundance of reminders of China's much political past these few as well as the younger generations may never forget because it has left an imprint that resonates in their lives.
ORACLE BONES examines China's history from the lens of its past. From 1999 to 2004, Hessler spent time researching and writing the book with great detail. As a winner of the National Book Award, it is a highly recommendable book to read when attempting to understand the complex history of China.
Great reading!
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This was great reading! Even though I didn't have a prior interest or knowledge about modern China or Chinese history, I found this book fascinating! The author gives one a window into various people's lives and I find myself caring so much for them. I had to put the book down in order to go to my 9-5 job. However, as soon as I got home, I was back to reading. I look forward to reading more from Peter Hessler, no matter what the subject.
my china experience is the same
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If you want to read a book about a rapidly changing China, this is it!
A Different Side of China
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This is an entertaining and informative view of China, past and present, offered by Peter Hessler, a Westerner who taught English there during the latter part of the 20th century, then returned several years later to work as a journalist. In the process, Hessler made friends with a wide range of Chinese, from his students to the owner of a restaurant in a low-rent Beijing neighborhood, to an itinerant truck driver.
His varied roles gave Hessler opportunities to discover the old and the new China, and to capture for his readers the disjointed experiences of many Chinese as their nation made the transition from a failed command-and-control economy to a quasi free market system.
The book is rich with anecdotes that illustrate the absurdity of the old Communist system, as well as what I think of as the "extreme capitalism" of the new era. The Chinese people Hessler describes are nothing if not enterprising, and they are incredibly clever in devising ways to subvert and circumvent government rules that make little sense. Especially interesting are the stories from Hessler's students, whose lives changed dramatically in the six years between his visits.
Oracle Bones is an excellent read and I recommend it along with a similar, newer, book called China Road, written by Rob Gifford.
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