River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler is one of the best books I have ever read. It is a captivating non-fiction that captures a personal journey of a Peace Corp member in the small town of Fuling on the Yangtze River in China. The book balances and seamlessly switches from moments of comedy and self reflection to commentary on politics and culture. Most of the political issues are explained through the writings of the students in Hessler's classes. These first-hand accounts paint a very vivid picture of China. At the same time, Hessler's own experiences tell the story of the differences between cultures and the situations this put him in.
The whole book is much more than a picture of China. It is an explanation of China. It is explanation of how the land has shaped the people and how the people are shaping the land. It is story of things that are constant and things that are defined by cycles. It is a narrative of the change in an individual and the change in a country. I think the book is summarized by Hessler's quote early on that "nothing was quite what it seemed".
Hessler uses the whole book to open up China as it opened up to him. These are the ideas that I found most poignant and took away from River Town:
History
Hessler says that "development has swallowed history". The sheer number of people and the need for housing he explains requires a huge of amount of housing units and this has left very little history in most Chinese cities. Very few historical buildings remain in some cities yet the Chinese do not seem concerned. Everything in China seems like a historic place to Americans but this is because we have such a recent history of our own. The town he is living is actually scheduled to be flooded by the Three Gorges Dam yet no one in the town seems very concerned. All down the Yangtze they are building new towns to replace those being flooded. The residents of these towns actually look forward to the new towns because they will have wider streets, bigger houses, and better infrastructure. To most outsiders however the destruction of the old river towns is seen as a huge loss of history. History is truly in the eye of the beholder.
Use of Literature
Hessler uses his English literature class to understand Chinese culture. Through having his students be critical of the English culture, he is able to have his students open up about their own culture. In a culture where free speech is discouraged, he is able to help his students on a journey of self analysis through their reaction to English stories. Hessler shows the great amount that can be learned in observing people's reactions. Literature helps him learn about his students and helps his students learn more about themselves.
Use of Language
Throughout the book, Hessler conveys the power of language. He learns the Chinese language through the town and the interaction with its people. Language works both with him and against him. He uses language to his advantage and often calls himself waiguoren which means foreign devil. This ability to poke fun at himself allows him to create a comfort zone with others. Other people use language to their advantage as well. Many of the people he encounters use phrases such as "your America" and this placed a burden on him for the actions of a whole nation. This sometimes led to defensiveness and negative reactions. Language was a huge tool and obstacle to Hessler's assimilation into Chinese culture. As he became assimilated he adapted a Chinese name, Ho Wei. The switch of names when referring to himself signified the switch between the two different identities he had in the two cultures. The development of different identities in different cultures showed the power that culture has the transform the behavior of the individual.
Man vs. Nature
Hessler uses the land to tell his story. His most powerful metaphors are those of the rivers. He uses metaphors to explain the fundamental difference between man and nature. The town of Fuling where he resides in the book straddles two rivers. The Yangtze and the Wu rivers define its two identities. To Hessler, the world like the Yangtze has two courses. One is the cyclic curving course of a river. The other is the straight canal of man. The town of Fuling sits on the wild Yangtze now but in a few years will sit on the lazy lake created by the Three Gorges Dam. Fuling is also on the convergence of the Wu and the Yangtze. For Hessler these rivers are polar opposites, the Yangtze represents people and their concern with destination and the Wu represents nature and the concern for origin. The rivers in a way represent the broader struggle of humanity between its origin and its destination.
Collectivism
The book taught me that collectivism breeds inaction. Collectivism is like a bunch of giant posses. While there are strong groups of people, there isn't necessarily a coherent community and this leads to inaction in crisis situations. In the book, there are many situations where people are only concerned with those within their group. Within these groups, they fall prey to groupthink. I found this very intriguing as I had always assumed that collectivism led to community. Hessler also talks about how collectivism arises as a result of need to be defensive. This led to some of his mishaps and sort of explains how mob mentality works. It seemed that need to defend one’s self, culture, or pride was the only thing that could bring people to action.
Seasons
The whole book is structured around the seasons. The seasons define the culture of Fuling due to the agriculture nature of the city. The seasons set the tone for each portion of the book and they are the structure which keeps the narrative connected and flowing. The seasons are also used to provide insight into the culture. For example, the Chinese use a lunar a calendar. During Hessler’s second year, bad weather is ruining crops and it is blamed on the fact that there is two fifth months in this one year. This shows the degree to which China is still a very superstitious country full of anecdotal beliefs.
Money
Capitalism was brought to China by Deng Xiaoping and thus he is a national hero. Throughout the book many speak of him and the great things he did. Since the reforms, the Chinese have embraced capitalism. In fact, Hessler explains that it is an unrestricted capitalism. This means that one's success truly is dependent on their intellect, willpower, and luck. I found it particularly interesting that if you want to get some jobs in China you have to provide a down payment as a sign of commitment. The love for capitalism also has created a love for money. Everyone is obsessed with money that Hessler encounters. Across town, even people Hessler is not acquainted with are aware of his salary. Financial information is truly public information. During the biggest Chinese holiday, the New Year, people even go as far as to share with everyone exactly how much they got that year.
Symbols and Nationalism
The Chinese have a very strong sense of cultural pride that is seen throughout the book. All of the symbols in China just have positive aspects and never flaws when the Chinese speak of them. For example, the Great Wall is celebrated as an engineering feet and marvel of humanity. It is never discussed in a negative light for it could be considered to be isolationism at its worst. The Chinese are very nationalistic and have great pride in their country. They believe in the government and leaders' power and ability. There is an extreme optimism in the government despite its past atrocities which I found very surprising. The national pride reaches an apex in the book when Hong Kong is returned for the British. The Chinese believe this has finally righted the wrongs of the Opium Wars.
Change
The Chinese can stomach change because they have seen far worse in their lives. They have gone through extreme food shortages and political oppression. Having observed the power of change drives their determination and optimism. A lot of the Chinese spirit that shines through the characters in Hessler's book is a result of overcoming these struggles. In a country that is changing so fast this tolerance is only increasing.
All of these themes work in conjunction to tell a story of country that is rapidly changing like the Yangtze and yet in a lot of ways is standing still as the Yangtze soon will be. It is a very honest look at the good and bad in one town. The book established such a sense of place that I felt I had lived there too. It brought a geography and people to life for me.
I don’t have any criticism of the book. The book was not a thesis but rather just a story. It was meant to tell the story of an American getting integrated into a foreign culture and it did a fine job of what it set out to do. While at times the flow of the story may seem to be interrupted, the back stories are important for understanding the people in the book and the place they inhabit. The writing style seems very natural. It gets across its points while simultaneously keeping you interested. Overall, it was tough to put down and is one of the best books I have ever read. I recommend it to anyone who wants to get to know what China is like at a personal level.
