![]() ![]() The book holds the reader tenaciously with this two-pronged approach. Added to this is the evolving story of the discovery, interpretation and preservation of the oldest existing examples of written Chinese, the inscribed divinatory fragments known as oracle bones. So the book's structure is a loose assemblage of varied experiences - preparations for the Beijing Olympics, filming in the Gobi desert, visiting the North Korean border, life in Shenzhen, even a trip to Taiwan - but with continuity provided by the changing fortunes of key individuals. ![]() But he also has academic interests - in history, ethnology and especially in the evolution of written Chinese. Hessler's aim is to show the country through the lives of ordinary individuals. Oracle Bones is his second book, and it spans the whole of China, in place and time. His first book, River Town described his life teaching English in the Sichuan Province. ![]() The author is a 38-year-old native of Missouri who's been freelancing in China since 1999, mostly for The New Yorker. This is an outstanding book, quite possibly the best general book on modern China to have appeared in the last few years. ![]()
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