Year of the Golden Pig Reading 21: "The Chinese"

Every once in a while I want to move back to China. Even now I think about it. So I always have a few books on China laying around the house. Recently I finished this bit of reportage about life in contemporary China. Actually the book is now about seven years old so which means it is ancient history in Chinese terms, since that country is changing so quickly.

The author, Jasper Becker, is a reporter, and he examines what life is like in for all groups of people living in modern China. What he says isn't always too nice, but I think it gives the reading an honest reflection of what life is like there. With the corruption, pollution, injustice and poverty in China it is sometimes hard to stomach it all, but those things are what makes China fascinating and hard to breath in.

This book has left me thinking I might need to return there in the near future, to be part of such an exciting time. Compared to China, Kuwait is a sleepy little burg. Kuwait is safe and stable, but not too much of a challenge. Of course I know I can't just run back there without a job that will support me. One of the great joys of Kuwait is the money that is deposited into my bank account every month.

I don't know if I will ever return there, but the thought is always just in the back of my head. A friend in Shanghai recently told me that I should return, or at least come for a visit. Another friend is thinking of returning to China to start a restaurant in Xinjiang (that is where she was from before moving elsewhere). If you are thinking of going, this will help you understand the changes more. If you are not going you might still like to know more about the country from where you new boss will be from in the near future.