First published 2013
Peter Hessler obtains a Chinese driver's license and rents a jeep to begin his five-year journey across China from 2004 to 2008. As a New Yorker correspondent based in Beijing, Hessler chooses driving over traditional reporting methods to understand a nation speeding forward like a high-speed train during its economic rise and preparation for the Beijing Olympics. While Western media typically focuses on political structures and economic systems, Hessler seeks the subtle human changes rarely documented. Behind the wheel, he encounters ordinary Chinese citizens who, like their country, are searching for their own paths and experimenting with new ways of living. Each person he meets reflects China's broader struggle to find its own model of development. Through these road encounters, Hessler captures a complete picture of a nation in transformation, documenting both his search for physical roads and China's search for its identity during this pivotal moment when the country sought to display its strength to the world.
Genres: adventure, contemporary, china, non-fiction, 21st-century, asian-american
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, personal-journey
Setting: China
Period: 2004-2008
544 pages · Paperback · SEUIL