Doors Cracked Open: Teaching in a Chinese Closed City

by Fran Martens Friesen, Mary Ann Zehr, Myrrl Byler (foreword)

In their memoir, two American Mennonite women share stories of how they connected with students at a medical college in Sichuan, China, in the mid-1980s. Their host city, Luzhou, had been designated a “closed city,” which meant that foreigners could not visit it without special permission. Fran and Mary Ann were initially escorted whenever they left the campus. Even though they eventually were able to roam the city, their interactions with Chinese people were always scrutinized. Still, by hosting English conversation parties, taking taiji lessons, interacting with students in the classroom, meeting people on walks, and going on outings, the teachers made meaningful connections. Educational, cross-cultural exchanges such as the one Fran and Mary Ann participated in suggest a path forward for easing tensions between the United States and China today.

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 27, 2024

Reviews

[Darnell]

This is exactly what it claims to be, so while it was personally too "watching someone's vacation slideshow" for my taste, I won't mark it down for that. If this is what you're looking for, it's probably a decent microhistory.

[Rosanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to admit, right up front, that I know the authors, but I'm convinced I would have also really enjoyed this even if I did not. Sometimes we don't quite notice when we are living through major historical moments, and changes come on so rapidly that it is hard to recall clearly the course the history took. Fran and Mary Anne had a front page view of a time when China went from being incredibly foreign and unfamiliar to slowly opening to the rest of the world in a real way. They have good recollections of their time living in a closed city in China in the 1980s, and they also kept great records. Quotations of letters and journals strengthen the immediacy of the book.

[David Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did I buy this book, and then actually finished it?

Funny story. I was considering taking a memoir writing class at my local adult education program in my school district. During the consideration process, I noted the instructor’s name. Being a retired investigator, I searched for it online, and discovered she is one of the co-authors of this book. I’ve always liked supporting local talent, so I bought this book with the ulterior motive of seeing her writing style. I thought I’d read just some of the book to get a feel for it.

As I started the book, I found out I’ll need to have a knee replacement at about the same time as the scheduled class. Nonetheless, I got wrapped up in reading the book—and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the stories in it, and the descriptions of the locations. I felt like I was experiencing their stories.

If you’re looking for a book to read that might be outside your normal genre, I highly recommend this one. It’s a fun read.

I hope she does another class this coming fall, because I would definitely consider signing up for it.