Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China

by John Pomfret

As one the first American students admitted to China after the communist revolution, John Pomfret was exposed to a country still emerging from the twin tragedies of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Crammed into a dorm room with seven Chinese men, Pomfret contended with all manner of cultural differences, from too-short beds and roommates intent on glimpsing a white man naked, to the need for cloak-and-dagger efforts to conceal his relationships with Chinese women. Amidst all that, he immersed himself in the remarkable lives of his classmates.


Beginning with Pomfret's first day in China, Chinese Lessons takes us down the often torturous paths that brought together the Nanjing University History Class of 1982: Old Wu's father was killed during the Cultural Revolution for the crime of being an intellectual; Book Idiot Zhou labored in the fields for years rather than agree to a Party-arranged marriage; and Little Guan was forced to publicly denounce and humiliate her father. As Pomfret follows his classmates from childhood to adulthood, he examines the effect of China's transition from near-feudal communism to first-world capitalism. The result is an illuminating report from present-day China, and a moving portrait of its extraordinary people.

Genres: China, Nonfiction, History, Asia, Memoir, Travel, Biography Memoir

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

John Pomfret is an American journalist and writer. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised in New York. He attended Stanford University, receiving his B.A. and M.A. in East Asian Studies. In 1980, he was one of the first American students to go to China and study at Nanjing University. Between 1983 and 1984 he attended Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies as a Fulbright Scholar, researching the Cambodian conflict.

He started his journalistic career at the Stanford Daily as a photographer, from where he was fired. After that he worked at a newspaper in Riverside County, California, and after a year was hired by Associated Press to work in New York, covering the graveyard shift.

After two years with the AP in New York, in 1988, he was sent to China as a foreign correspondent, thanks to his knowledge of Mandarin and Asian studies background. After that, he worked in several countries, including Bosnia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey and Iran. For over 15 years he covered the armed conflicts in these countries and the politics of the post-Cold War era. Currently, he is the editor of the Washington Post's weekend opinion section, Outlook.

During his career, he received several awards, including 2003's Osborne Elliot Prize for the best coverage of Asia by the Asia Society and 2007's Shorenstein Prize for coverage of Asia.

The experiences he had when he attended Nanjing University, and his perspective of the Chinese opening, are narrated in his 2006 book "Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China."

Pomfret won an Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship[1]] in 2004 writing about education in China.

He speaks, reads and writes Mandarin, and also speaks French, Japanese and Serbo-Croatian. He lives near Washington, D.C., with his wife and family


pomfretjohn@gmail.com

Reviews

[Qiong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I put down the book finally, let out a long sigh, and asked myself, "was it really like that?"

It's just, so surreal to me. You know what I mean? I was sitting in a lovely cafe, sipping my cup of coffee. The wait stuff paid no attention to me. They hustled around, serving cakes, drinks. I loved the flowers they put in front of the counter, and the elegant light above us made everyone look so warm and peaceful, and happy.

Was it really like that?

I'm not doubting anything the book has said. Quite on the contrary, I believe it all. In fact, I believe it so much that I carried the book with me, and set out on my tiny trip to revisit every place John Pomfret has written. This is my home. I want to remember it. Now, here.

There is no way for me to find out though. Suddenly I feel all alone in this city which I call home. I know it by heart the way it's been since I was born in to the world. But then again, I forgot what it looked like at that time. It just seems I cannot remember anymore, as if it was never in my memory.

The older I get, the more perplexed I become about China, about this city, about its people. The more the world is unfolding itself right in front of my eyes, the more curious I am. I can't stop it, nor can I stop myself. I need an answer, to a question I can't describe.

After all, as they say, well, this is China.

[Olga Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't understand modern China without learning its past. "Chinese lessons" gives a great outlook of the society during and after cultural revolution. Every chapter dives into personal stories of red guards, farmers, intelligentsia their take on humiliation and repressions as well as struggles for better life. Towards the end of the book author elaborates on how China's Open Door policy converted people into entrepreneurs with "chinese specifics".

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chinese people are a very strange race. Their prided endurance is an easy breeding ground for injustice. They take advantage of iniquity that they hate. Collectively they are so full of hypocrisy and bullshit yet individually they are so admirable. I know these are very strong words and they are also why I can't live in China again and why my parents would not want me to live in China.

But these traits did not come from a vacuum. China's recent history is full of human-inflicted trauma that the whole culture has completely lost its moral compass. Cram war, famine, complete overthrow of social classes and political massacre in a short span of 50 years - how can you expect any sane person to grow out of that environment? You can't understand a person as he is unless you know what he has gone through. Reading this book feels like listening to a first-person narrative by my parents' generation. Over and over I felt disgusted and heartbreaking about the circumstances but tremendous respect for individuals who pulled themselves through. I wish there's a Chinese translation of this book that I can share with my parents.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is lots of material on the exiles, refugees and China based casualties of the Cultural Revolution, but this is the first I've read with confessions. As JP's friend Zhou says everyone in China claims to be a victim, but "do the math". What could the ratio of victim to torturer be? This book doesn't answer that, but sheds light on the Cultural Revolution's environment and aftermath.

Also, westerners tend to see Tienanmen Square through an idealistic lens. JP reports on hunger fasts with 8 hour shifts and petty police actions: "No bicycle here". JP heard little dialog among the protestors. Demagoguery was met with louder demagoguery and sometimes fisticuffs. The major leaders left China when the chips were down leaving behind many followers who lost what little they had. Some, like JP's composer friend, spent years in prisons where they were mercilessly beaten.

Each of JP's survivor friends had to make compromises of a nature inconceivable to most westerners. Some began in youth gangs, empowered by party leaders to harass and destroy parents, teachers, anyone with a modicum of success or talent. Some actually tortured their parents. Others were only steps removed from their parents' murders. The lucky ones merely had to deny or denigrate parents, teachers or neighbors to survive the gangs of angry peasants, the urban poor and probabilistically vulnerable young people with hormones running wild. The immediate mental calculus was simple, you couldn't beat them so you joined them.

There is one generational twist. JP's friend Song has an alcoholic father who dreadfully abused him worse than the "system". For what we know of abusive family relationships we are not surprised that Song returns to China at great risk to himself upon his father's bidding. The father shows no acknowledgement of or care for the danger involved.

JP's "longitudinal" examination of these, perhaps typical, students of this generation is a major contribution. Despite their relative success, their lives are not easy, and their success is vulnerable to the jealousies and connections of others. They continually make compromises, like the composer who lyrics that the Chinese people have won their freedom, or the party propagandist who intimates that China needs a free press and the entrepreneur who teaches Marxism on the side.

The story is not over. This generation will be succeeded by the "little emperors". Will these children, fully indulged by 2 parents and 4 grandparents, emerge with self-esteem (unavailable to the culture revolution generation) or complete selfishness? How will these young people with greater education, travel, material well being and opportunity react to the current immovable system? How will they administer China when they become the system?

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating - John Pomfret has spent much of his adult life fully absorbed in Chinese culture, beginning with attending "Nandu" University in 1982. This book tells the complicated stories of a handful of his classmates, as well as John's own experiences and reflections on the country he loves in spite of its crazy contradictions. When I think of modern China I think of a new economic superpower, but Pomfret's perspective opened my eyes to so much more than that. Two passage from the book really stood out; I dog-eared the pages so I could find them to quote in this review:

There is no word in Chinese for irony, perhaps because the whole structure of society is so infused with incongruity that the Chinese can't see it anymore: a Communist Party that is capitalist; an ancient culture hell-bent on burying its past; a workers' paradise of unparalleled exploitation.

Faced with a vacuum in belief and values, Ye and his comrades have sought to fill it with food, drink, clothes, and electronics - the goodies on display on Hunan Road. But this love of stuff, which helped bring China to where it is today, will not bring China where it wants to go tomorrow. For centuries, Chinese debated what it was to be a good person, a good citizen: What was the Good, the Virtuous, and the Right? Fifty-plus years of Communist censorship and political campaigns have silenced those debates, and it is still unclear whether the country has the ability to revive the tradition of asking these timeless questions.

I am anxious to look beyond the pagodas and skyscrapers for the China Pomfret describes when I visit this spring.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book again, 8 years later, that's how much I liked it. Original review from August 2007 follows: I love-love-loved this book. This man lived in China off and on from 1980 to 2005. I lived there in 1992 - it was fascinating to hear his thoughts on life in China before my year there, and then also to learn about how it has changed after being there. What made this book different (for me) from the many books about China out there, is that he spent so much time in China during their transition era. I get so much more out of his descriptions because his impressions have a deep context. Anyone can go to China today and tell me "how it is". But I appreciate Pomfret's capability to tell me how it is now *compared to* how it was then.

He also happens to be a great writer so the book is enjoyable to read.

[twilightsprincess · Rating 5 out of 5]

この本が大好きで本当におすすめだよ！作家は直接に経験した。もっと文化大革命について読みたいならこちらはいい選択だ！
I really loved this book and I really recommend it! The author experienced everything firsthand which just brings the book to life. If you want to learn more about the Cultural Revolution, this is a good choice!

[Xi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book that has a fairly balanced first person perspective written from a necessary point of privilege.

[Adam]

Linę nazywano shuai bu shi — wierzącą, która skoczyła, ale nie umarła.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book which puts a human perspective on the enormous shifts and changes in China's policies and culture in the last 50 years. Author/journalist (for the Wash. Post) John Pomfret was one of the first Americans allowed to be an exchange student in China--he attended Nanda University in Nanjing with the Class of '82. He follows the lives of nine of his classmates. They grew up during the Cultural Revolution,began their post-college adult lives just prior to the Tiananmen Square massacre and watched their economy explode under the reforms on the 1990s. Pomfret recounts their individual stories in a very dynamic way. The reader gains insight into these individual's "life" choices and their ways of navigating the treacherous political shifts that offered both great opportunity and threatened peril depending upon the situation.
Highly recommend.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this book are heartbreaking, and parts of sweet and endearing. This is mainly a book about the changes that China has gone through, told through the lives of the John Pomfret's friends and classmates, and their friends and families as well. But there is also an element of the book which narrates the author's own growth and maturation, from a foolish youth to a responsible and mature adult man.

The book is somewhat bittersweet, but mostly bitter. The Chinese people have eaten a lot of bitter in the 20th century, and the hardships that John Pomfret tells us about made me cry more than once.

Some elements of the story are perhaps a bit out of date. It was written in the early 2000s, and I am writing this review in 2025. But the harsh history of China in the 1960s, 70s, and the more general trials and tribulations of life through 80s and 90s still resonate to this day, and it gives a broader scope and context for understanding Chinese society.

[Steven Deng · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Chinese Lessons" is an incredibly insightful and well-written account of the author's experiences and observations during his time in China. The book offers a unique perspective on China's complex history, society, and culture, providing a deep understanding of the country's past, present, and future.

Pomfret, a journalist with decades of experience covering China, explores a broad range of topics, including politics, economics, education, and social issues. He presents his observations with vivid details and personal anecdotes, painting a fascinating and nuanced picture of China.

One of the most impressive aspects of "Chinese Lessons" is Pomfret's ability to provide balanced and nuanced insights into the challenges and opportunities facing China, while remaining critical of the government's policies and practices. He avoids the common pitfalls of Westerners either over-glorifying or demonizing China, and instead offers a nuanced and complex perspective on the country.

Overall, "Chinese Lessons" is a captivating read for anyone interested in China, its history, and its people. Pomfret's writing style is engaging and accessible, making it a perfect choice for both those new to China and those who are well-versed in Chinese history and culture. I highly recommend "Chinese Lessons" and give it two thumbs up!

[John M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional account of life in China across three crucial decades, and one that has withstood the test of time since publication despite rapid change in China and the world. Pomfret's Chinese Lessons belongs on a shelf with Peter Hessler's River Town and Country Driving and Evan Osnos's Age of Ambition. Of the three, Hessler is the best writer (and a tremendous talent), but Pomfret has the deeper experience. One senses in Pomfret's account that he was not just a perceptive observer and an acute analyst, but was also emotionally engaged with his friends and classmates from Nanjing University over a long period of time. This, as much as the broadly similar contours of his classmates' lives, creates a compelling story of hopes, disappointment, and perseverance.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given that I had to read this for my "Chinese Youth Culture" class, it was pretty entertaining. That being said I still only skimmed the last few chapters. It was interesting to be reading about the first hand experiences of Pomfret and his classmates, but it felt at times a little disorganized.

[Delaney Bolstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book to learn more about China's Cultural Revolution in the 50s, but this book goes beyond that. Pomfret tells of the long-term effects it has on China and its people. Pomfret describes his affinity for China, initiated by his studying at Nanjing University just as China began to open up to foreigners, through the lens of his classmates.

I began to look deeper into my own experience with China when I visited there five years ago. The picture of Mao Zedong at Tienneman Square and the little food stalls had a much deeper meaning.

However, this is not a book with much action. You will not be on the edge of your seat, but you will be moved. Pomfret makes you feel for his classmates. Little Guan's tribulations felt like my own, and Old Wu's decisions angered me, just like they did Pomfret.

Pomfret writes about expectations. His classmates, traumatized by the Cultural Revolution, arrive at Nanjing University with the expectation that they would break the cycle of Communism. The future of China would be progressive and built upon reason. Still, many of his classmates break the expectation and suck up to Communist Officials, some even joining the party themselves.

I would recommend this book for any history buffs who want to learn more about China's past and the expectation of their future.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most depressing books I have read in a while. With that said, it is a fascinating look at the lives of five Chinese citizens, as told by the American author, who met them while attending university in China in 1981. Pomfret goes back to their lives as children during the Cultural revolution and relates the histories of their parents and families in pre C. Revolution times too, continuing until 2007.
Some of his friends are strong and resilient, others are hopeful and courageous and some survive the system by becoming as corrupt as it is. It is depressing that it is hopeless that any changes equally advantageous to the entire population will not likely occur for forty years or more, if ever.
Not that democracy and capitalism are a perfect world but the governments at least are kept accountable to the voters.
Worth the read as a start to understanding China and the Chinese.

[Alex Soong · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is rare for a book to encompass so much of the depth and breadth of our human drama: love, hatred, greed, lust, injustice, cruelty, cowardice, courage, perseverance, hope, corruption and so on. Through the fascinating lives of five of the author's classmates, we are acquainted with the deep dysfunction of Chinese society and its lack of a compass for morals, ethics, values and principles. China today is what happens when communism and capitalism collude in a spiritual vacuum, that is to say, sheer beastliness beneath a thin veneer of civilisation which is an improvement of sorts from the viciousness of communism alone. The picture that John Pomfret paints is heavy with darkness and shadows but there are also heartwarming moments of love and beauty. Pomfret's penetrating insights and mastery of story-telling has created a masterpiece but we perhaps owe his long association with the culture to his love of Chinese women.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a memoir/history. Pomfret went to China as a student in 1980. This made him among the first American students to study in China in the post-4 modernizations era. He used his time at Nanjing University to superb advantage, acquiring impressive language fluency, building network of all kinds of relationships, and honing the skills that make him an outstanding journalist and writer. The book relates his reporting in China, including his on the ground tales of June 4, 1989 in Beijing. The "meat" of the volume, however, are the stories of his classmates in the history department at Nanjing U. Their suffering during the Cultural Revolution, subsequent return to Chinese acceptability, and the various ways they have lived their lives inthe years since the 1980s. This is well worth the time to read.

[Madison Hamner · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
Very interesting, keeps you at the edge of your seat, but has some unnecessary descriptions of a sexual scene. Definitely got me interested in 20th century China, but might be better read by someone who knew chinese political figures better and how their deaths impacted China (who these men were confused me some but that is from my own lack of knowledge). Not to say that this book is full of jargon. Quite the opposite, actually, and is easy to read. He just mentions these political figures, and I am confused by why their death had the effect it did. He also speaks of his own experience in China and about their culture.
He tells stories of these remarkable people who endured and survived terrible things. It is shocking to know that they are true. You can tell this man loves China but hates the brutality and inhumanity of their government.
It's definitely worth a reread.

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt less like an autobiography to me, and more of a reflection piece on the author’s Chinese classmates as they grew up during China’s many revolutionary (should I use that word?) periods during the second half of the 20th century.

This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It was enlightening seeing how his fellow schoolmate’s ideals changed or stayed strong throughout the decades alongside how much China was changing. It would have been nice to see the author write more on how his experiences with China affected him, but this lack of reflection didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book that much.

While the writing wasn’t the most engaging, if you want to get a better understanding of how China is today I feel like this is a must read. Having this unique perspective of someone who got to study in China a few years after the Cultural Revolution and become close to people who were widely affected by it makes for an informative read.

[jm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pomfret gets impressive access to a bunch of interesting characters at a time when few other outside observers were around (he even quotes their diaries a few times), and their stories are sufficiently diverse to represent the China of the times pretty well. However, it doesn't quite come together: there's not enough of a red line, the writing isn't amazing, and several times he starts writing about himself unnecessarily (with particularly the depiction of his first romance getting outright cringe-worthy).

[Suzanne Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love lived history like this. The author makes friends with Chinese young adults when he attends school there in the 1980s and finds out about the terrible experiences of their families during the Mao period, then he follows up on their lives now. He gives us a very real picture of what the years of hardship did to the people as they search for meaning in a completely materialistic society that drives most of them to do anything they have to do to get ahead.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a recounting of the year they spent together as students. I was wrong. The author instead recounted how each of his dorm mates got to the place of being at the university and then what they did with their lives after graduation. If nothing else, I learned some history of China and the Communist oppression. Pomfret was working as a news reporter who covered the Tiananmen protest and massacre. I have a better sense now of what led to that.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating look at China, citizens who suffered through the Cultural Revolution and how it shaped those students who studied at Nanjing University with the author back in 1980.

Having been to China three times, I found it to be an interesting read. Would have given it four stars but it was about 100 pages too long.

[Georgia Dentel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Written by an american journalist about his chinese classmates when he studied in China in the 1980's. Especially interesting if you have read about the cultural revolution of Mao, this book shows the resulting changes in liberal thought in morality and finance but the lack of change in political philosophy.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this different take on Chinese modern history. It is a deeply personal quasi-autobiography that uses other people's experiences to frame the author's own.

Really great insights into how much China changed between his initial time at Nanda and when he wrote this in the late 00's.

Very easy read that in no way sacrifices the deep nature of the content.

[Chong Ming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saw this on Clara’s favourites and thought I’ll give it a read in light of recent events in China. Amazing coverage and storytelling! Absolutely love how this spans China’s history and showcases personal anecdotes that uncover the intertwinement of the personal and the political.

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this writing style. Non fiction that read like fiction i think because it was pretty fast moving. However, so many characters and places that were thrown out and changed every chapter that it was difficult to keep track of everyone and their backstories

[Coleman Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. Very relevant to me as I spent the 2014-15 school year teaching in Wuhan. What the country and its people have been through in the past 75 years is simply unreal.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pomfret takes us through his personal experiences in China from 1980 to the early 2000s, exploring the lives of his classmates from Nanjing University in this period of incredible change in China.