The Colour of the Sky After Rain

by Tessa Keswick

Tessa Keswick first travelled to China in 1982 and immediately fell in love with its history, culture and landscape. Over the next thirty years, she travelled extensively in China, visiting its temples and landmarks, the sites of its most famous battles, and the birthplaces of its best-known poets and philosophers. She also witnessed China's transformation, as hundreds of millions were lifted out of poverty and the country emerged as an economic superpower in waiting. Keswick's observations of life in China are perceptive and full of insight. Her narrative is rich in microhistories of people encountered and places visited. By presenting a colourfully woven tapestry of contrasting experiences and localities, she allows the reader to glimpse the sheer diversity of China and its vast population. A multi-textured and revealing survey of the world's largest country, as seen through one woman's eyes, The Colour of the Sky After Rain offers a compelling portrait of China in an age of radical change, and charts the key staging posts in its recent, remarkable history.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, China

384 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[Daneth Long · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are some really beautiful pictures of China in the book, I appreciated those. There is some interesting information on Chinese history.

The book is otherwise bland. Content is one-sided, perhaps even a little tone deaf at times, and doesn't offer any real insight into China and the Chinese people - aside from I guess little snippets into how the powerful conduct business. But even then - it's just not interesting or inspiring or helpful in anyway.

At the end of the book I'm left confused and disappointed - what exactly was the point of this book? Reads more like someone's personal diary. I was so confused I went to search reviews of the book online. Below is a link to a review I completely agree with.

https://culturefly.co.uk/book-review-...

[East West Notes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, though it presents an occasionally uneven blend of memoir, personal diary, and travel journal. Having lived in China around the same time period, I found the descriptions of the rapid development particularly engaging as they resonated with my own memories of those transformative years. That said, there were moments when I found Keswick’s perspective off-putting, especially her accounts of her friend sneaking away from her local host to collect plant cuttings and seeds to take out of the country. If the roles were reversed, I doubt it would be seen as amusing. Still, I appreciated that the narrative wasn’t a sanitized version of events. Sometimes expats are insufferable, especially the ones at this level, and the book doesn’t shy away from that reality. I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as an exploration of the "Real China," whatever that might mean, as much of the focus remains on aristocratic British circles, diplomats, powerful business figures, and art collectors. This lens makes the book feel somewhat detached from the everyday experiences of most people, including other "Old China Hands." Most of their friends and acquaintances profiled are fairly well known today if you follow Chinese business or government news. I did cackle when they were name dropping Bo Xilai around town and then realised that maybe they should stop.

Nevertheless, I found it both informative and entertaining, even if it occasionally meanders. One of its greatest strengths is how it highlights the remarkable hospitality of the Chinese people. I also enjoyed hearing about her art collections, which ranged from ancient to contemporary art.

[Katie Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautifully presented book with some gorgeous photographs and illustrations. I know very little about China so this was an interesting introduction. It covered a lot which at times made it hard to follow and some parts seemed very similar or repeated. However it piqued me interest and I will look out for more books on China in future.

[Roxanna Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

was hoping to learn something about China, didn't look up anything about Keswick before reading. learned more about how Tories see the world.

[Di Fu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story of Tessa's time in China from the 80s. It showed me a different perspective on China's growth over the past 40 years.