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Postcards from Tomorrow Square: Reports from China
“Americans need not be hostile toward China's rise, but they should be wary about its eventual effects. The United States is the only nation with the scale and power to try to set the terms of its interaction with China rather than just succumb. So starting now, Americans need to consider the economic, environmental, political, and social goals they care about defending as Chinese influence grows.”
—from “China Makes, the World Takes”
Since December 2006, The Atlantic Magazine's James Fallows has been writing some of the most discerning accounts of the economic and political transformation occurring in China. The ten essays collected here cover a wide-range of topics: from visionary tycoons and TV-battling entrepreneurs, to environmental pollution and how China subsidizes our economy. Fallows expertly and lucidly explains the economic, political, social, and cultural forces at work turning China into a world superpower at breakneck speed. This eye-opening and cautionary account is essential reading for all concerned not only with China's but America's future role in the world.
—from “China Makes, the World Takes”
Since December 2006, The Atlantic Magazine's James Fallows has been writing some of the most discerning accounts of the economic and political transformation occurring in China. The ten essays collected here cover a wide-range of topics: from visionary tycoons and TV-battling entrepreneurs, to environmental pollution and how China subsidizes our economy. Fallows expertly and lucidly explains the economic, political, social, and cultural forces at work turning China into a world superpower at breakneck speed. This eye-opening and cautionary account is essential reading for all concerned not only with China's but America's future role in the world.
262 pages, Paperback
First published December 24, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
March 27, 2012
My main takeaway from this book is that anyone who tries to generalize about China doesn't know what they're talking about, and indeed can't know what they're talking about. I feel comfortable making that generalization about generalizers because China is just so big, so complex, and changing so fast that attempts to summarize what's happening there not only inevitably obscure the facts, but are also out-of-date nearly as soon as they're printed. Superlatives evaporate as soon as they leap off the tongue. Fallows knows all this, which is why his modestly titled "postcards" (which are mostly articles first published in The Atlantic) emphasize detail and nuance more than anything else. I've considered Fallows one of my favorite journalists for a long time, based not only on his avuncular tone and thoughtful analysis, but also his attention to detail and ability to find context and larger trends without falling into the overgeneralizing trap I complained about before.
As China becomes more integrated into the world economy, its quirks - its intolerance of dissent and criticism, its rocky relationships with its neighbors, its struggle with environmental issues, and its almost unbelievably rapid yet uneven growth - will become more relevant than simple domestic election-year attack lines, but in order to figure out what to do about China (if indeed there is anything to be "done" about it), you have to figure out what's actually going on there. Fallows reports on a number of people or incidents that he believes to be fairly representative of the new China: entrepreneur-tycoons in Changsha, factories in Shenzen, reality TV shows in Beijing, gambling in Macau, censorship on the Internet, and above all the sense of dynamism and change all over the place in what is still in some ways a very rigid country. For the majority of recorded history China has been one of the largest economies in the world, and its recent history of poverty and playing catch-up is actually fairly unusual. The Chinese government has, after decades of purges and repressions, famines and revolutions, decided to do what it can to facilitate China's return to global promise and the results, as chronicled here, find parallel only in the wildest days of the American experience.
Last year I read a number of books about the 19th century United States, and I frequently found myself mentally comparing some of the places and people in this book to the more familiar denizens of New York and Chicago, though of course on a much larger scale - Guangdong province alone has more factory workers than all of America. The fact that the Chinese people are going through their Bridge of Sighs and Hell's Kitchen phase in the age of YouTube and netbooks is extremely interesting to me, and when I was done with this book I gained a valuable new perspective on all of the articles about currency manipulation and newly-minted billionaires cluttering up my inbox every day. Just imagine, Jurgis Rudkus and Horatio Alger and Tom Joad and hundreds of millions of others hustling by the shores of the Yangtze and the Huang He and the Pearl, building tomorrow with yesterday's tools... what will historians 50 years hence be writing about? I think Fallows gives a couple of good answers to that question. His wife, Deborah Fallows, has written a book about learning the Chinese language which is also on my to-read list, but the wide range of the country covered here has put a ton of other books on my radar. So much to read, so little time....
As China becomes more integrated into the world economy, its quirks - its intolerance of dissent and criticism, its rocky relationships with its neighbors, its struggle with environmental issues, and its almost unbelievably rapid yet uneven growth - will become more relevant than simple domestic election-year attack lines, but in order to figure out what to do about China (if indeed there is anything to be "done" about it), you have to figure out what's actually going on there. Fallows reports on a number of people or incidents that he believes to be fairly representative of the new China: entrepreneur-tycoons in Changsha, factories in Shenzen, reality TV shows in Beijing, gambling in Macau, censorship on the Internet, and above all the sense of dynamism and change all over the place in what is still in some ways a very rigid country. For the majority of recorded history China has been one of the largest economies in the world, and its recent history of poverty and playing catch-up is actually fairly unusual. The Chinese government has, after decades of purges and repressions, famines and revolutions, decided to do what it can to facilitate China's return to global promise and the results, as chronicled here, find parallel only in the wildest days of the American experience.
Last year I read a number of books about the 19th century United States, and I frequently found myself mentally comparing some of the places and people in this book to the more familiar denizens of New York and Chicago, though of course on a much larger scale - Guangdong province alone has more factory workers than all of America. The fact that the Chinese people are going through their Bridge of Sighs and Hell's Kitchen phase in the age of YouTube and netbooks is extremely interesting to me, and when I was done with this book I gained a valuable new perspective on all of the articles about currency manipulation and newly-minted billionaires cluttering up my inbox every day. Just imagine, Jurgis Rudkus and Horatio Alger and Tom Joad and hundreds of millions of others hustling by the shores of the Yangtze and the Huang He and the Pearl, building tomorrow with yesterday's tools... what will historians 50 years hence be writing about? I think Fallows gives a couple of good answers to that question. His wife, Deborah Fallows, has written a book about learning the Chinese language which is also on my to-read list, but the wide range of the country covered here has put a ton of other books on my radar. So much to read, so little time....
January 3, 2018
I have to say this was pretty disappointing. I love reading about China more than most, and this was not the strongest collection. This book is a collation of essays written by Fallows for The Atlantic Monthly from summer 2006 to summer 2008, when he and his wife moved to China. One of the first things to mention is that it is pretty dated - pre-Beijing 2008 China feels like a very different place from China in 2017, and it shows in these essays.
My main issues with these essays/articles was the content. Except for one highlight - "How the West was wired", about two Taiwanese businessmen who decide to invest in schools in the poor and isolated Western province of Gansu - I found the topics pretty dull. I guess because they are written for a magazine which Wikipedia tells me prints articles on "foreign affairs, politics and the economy" they are more focused on those topics, whereas my interest in China is more on social issues and the human side of things. I was interested in reading the article about gambling in Macau, a place I have been meaning to visit for years but have never made it to, but even that article was boring, and I ended up skimming parts of it. The Atlantic link also means the articles all use comparisons to America, which got pretty boring after a while. I get that Fallows was trying to put things into context for his readers, but it often felt unnecessary to me.
Many of these articles are overly descriptive, and include a lot of personal anecdotes, something which Peter Hessler does well in his collections, but did not work here. The anecdotes often felt redundant and added little to the writing (reminding me of the problem I had with Chinese Whispers). Towards the end of the book I was struggling to see the point of some of the essays, unsure of what Fallows was trying to get across.
Another aspect that bugged me was the authors inability to speak Chinese. I will cut him some slack in that he had only just arrived when he began writing the articles at the beginning of the book, but I think it is incredibly difficult to get a true picture of China without speaking the language and having to rely on interpreters.
I have to say that I would not really recommend this book to anyone, as there are much better books around on modern China now. Perhaps for those interested in business or the technicalities of the Great Firewall (that chapter was particularly dull). Instead I would recommend checking out anything by Peter Hessler, or Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China.
My main issues with these essays/articles was the content. Except for one highlight - "How the West was wired", about two Taiwanese businessmen who decide to invest in schools in the poor and isolated Western province of Gansu - I found the topics pretty dull. I guess because they are written for a magazine which Wikipedia tells me prints articles on "foreign affairs, politics and the economy" they are more focused on those topics, whereas my interest in China is more on social issues and the human side of things. I was interested in reading the article about gambling in Macau, a place I have been meaning to visit for years but have never made it to, but even that article was boring, and I ended up skimming parts of it. The Atlantic link also means the articles all use comparisons to America, which got pretty boring after a while. I get that Fallows was trying to put things into context for his readers, but it often felt unnecessary to me.
Many of these articles are overly descriptive, and include a lot of personal anecdotes, something which Peter Hessler does well in his collections, but did not work here. The anecdotes often felt redundant and added little to the writing (reminding me of the problem I had with Chinese Whispers). Towards the end of the book I was struggling to see the point of some of the essays, unsure of what Fallows was trying to get across.
Another aspect that bugged me was the authors inability to speak Chinese. I will cut him some slack in that he had only just arrived when he began writing the articles at the beginning of the book, but I think it is incredibly difficult to get a true picture of China without speaking the language and having to rely on interpreters.
I have to say that I would not really recommend this book to anyone, as there are much better books around on modern China now. Perhaps for those interested in business or the technicalities of the Great Firewall (that chapter was particularly dull). Instead I would recommend checking out anything by Peter Hessler, or Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China.
February 1, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of articles and learned so much I hardly know where to start describing the book. This is a series of articles written by Fallows and published in The Atlantic Monthly December '06-November '08. The subjects range from China's self-made manufacturing billionaires, to how Macau became the gambling Mecca of the East, to what's really going on with Internet access in China. Every essay offers fascinating information that I have not come across elsewhere. Here are a few sort of random comments about what made an impression on me.
From "After the Earthquake," about the horrendous May 12, 2008, earthquake in Sichuan province that killed more than 100,000 people and left millions homeless and injured, Fallows reports the comments of a local elder regarding an earlier catastrophe: "Yao Minggao...said that the easiest way to tell city people from country people was by what they thought was the major disaster in modern Chinese history. If they said the Cultural Revolution, it meant they were from the city and viewed losing their careers and being sent to the farms as the ultimate hardship. If they said the Great Famine [starting in 1958], it meant they were country people who had seen many of their neighbors starve" (237). Fallows also comments that the date "5/12" when it appears in China carries the same punch and shocked recognition as "9/11" in the US.
I think the article I enjoyed most was "The Connection Has Been Reset" about the Internet in China, focusing on the period of the Beijing Olympics. More than anything else I've read, this article made me feel that I finally had at least a tentative grasp of both the philosophy behind the attempted control of the Internet by the Chinese government and the attitude of the average Internet-savvy Chinese toward this control. First, much is accomplished by the government by simply making it inconvenient to bypass the "Great Firewall." It can be done, sure, but most people aren't interested in working that hard to get their information. Second, there's this, quoted from a technical analysis conducted by two US universities: "'The presence of censorship, even if easy to evade, promotes self-censorship'" (183). In other words, while evading the GFW may require technical skills that many Chinese have, most people don't bother because of "nontechnical factors."
The only downside I felt in reading this series of articles, and this is not a criticism, was that developments in China and between China and the rest of the world are moving so quickly that even articles from 2007 or 2008 felt out of date. So much has happened since then. But if you want to see the view from January '08 of China's involvement in the world's financial meltdown and, especially, in the debt of the US, you should start with "The $1.4 Trillion Question" (144-68).
From "After the Earthquake," about the horrendous May 12, 2008, earthquake in Sichuan province that killed more than 100,000 people and left millions homeless and injured, Fallows reports the comments of a local elder regarding an earlier catastrophe: "Yao Minggao...said that the easiest way to tell city people from country people was by what they thought was the major disaster in modern Chinese history. If they said the Cultural Revolution, it meant they were from the city and viewed losing their careers and being sent to the farms as the ultimate hardship. If they said the Great Famine [starting in 1958], it meant they were country people who had seen many of their neighbors starve" (237). Fallows also comments that the date "5/12" when it appears in China carries the same punch and shocked recognition as "9/11" in the US.
I think the article I enjoyed most was "The Connection Has Been Reset" about the Internet in China, focusing on the period of the Beijing Olympics. More than anything else I've read, this article made me feel that I finally had at least a tentative grasp of both the philosophy behind the attempted control of the Internet by the Chinese government and the attitude of the average Internet-savvy Chinese toward this control. First, much is accomplished by the government by simply making it inconvenient to bypass the "Great Firewall." It can be done, sure, but most people aren't interested in working that hard to get their information. Second, there's this, quoted from a technical analysis conducted by two US universities: "'The presence of censorship, even if easy to evade, promotes self-censorship'" (183). In other words, while evading the GFW may require technical skills that many Chinese have, most people don't bother because of "nontechnical factors."
The only downside I felt in reading this series of articles, and this is not a criticism, was that developments in China and between China and the rest of the world are moving so quickly that even articles from 2007 or 2008 felt out of date. So much has happened since then. But if you want to see the view from January '08 of China's involvement in the world's financial meltdown and, especially, in the debt of the US, you should start with "The $1.4 Trillion Question" (144-68).
November 20, 2009
This book was both entertaining and enlightening. The chapter about how the Chinese government blocks internet content was especially interesting. I also like the point Fallows made that China has plenty of problems of its own to address, but America's problems are not China's fault, and we need to get our own house in order if we want to remain an economic force in the world. An excellent book; I would recommend it to anyone who wants to really understand more about China, as opposed to substituting slogans and platitudes for thought.
April 16, 2011
The art of looking into the future is in part understanding the events of today. Monolithic China, Tiananmen Square and The Great Firewall of China (internet censorship) are some of the images Fallows seeks to balance in this collection of extended essays about the people of China. Introducing a theme of nascent energy, Fallows compares Japan's internalization of orderliness with China: “... China seems like a bunch of individuals who behave themselves only when they think they might get caught.” A driving force behind this energy are the returnees who were educated in the United States, and have returned with entrepreneurial visions and global connections. One example is Zhang Yue, founder of Broad Air Conditioning, a technologically advanced "green" energy company. Fallows goes on to describe the government's support of small business incubation in the Shenzhen district of Guang Dong Province, where Liam Casey is a hyperkinetic broker between foreign investors and Shenzhen entrepreneurs.
The allure of outsourcing is nimble response – not just cheap labor. The ability to move an order from manufacturing point to the Fedex pickup point, deliver it in Anchorage, sort it with other shipments and 48 hours after ordering, to make delivery to a city on the US mainland is a tribute to supply chain efficiency. All of this is part of a “Smiley Curve.” Ideas, market research, engineering and design take place in the US; manufacturing in China; and marketing and sales back in the US. Completing his analysis, Fallows breaks down the per cent of sale price allocated to each of these functions in order to illustrate the mutual benefit to both the US and China. That is the reality of today, and what does that mean for the future is the question Fallows asks with thoughtful logic.
Another set of essays explores the history of gaming in Macau, a “special administrative region” like Hong Kong. It began as a one-man (Stanley Ho) monopoly embedded in questionable practices and seedy players. Today Macau is in transition, with one foot in both worlds. Eager to enter this market are US giants such as the MGM Mirage and the Wynn Casinos. Both, however, must maintain standards of propriety in order to retain their US gaming licenses with the Nevada and New Jersey Gaming Commissions. Alongside this economic story is an interesting description of the cultural idiosyncrasies of Chinese gamers. Once again, Fallows leaves the reader at the edge of change. Will outside investors keep booming Macau both wealthy and legal?
Censorship (given the “creepy” name Golden Shield) in China is discussed in the context of preparations for the 2008 Olympics. Internet censorship is feasible in China because of the configuring of cables which create choke points into the country. The erratic and schizophrenic efforts by the government are cast in a less sinister light, without minimizing the political repression that can and does occur. Fallows has given his book the title POSTCARDS FROM TOMORROW SQUARE. It was originally published as a series of articles in The Atlantic Monthly). Unlike many compilations of articles, however, this book maintains a sense of continuity thanks to the broad themes it explores and thoughtful treatment. At the same time, the entertaining anecdotes he cites live up to the promise of a series of delightful postcards written by a keen observer.
The allure of outsourcing is nimble response – not just cheap labor. The ability to move an order from manufacturing point to the Fedex pickup point, deliver it in Anchorage, sort it with other shipments and 48 hours after ordering, to make delivery to a city on the US mainland is a tribute to supply chain efficiency. All of this is part of a “Smiley Curve.” Ideas, market research, engineering and design take place in the US; manufacturing in China; and marketing and sales back in the US. Completing his analysis, Fallows breaks down the per cent of sale price allocated to each of these functions in order to illustrate the mutual benefit to both the US and China. That is the reality of today, and what does that mean for the future is the question Fallows asks with thoughtful logic.
Another set of essays explores the history of gaming in Macau, a “special administrative region” like Hong Kong. It began as a one-man (Stanley Ho) monopoly embedded in questionable practices and seedy players. Today Macau is in transition, with one foot in both worlds. Eager to enter this market are US giants such as the MGM Mirage and the Wynn Casinos. Both, however, must maintain standards of propriety in order to retain their US gaming licenses with the Nevada and New Jersey Gaming Commissions. Alongside this economic story is an interesting description of the cultural idiosyncrasies of Chinese gamers. Once again, Fallows leaves the reader at the edge of change. Will outside investors keep booming Macau both wealthy and legal?
Censorship (given the “creepy” name Golden Shield) in China is discussed in the context of preparations for the 2008 Olympics. Internet censorship is feasible in China because of the configuring of cables which create choke points into the country. The erratic and schizophrenic efforts by the government are cast in a less sinister light, without minimizing the political repression that can and does occur. Fallows has given his book the title POSTCARDS FROM TOMORROW SQUARE. It was originally published as a series of articles in The Atlantic Monthly). Unlike many compilations of articles, however, this book maintains a sense of continuity thanks to the broad themes it explores and thoughtful treatment. At the same time, the entertaining anecdotes he cites live up to the promise of a series of delightful postcards written by a keen observer.
June 7, 2009
"Postcards" is promising, but ultimately not as rich as it could have been. Fallows is a good thinker and writer, whose analysis would benefit from more time in China, better Chinese, and a deeper understanding of economics.
The format of his book, a series of essays and vignettes, is lively and the topics are well-chosen. It suits Fallows' aim to combat the perception of China as "one big supercoordinated hive" (p. xvi).
He asks fascinating questions (some that I have wondered about myself):
--Why are Chinese youth still so angry at the Japanese (when Israeli youth have no such animosity towards Germany)?
--Why are there so many empty luxury goods stores in every mall? (p.24)
--Why are the internet controls in China so arbitrary?
--Why is the Chinese government so incompetent in promoting its international image?
But his good questions often lack good answers (or even attempts). The economic explanations (particularly on China's currency reserves) gave the impression that Fallows himself was struggling with the material. More investigation and expert opinion, particularly from the Chinese side, would improve his analysis. I'll keep reading Fallows though, because asking good questions is half the battle and I expect that his answers will only improve with more time in China.
As an aside, what fantastic names for these two top economists: David Dollar and Elizabeth Economy (both quoted in this book). Are these "money" names coincidence or did they propel these two towards the study of economics?
The format of his book, a series of essays and vignettes, is lively and the topics are well-chosen. It suits Fallows' aim to combat the perception of China as "one big supercoordinated hive" (p. xvi).
He asks fascinating questions (some that I have wondered about myself):
--Why are Chinese youth still so angry at the Japanese (when Israeli youth have no such animosity towards Germany)?
--Why are there so many empty luxury goods stores in every mall? (p.24)
--Why are the internet controls in China so arbitrary?
--Why is the Chinese government so incompetent in promoting its international image?
But his good questions often lack good answers (or even attempts). The economic explanations (particularly on China's currency reserves) gave the impression that Fallows himself was struggling with the material. More investigation and expert opinion, particularly from the Chinese side, would improve his analysis. I'll keep reading Fallows though, because asking good questions is half the battle and I expect that his answers will only improve with more time in China.
As an aside, what fantastic names for these two top economists: David Dollar and Elizabeth Economy (both quoted in this book). Are these "money" names coincidence or did they propel these two towards the study of economics?
March 31, 2013
Here is a book that actually tells you (in a way you can understand) how China gets all those US dollars and how things actually work from the gambling industry in Macao to internet filtering nationwide.
Many westerners tend to think of China as a well oiled monolith. James Fallows debunks this. One example he gives is of the reservation of 3 places for people to protest during the Olympics. Everyone who applied for a permit to actually protest was arrested. He speculates that the top people were trying to create better image for the west, but lower level security workers didn't understand the program or how to carry it out.
I usually prefer a book with one narrative over a collection of essays, but in this case, the format works really well. Isolated chapters such as those on the reality show Win In China and Mr. Zhang's air conditioning company would have to be cut in a unified work and both are rich examples of what is happening in China.
I recommend this short book to anyone interested in China today and tomorrow.
Many westerners tend to think of China as a well oiled monolith. James Fallows debunks this. One example he gives is of the reservation of 3 places for people to protest during the Olympics. Everyone who applied for a permit to actually protest was arrested. He speculates that the top people were trying to create better image for the west, but lower level security workers didn't understand the program or how to carry it out.
I usually prefer a book with one narrative over a collection of essays, but in this case, the format works really well. Isolated chapters such as those on the reality show Win In China and Mr. Zhang's air conditioning company would have to be cut in a unified work and both are rich examples of what is happening in China.
I recommend this short book to anyone interested in China today and tomorrow.
April 27, 2013
I really enjoyed this book as Fallows does a great job exploring the complexities and contradictions of modern China. Most people, and I include myself, tend to think of China as one monolithic State where everything and everyone is very similar. Nothing could be further from the truth. The variety of people and places in China is nearly limitless.
As a collection of essays, this book works very well. The essays included were originally published elsewhere and are now 5 years or older. However, they still resonate with much that is continuing in China. After finishing this book, I am much more optimistic about the future of China and its people as they face growing issues and concerns both global and national.
As a collection of essays, this book works very well. The essays included were originally published elsewhere and are now 5 years or older. However, they still resonate with much that is continuing in China. After finishing this book, I am much more optimistic about the future of China and its people as they face growing issues and concerns both global and national.
June 21, 2014
Wonderful collection of stories of Fallows adventures of living in China. It certainly gives a view of China that is vulnerable, funny, and uncertain, all perceptions that I don't think most Americans would have of the country. It was good to see that while China is progressing in so many ways it is also experiencing all of the growing pains that can come with becoming one of the more powerful countries in the modern world. Also, a great perspective on how their history continually influences many of the policy and economic decisions they make today.
March 6, 2017
Some interesting essays here that give a good insight into China and the Chinese, as told from an American's perspective. I especially recommend reading the environmental policies chapter.
The chapter about the distrust of the Japanese is also eye-opening, and becomes ever more worrisome as current news coverage shows conflict re: islands in the South China Sea.
China continues to grow at a breakneck pace, so unfortunately the book is already outdated in many regards.
The chapter about the distrust of the Japanese is also eye-opening, and becomes ever more worrisome as current news coverage shows conflict re: islands in the South China Sea.
China continues to grow at a breakneck pace, so unfortunately the book is already outdated in many regards.
May 30, 2018
In his book Postcards from Tomorrow Square, Fallows provides a commentary on China’s current and future reality, through a series of portraits of many people across society. Fallows presents the reader with “postcards” of these particular individuals and the “modern roles” they play in their community. Fallows tackles one overarching question throughout the entire book, “what will China dream of as its dreams of money begin to be realized?”(39) The answer to this question, as developed through Fallows’ book, is unexpected and complex.
Fallows analyzes various individuals in China, from young people to the elderly, and from businessmen to the policy makers. In each chapter, Fallows focuses on individuals in China who play “modern roles” in society. Such people include Zhang Yue, an entrepreneurial air-conditioning mogul, Stanley Ho, a gambling tycoon, and Liam Casey, an international broker. In each chapter, Fallows interviews them about not only Chinese policy but also about the Chinese way of life. Each chapter is meant to represent a “postcard” that shows readers a short and specific explanation of the individual, rather than an overall conclusion. The detailed descriptions of the individuals show the many layers of modern China, and underline the complexity of China’s future.
Fallows’ stories ultimately allow the reader to realize that “China will bring more than mere commerce to the world.”(51) By interviewing these people, Fallows shows how the different industries in China are changing with dramatic speed. For instance, when talking about Zhang Yue, the owner of the biggest air-conditioning company in China and Broad town which was built for Yue’s factory, Fallows focuses on Yue’s advocacy for improving China’s environmental sustainability. This is unexpected, given that factories are ultimately the source of much of the pollution in China. However, Yue explains that with the world’s growing environmental issues, the future for Chinese prosperity is in environmental protection. Unexpected viewpoints such as these show that there is no definite and cohesive answer to what lies ahead for China.
While the book does try to make an attempt at exposing readers to the various layers of China’s community, a group that is underrepresented in this book is the Chinese rural villagers living in poverty. Providing insight on people from across the socio-economic spectrum would allow for readers to have an even clearer understanding of China and its social layers.
If I were to summarize what I learned about modern day China from this book, I would say that it is very difficult to generalize about modern China. China is such a big country and it is changing so quickly that it is almost impossible to summarize what is happening within. Fallow stresses throughout the book that modern China is different than what most people from Western societies, especially America, regard it to be. In the introduction, Fallows discusses how Americans view China as a country who is our competitor. He explains the “Smiley Curve”, which depicts the argument that cooperation between America and China on the manufacturing and trading front, can have mutual benefits. Fallow’s final remarks state that once America and China begin to work together as a pair, China’s successes can become America’s successes too.
Fallows analyzes various individuals in China, from young people to the elderly, and from businessmen to the policy makers. In each chapter, Fallows focuses on individuals in China who play “modern roles” in society. Such people include Zhang Yue, an entrepreneurial air-conditioning mogul, Stanley Ho, a gambling tycoon, and Liam Casey, an international broker. In each chapter, Fallows interviews them about not only Chinese policy but also about the Chinese way of life. Each chapter is meant to represent a “postcard” that shows readers a short and specific explanation of the individual, rather than an overall conclusion. The detailed descriptions of the individuals show the many layers of modern China, and underline the complexity of China’s future.
Fallows’ stories ultimately allow the reader to realize that “China will bring more than mere commerce to the world.”(51) By interviewing these people, Fallows shows how the different industries in China are changing with dramatic speed. For instance, when talking about Zhang Yue, the owner of the biggest air-conditioning company in China and Broad town which was built for Yue’s factory, Fallows focuses on Yue’s advocacy for improving China’s environmental sustainability. This is unexpected, given that factories are ultimately the source of much of the pollution in China. However, Yue explains that with the world’s growing environmental issues, the future for Chinese prosperity is in environmental protection. Unexpected viewpoints such as these show that there is no definite and cohesive answer to what lies ahead for China.
While the book does try to make an attempt at exposing readers to the various layers of China’s community, a group that is underrepresented in this book is the Chinese rural villagers living in poverty. Providing insight on people from across the socio-economic spectrum would allow for readers to have an even clearer understanding of China and its social layers.
If I were to summarize what I learned about modern day China from this book, I would say that it is very difficult to generalize about modern China. China is such a big country and it is changing so quickly that it is almost impossible to summarize what is happening within. Fallow stresses throughout the book that modern China is different than what most people from Western societies, especially America, regard it to be. In the introduction, Fallows discusses how Americans view China as a country who is our competitor. He explains the “Smiley Curve”, which depicts the argument that cooperation between America and China on the manufacturing and trading front, can have mutual benefits. Fallow’s final remarks state that once America and China begin to work together as a pair, China’s successes can become America’s successes too.
May 28, 2012
I got James Fallow’s “Postcards from Tomorrow Square: Reports from China” on sale from a local bookstore in Pondok Indah. At Rp. 35.000, it was a bargain not to be missed. I actually have had my eyes on this book for some time. But somehow I had never found the right reason to buy yet another publication on China, especially when many of them have remained unread ‘til this very day.
In the end, I was happy with my purchase. It was worth all Rp. 35.000, and probably more. After reading just the first few paragraphs, I became hooked. I felt that I just had to read the entire book immediately; the other books on the shelf will have to wait their turn. I figured out that reading 260 pages in the next few days would unlikely be a problem.
Fallows explained that the book comprised of articles written between 2006 and 2008 while he lived and worked in Shanghai as The Atlantic Monthly’s China correspondent. I couldn’t help but think that that was almost the same period as my stay in Beijing. Actually, I was in China longer, having arrived in Capital Airport’s Terminal 2 in October 2005, and then leaving the brand-new, high tech, most awesome Terminal 3 in March 2009.
Then, I had an idea, a simple enough idea. If Fallows had lived in China at the same time as me, then not much from his book would differ from the way I looked, analyzed, and understood China. Of course, as a journalist, he probably had more time to wander around the country and write down an insightful mélange of ideas. But at least, the topics that he would raise should be in line with some of the things that ran around my head at the time.
Simple enough, eh? Fallows’ book would provide a way to gauge my 3.5 years experience in Beijing. If much of Fallows’ views did not ring any bell, this would mean that my observation of China had been lacking. And if I nodded my head enough during the reading of the book, that would mean I had experienced the same feelings and sensations.
In his book, Fallows described the country as a complex, diverse, and often, a contradictory entity. He stated: “I have not been anyplace that seemed simultaneously so controlled and so out of control. The control is from on high – and for most people in the cities, most of the time, it’s not something they bump into. What’s out of control is everything else”.
Fallows’ writing was in general an easy read. Then again, the fact that I had had immense interest in the topic may have skewed my opinion. He wrote about, among others, China’s nouveau riche, its industrial prowess, the media and the internet, Macau’s growth as the region’s gambling capital, and the Chinese leaders’ perception of the world outside of the Middle Kingdom.
I totally recommend this book to anyone who is interested in China, both rookies and experts.
There were things Fallows talked about which I completely missed during my stay in China. One of them was his account of the growth of television reality shows, in which he described the new Chinese spirit for progress. I guess, I should’ve watched more Chinese TV while I was in Beijing, instead of AXN, HBO, or the BBC. Through such reality shows, Fallows introduced me to the various sentiments growing among the Chinese people with regards to nationalism, entrepreneurship, camaraderie, and… I guess, reality.
As well, unlike Fallows, I didn’t have a chance to meet very, very, very rich Chinese people like air-conditioning tycoon Zhang Yue. Zhang is different from what people assume as today’s Chinese industrialists. His company is a world leader in central air-conditioning systems that use diesel or natural gas instead of electricity. Yes, he likes his expensive toys like private jets, stretched limos, and gargantuan mansions. But, at the same time, Zhang is at the front of making China more energy efficient, and hopefully, more environmentally friendly.
When reading the chapters on these two topics above, I suddenly felt that I hadn’t learned enough about China. It made me feel somewhat disappointed at the times I had wasted while loitering aimlessly through the hutongs of Gulou or when I wallowed on a heart break or two.
Then again, I was probably too harsh on myself. Other parts of the book would later reveal that I may have just been focusing on different things about China. Things that Fallows preferred to look at in a different way.
In his account of the Olympics, Fallows focused on internet freedom (or the lack thereof) in China. I guess its kinda natural for a journalist to discuss about freedom of speech. I had an eventful Olympics period in Beijing, and if I had to write something on it, I’d probably write about ticket scalping and the Chinese people’s sense of entrepreneurship. I’d also probably write about how the Chinese made the Olympics not the international event it was supposed to be, but instead a local, coming-out party dedicated for the Chinese people. I was so surprised at how little foreigners were in some of the Olympic events, and how easy it was for Chinese people to get tickets compared to foreigners.
In his account of the Wenchuan earthquake, Fallows chose to write about corruption and the complex relations between central and regional governments in the Chinese system. His perspective on this issue was something that I shared. But just to be different, I maybe would’ve written about the time when I witnessed Chinese solidarity in the middle of traffic in downtown Beijing. A week after the earthquake happened, at the exact same time when the earth had shook Wenchuan, everybody in Beijing stopped their car, got out, stood still, while honking the horns of their cars. It was a magical moment of solidarity, which, I (of course) didn’t have a chance to record on my mobile phone.
So, maybe Fallows did write about some of the things that I never really thought of or experienced. But, then again, there were things also that I experienced which Fallows didn’t pen down in his book. I knew what I had done those summers in China, and I knew what they meant in terms of China analyses. Maybe Fallows and I just saw China differently.
This all leads me to (at least) these conclusions:
1. There are so many perspectives with which to observe, analyze, and understand China and the Chinese people;
2. While many prefer to treat China as one, the truth is that China must be one of the most diverse, complex, and dynamic countries to analyze (definitely more so than, let’s say, Canada, where I lived for 9 years, and saw changes that were mostly “Chinese-looking”);
3. I should learn more Chinese so that I could understand Chinese reality shows;
4. I should’ve written a book describing my 3.5 year experience in China;
5. I must write this book if I ever get a chance to live there again; and
6. Damn, that was Rp. 35.000 really well-spent.
In the end, I was happy with my purchase. It was worth all Rp. 35.000, and probably more. After reading just the first few paragraphs, I became hooked. I felt that I just had to read the entire book immediately; the other books on the shelf will have to wait their turn. I figured out that reading 260 pages in the next few days would unlikely be a problem.
Fallows explained that the book comprised of articles written between 2006 and 2008 while he lived and worked in Shanghai as The Atlantic Monthly’s China correspondent. I couldn’t help but think that that was almost the same period as my stay in Beijing. Actually, I was in China longer, having arrived in Capital Airport’s Terminal 2 in October 2005, and then leaving the brand-new, high tech, most awesome Terminal 3 in March 2009.
Then, I had an idea, a simple enough idea. If Fallows had lived in China at the same time as me, then not much from his book would differ from the way I looked, analyzed, and understood China. Of course, as a journalist, he probably had more time to wander around the country and write down an insightful mélange of ideas. But at least, the topics that he would raise should be in line with some of the things that ran around my head at the time.
Simple enough, eh? Fallows’ book would provide a way to gauge my 3.5 years experience in Beijing. If much of Fallows’ views did not ring any bell, this would mean that my observation of China had been lacking. And if I nodded my head enough during the reading of the book, that would mean I had experienced the same feelings and sensations.
In his book, Fallows described the country as a complex, diverse, and often, a contradictory entity. He stated: “I have not been anyplace that seemed simultaneously so controlled and so out of control. The control is from on high – and for most people in the cities, most of the time, it’s not something they bump into. What’s out of control is everything else”.
Fallows’ writing was in general an easy read. Then again, the fact that I had had immense interest in the topic may have skewed my opinion. He wrote about, among others, China’s nouveau riche, its industrial prowess, the media and the internet, Macau’s growth as the region’s gambling capital, and the Chinese leaders’ perception of the world outside of the Middle Kingdom.
I totally recommend this book to anyone who is interested in China, both rookies and experts.
There were things Fallows talked about which I completely missed during my stay in China. One of them was his account of the growth of television reality shows, in which he described the new Chinese spirit for progress. I guess, I should’ve watched more Chinese TV while I was in Beijing, instead of AXN, HBO, or the BBC. Through such reality shows, Fallows introduced me to the various sentiments growing among the Chinese people with regards to nationalism, entrepreneurship, camaraderie, and… I guess, reality.
As well, unlike Fallows, I didn’t have a chance to meet very, very, very rich Chinese people like air-conditioning tycoon Zhang Yue. Zhang is different from what people assume as today’s Chinese industrialists. His company is a world leader in central air-conditioning systems that use diesel or natural gas instead of electricity. Yes, he likes his expensive toys like private jets, stretched limos, and gargantuan mansions. But, at the same time, Zhang is at the front of making China more energy efficient, and hopefully, more environmentally friendly.
When reading the chapters on these two topics above, I suddenly felt that I hadn’t learned enough about China. It made me feel somewhat disappointed at the times I had wasted while loitering aimlessly through the hutongs of Gulou or when I wallowed on a heart break or two.
Then again, I was probably too harsh on myself. Other parts of the book would later reveal that I may have just been focusing on different things about China. Things that Fallows preferred to look at in a different way.
In his account of the Olympics, Fallows focused on internet freedom (or the lack thereof) in China. I guess its kinda natural for a journalist to discuss about freedom of speech. I had an eventful Olympics period in Beijing, and if I had to write something on it, I’d probably write about ticket scalping and the Chinese people’s sense of entrepreneurship. I’d also probably write about how the Chinese made the Olympics not the international event it was supposed to be, but instead a local, coming-out party dedicated for the Chinese people. I was so surprised at how little foreigners were in some of the Olympic events, and how easy it was for Chinese people to get tickets compared to foreigners.
In his account of the Wenchuan earthquake, Fallows chose to write about corruption and the complex relations between central and regional governments in the Chinese system. His perspective on this issue was something that I shared. But just to be different, I maybe would’ve written about the time when I witnessed Chinese solidarity in the middle of traffic in downtown Beijing. A week after the earthquake happened, at the exact same time when the earth had shook Wenchuan, everybody in Beijing stopped their car, got out, stood still, while honking the horns of their cars. It was a magical moment of solidarity, which, I (of course) didn’t have a chance to record on my mobile phone.
So, maybe Fallows did write about some of the things that I never really thought of or experienced. But, then again, there were things also that I experienced which Fallows didn’t pen down in his book. I knew what I had done those summers in China, and I knew what they meant in terms of China analyses. Maybe Fallows and I just saw China differently.
This all leads me to (at least) these conclusions:
1. There are so many perspectives with which to observe, analyze, and understand China and the Chinese people;
2. While many prefer to treat China as one, the truth is that China must be one of the most diverse, complex, and dynamic countries to analyze (definitely more so than, let’s say, Canada, where I lived for 9 years, and saw changes that were mostly “Chinese-looking”);
3. I should learn more Chinese so that I could understand Chinese reality shows;
4. I should’ve written a book describing my 3.5 year experience in China;
5. I must write this book if I ever get a chance to live there again; and
6. Damn, that was Rp. 35.000 really well-spent.
December 11, 2019
I remember reading Fallow's essays in the Atlantic on China the year I graduated high school. These essays along with many other influences stoked a deep desire to go to China. The future seemed to be happening there.
I still haven't made it to China but when I saw this book in the dollar bin at a used bookstore I bought it as much for the nostalgia as for the essays which is a good thing because the essays are disappointing. The biggest reason to read this book is to get a snapshot of American pundit opinion on China in 2007 and marvel at how much the conversation has changed since then. In 2007 they said China was opportunity, in 2019 they say its a dystopia trying to swallow the world.
The biggest issue is that Fallows had only been in China for a short while and didn't speak the language. Having lived in foreign countries, both where I know and don't know the language. You understand very little about a place when you can't understand its primary language. Somehow this didn't stop Fallows from providing social commentary about a TV show he watched in a language he didn't understand. If he thought that was meaningful you know he has undervalued his language handicap in the other essays too.
The format of the essays is also repetitive. They all seem to be you've heard about this bad thing in China but look here is one guy doing the opposite. Conclusion? China is complex. Its not an issue when you read one a month in a magazine but when you read twelve together it gets tiresome. Almost no effort has been made to take his magazine pieces and turn them into an integrated whole.
Unless for some reason you're trying to remember the way China was perceived right before the Beijing Olympics readers in 2019 should skip this book.
I still haven't made it to China but when I saw this book in the dollar bin at a used bookstore I bought it as much for the nostalgia as for the essays which is a good thing because the essays are disappointing. The biggest reason to read this book is to get a snapshot of American pundit opinion on China in 2007 and marvel at how much the conversation has changed since then. In 2007 they said China was opportunity, in 2019 they say its a dystopia trying to swallow the world.
The biggest issue is that Fallows had only been in China for a short while and didn't speak the language. Having lived in foreign countries, both where I know and don't know the language. You understand very little about a place when you can't understand its primary language. Somehow this didn't stop Fallows from providing social commentary about a TV show he watched in a language he didn't understand. If he thought that was meaningful you know he has undervalued his language handicap in the other essays too.
The format of the essays is also repetitive. They all seem to be you've heard about this bad thing in China but look here is one guy doing the opposite. Conclusion? China is complex. Its not an issue when you read one a month in a magazine but when you read twelve together it gets tiresome. Almost no effort has been made to take his magazine pieces and turn them into an integrated whole.
Unless for some reason you're trying to remember the way China was perceived right before the Beijing Olympics readers in 2019 should skip this book.
August 15, 2019
Just ok. China is changing so fast that we can't read 10-year-old journalism and claim to have that much relevant knowledge. But if you didn't know about their astonishing industry (more manufacturing workers in Guangdong than all of the US by 2007) or their horrendously serious reality shows, or their super-rich (including the usual eco-friendly super-rich) then it might update you.
I was surprised that Fallows is so eminent without having even much spoken Mandarin, but he's immersed in other ways.
I was surprised that Fallows is so eminent without having even much spoken Mandarin, but he's immersed in other ways.
June 14, 2023
2008 series of articles about China by a journalist based there for 2 years. Not deeply insightful and now in 2023 seems a bit passe. But interesting to read nonetheless. It's really an accurate title - the postcards are about that in terms of depth and breadth. This is a light read with some good individual stories about individuals in China and how they deal with the government.
December 13, 2017
Enjoyed reading this because he had many of the same reactions and observations that I've had while living in China. Also, an in-depth discussion of China's factories in their social and economic context; in other words, not just dismissing them as sweatshops that churn out junk.
December 20, 2021
The book is good but the major flaw is how old it is. At this point, while much is still relevant, there needs to be an updated edition to reflect on the progress of the last decade. Still worth a read for those curious about china’s progress and people.
September 16, 2022
One of the top reviews says the book is "pretty dated" for 2018. Well, I guess @Sarah also would consider Charles Dickens pretty dated because it does not convey an accurate description of today's modern London. J. Fallows' book was published in 2008 and gives an excellent account of China in 2008. I have read another book of the same author (Looking at the Sun) and both are very good. I am giving three stars because I wanted to learn more cultural aspects. One good book I like to recommend to learn about Chinese culture is "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China" by Jung Chang.
May 2, 2021
Didn't quite hold up over time
February 23, 2022
It's a nice and thoughtful book about china and its nice people, well written by a very smart journalist
January 7, 2018
Read this in 2017, and some of the Big Questions James asks are still the Big Questions about China. Very thought provoking, clearly written, and smart book about China based on his personal expeience living there for years.
November 22, 2012
Post Cards From Tomorrow Square; Reports From China.
James Fallows, 2009
Reviewed by Graham Mulligan
Fallows is the Atlantic Monthly correspondent for China. In his introduction to the book he categorizes some of the collection of essays as ‘policy’ oriented explorations of the tremendous variety of cultural developments that so frequently lead Western observers to take positions about ‘China’ as though it were one, indivisible reality. His portraits of individuals constitute another category and they show us a more complicated China, one that cannot be reduced to simple statements about size, speed of growth, or institutional rigidity.
‘The China opportunity’ or ‘The China threat’
A good deal of Fallows’ writing is by comparison with Japan and Malaysia, where he spent four years prior to moving to China. The image of clean and orderly factories thus is out of place in chaotic China but the essay on Mr. Zhang, the businessman-tycoon owner of Broad Air Conditioning, shows such fastidiousness can exist in China.
In an interesting observation Fallows says China has a Dream (Five Thousand Years of Civilization), like America has a Dream (Liberty, Democracy, the End of Tyranny), whereas Canada, Holland and Finland do not. This idea plays out in a number of his essays, particularly when he compares the experience of China and America at the stages of development as nations and as economic giants. ‘China Makes, the World Takes’ is an essay on economic power. From the journalists perspective: “China’s success in manufacturing is what has determined its place in the world”, may seem appropriate but what of this: “Someday China may matter internationally mainly for the nature of its political system or for its strategic ambitions”? Fallows hints at the possibility of examining China from a different frame although he doesn’t pursue the idea in any of these essays.
In comparing China’s development as an economic power to the American hegemony, Fallows cites numerous American strengths. I particularly liked Fallows unrestrained enthusiasm for a wide-open immigration policy for America (and for Canada, in my opinion):
The easier America makes it for talented foreigners to work and study here, the richer, more powerful, and more respected America will be. America’s ability to absorb the world’s talent is the crucial advantage no other culture can match – as long as America doesn’t forfeit this advantage with visa rules written mainly out of fear.
The obvious power and wealth created through manufacturing success is a common thread throughout the essays but in a nice retelling of an economics metaphor called the Smiley Curve, Fallows portrays how Chinese success is really America’s success. The Smiley Curve begins with an American company and a strong brand name, next comes the good idea for a product, then the design of that product, engineering, manufacturing and assembly follow, then shipping and distribution to the retail outlets and lots of sales, followed up by service contracts and accessories. This is a familiar story and for the business owners the big money is in the beginning and the end of the Smiley Curve: brand name and retail. What gets shipped to China is what costs very little to do leaving the big profit in the big company’s hands.
China’s goal is to bring the high-value ends of the Smiley Curve to China. One challenge is the limited pool of executive-level talent and specifically the lack of foreign language (primarily English) skills and the experience of working abroad.
In ‘The View From There’ Fallows writes about America in the context of three other powerful nations Great Britain, Japan and China. Each is somewhat lesser than the ‘rough and ready’ USA. He catalogs China’s internal challenges (rural poverty, the high costs of urban living, the looming retirement uncertainties, China’s brand-image disasters, resource scarcity, corruption and so on) and calls it a ‘whack-a-mole’ challenge that keeps everyone off balance and a little bit humble. “It would be perverse for China to be distracted by any but practical concerns, since it has so much work to do”.
James Fallows, 2009
Reviewed by Graham Mulligan
Fallows is the Atlantic Monthly correspondent for China. In his introduction to the book he categorizes some of the collection of essays as ‘policy’ oriented explorations of the tremendous variety of cultural developments that so frequently lead Western observers to take positions about ‘China’ as though it were one, indivisible reality. His portraits of individuals constitute another category and they show us a more complicated China, one that cannot be reduced to simple statements about size, speed of growth, or institutional rigidity.
‘The China opportunity’ or ‘The China threat’
A good deal of Fallows’ writing is by comparison with Japan and Malaysia, where he spent four years prior to moving to China. The image of clean and orderly factories thus is out of place in chaotic China but the essay on Mr. Zhang, the businessman-tycoon owner of Broad Air Conditioning, shows such fastidiousness can exist in China.
In an interesting observation Fallows says China has a Dream (Five Thousand Years of Civilization), like America has a Dream (Liberty, Democracy, the End of Tyranny), whereas Canada, Holland and Finland do not. This idea plays out in a number of his essays, particularly when he compares the experience of China and America at the stages of development as nations and as economic giants. ‘China Makes, the World Takes’ is an essay on economic power. From the journalists perspective: “China’s success in manufacturing is what has determined its place in the world”, may seem appropriate but what of this: “Someday China may matter internationally mainly for the nature of its political system or for its strategic ambitions”? Fallows hints at the possibility of examining China from a different frame although he doesn’t pursue the idea in any of these essays.
In comparing China’s development as an economic power to the American hegemony, Fallows cites numerous American strengths. I particularly liked Fallows unrestrained enthusiasm for a wide-open immigration policy for America (and for Canada, in my opinion):
The easier America makes it for talented foreigners to work and study here, the richer, more powerful, and more respected America will be. America’s ability to absorb the world’s talent is the crucial advantage no other culture can match – as long as America doesn’t forfeit this advantage with visa rules written mainly out of fear.
The obvious power and wealth created through manufacturing success is a common thread throughout the essays but in a nice retelling of an economics metaphor called the Smiley Curve, Fallows portrays how Chinese success is really America’s success. The Smiley Curve begins with an American company and a strong brand name, next comes the good idea for a product, then the design of that product, engineering, manufacturing and assembly follow, then shipping and distribution to the retail outlets and lots of sales, followed up by service contracts and accessories. This is a familiar story and for the business owners the big money is in the beginning and the end of the Smiley Curve: brand name and retail. What gets shipped to China is what costs very little to do leaving the big profit in the big company’s hands.
China’s goal is to bring the high-value ends of the Smiley Curve to China. One challenge is the limited pool of executive-level talent and specifically the lack of foreign language (primarily English) skills and the experience of working abroad.
In ‘The View From There’ Fallows writes about America in the context of three other powerful nations Great Britain, Japan and China. Each is somewhat lesser than the ‘rough and ready’ USA. He catalogs China’s internal challenges (rural poverty, the high costs of urban living, the looming retirement uncertainties, China’s brand-image disasters, resource scarcity, corruption and so on) and calls it a ‘whack-a-mole’ challenge that keeps everyone off balance and a little bit humble. “It would be perverse for China to be distracted by any but practical concerns, since it has so much work to do”.
June 4, 2014
Fallows lived in China starting in 2007 and watched the nation ride the boom years upward, much as he had in Japan in the 1980's. His essays for The Atlantic magazine from that time are published here, back to back in the order that they were written to give the reader a sense of what the reader a sense of who were the early winners and losers on the roller coaster going uphill.
Fallows is neither simple in his approach to the rising giant, nor is he in awe of it. He addresses some of the things that Americans fear about China, that it has a stranglehold on us because of the percentage of our debt that it holds and that it will permanently outpace us with it's rapid modernization. The quality of the economics lessons that he preaches I cannot comment on, but he breaks down the amount of each product that is made in China actually stays in China and that is reassuring. He also gives some opinions on how we should get this all better than we do, because if we miss the boat on China we are going to be very sorry. He thinks that the fact that we educate the youth of China, that they come here to go to college is good for us and good for China. He thinks that we need to loosen our immigration policies considerable in order to continue to attract the new wave of talent to solve the new wave of problems is our best hope to surging forward in the future.
I read the book because I wanted some perspectives and things to think about as I embark on my first journey there, so that I go not just with what the guide book says but with thoughts from experienced travelers and thinkers. That part of the plan was very much a success.
December 25, 2012
Most of these are essays written between 2006 and 2008 so some may be a bit dated, but Fallows provides excellent insight into the Chinese economy, culture, and process of development, along with thoughtful asides into the United States.
I was able to spend a month in China in 2005 so it brought back memories of the air pollution, the crazy traffic, the pride expressed in building things fast, the bullet train in Shanghai, and though Fallows doesn't mention it, the toilets, or lack of toilets. The group of teachers I was with decided you could use toilet facilities as a metaphor for China. I took a crap in a toilet which reminded me of a rocket ship. It had a seat warmer and buttons I was afraid to push. I also used a squat toilet which was little more than a two inch slit in the cement. Previous users did not have very good aim. China is both of these, plus a lot in between.
The main thing I took from this book is that China is changing rapidly. The US can choose to see China as an enemy competitor, a friendly rival or a partner in making the world a better place. Fallows suggests throughout that we have things we can learn from each other and things we can offer each other to the benefit of both countries and the world.
If you want a good introduction to China this is a good place to start.
I was able to spend a month in China in 2005 so it brought back memories of the air pollution, the crazy traffic, the pride expressed in building things fast, the bullet train in Shanghai, and though Fallows doesn't mention it, the toilets, or lack of toilets. The group of teachers I was with decided you could use toilet facilities as a metaphor for China. I took a crap in a toilet which reminded me of a rocket ship. It had a seat warmer and buttons I was afraid to push. I also used a squat toilet which was little more than a two inch slit in the cement. Previous users did not have very good aim. China is both of these, plus a lot in between.
The main thing I took from this book is that China is changing rapidly. The US can choose to see China as an enemy competitor, a friendly rival or a partner in making the world a better place. Fallows suggests throughout that we have things we can learn from each other and things we can offer each other to the benefit of both countries and the world.
If you want a good introduction to China this is a good place to start.
July 22, 2015
Penasaran ingin baca buku dalam bahasa aslinya. Soalnya dalam terjemahan Bahasa Indonesia, kualitas penerbitannya sendiri kurang baik, mulai dari masalah saduran bahasanya sampai pada masalah pengetikan sendiri. Terdapat banyak sekali typo. Mungkin ini yang membuat saya mendapati kopinya dalam deretan buku diskon :)
Dari isinya sendiri saya merasa ini adalah buku yang menarik. James Fallows berhasil mengajak pembaca masuk ke dalam dunia pengamatannya yang kaya wawasan tentang China. Latar belakang di bidang jurnalisnya sangat kental di setiap chapter termasuk dalam membahas tentang Kota Guangzhou.
Sejak lama China telah membuat semua mata orang-orang di dunia tertuju pada negara ini. Tahun 2008 saya sangat penasaran ingin tahu apa yang terjadi pada tahun-tahun sebelum itu, di mana pertumbuhan ekonominya sudah mencapai lebih dari 8%. Perekonomian Indonesia sendiri sempat merasakan langsung dampak persaingan industri yang menenggelamkan beberapa industri dalam negeri, semisal industri tekstil.
Dalam Buku ini sejumlah spekulasi orang mengenai China beserta beberapa kebijakannya -katakanlah kebijakan terhadap preservasi lingkungan- menjadi lebih tidak berdasar. Sekalipun kebijakan dalam bidang sosial politik ternyata sedikit memiliki kesamaan dengan sejumlah spekulasi. Paling tidak menurut pengamatan penulis.
Dari isinya sendiri saya merasa ini adalah buku yang menarik. James Fallows berhasil mengajak pembaca masuk ke dalam dunia pengamatannya yang kaya wawasan tentang China. Latar belakang di bidang jurnalisnya sangat kental di setiap chapter termasuk dalam membahas tentang Kota Guangzhou.
Sejak lama China telah membuat semua mata orang-orang di dunia tertuju pada negara ini. Tahun 2008 saya sangat penasaran ingin tahu apa yang terjadi pada tahun-tahun sebelum itu, di mana pertumbuhan ekonominya sudah mencapai lebih dari 8%. Perekonomian Indonesia sendiri sempat merasakan langsung dampak persaingan industri yang menenggelamkan beberapa industri dalam negeri, semisal industri tekstil.
Dalam Buku ini sejumlah spekulasi orang mengenai China beserta beberapa kebijakannya -katakanlah kebijakan terhadap preservasi lingkungan- menjadi lebih tidak berdasar. Sekalipun kebijakan dalam bidang sosial politik ternyata sedikit memiliki kesamaan dengan sejumlah spekulasi. Paling tidak menurut pengamatan penulis.
May 16, 2014
This was the third book of contemporary essays on China that I've read recently, and it is by far my favorite so far. (The other two were Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present by Peter Hessler and China in Ten Words by Yu Hua.) Fallows journalistic training gives this book an edge and insight that the other two books, which seemed to me to be mired in personal circumstances, lacked.
Each of these essays appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, and while in the past I've been underwhelmed by such compilations of previously-published articles, in this case the book had both a satisfying flow and range of subjects that held my interest. And, most importantly, I got a great deal out of reading on topics as diverse as the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake to the Chinese government's control over internet access. Particularly eye-opening was an article explaining why the Chinese can't afford to stop feeding dollars to America -- because China's own dollar holdings would be devastated if it did.
Each of these essays appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, and while in the past I've been underwhelmed by such compilations of previously-published articles, in this case the book had both a satisfying flow and range of subjects that held my interest. And, most importantly, I got a great deal out of reading on topics as diverse as the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake to the Chinese government's control over internet access. Particularly eye-opening was an article explaining why the Chinese can't afford to stop feeding dollars to America -- because China's own dollar holdings would be devastated if it did.
March 22, 2009
This would be "the book I forced myself to read for book club that felt like homework for an econ class." And yet...I'm glad I read it, because I learned a lot about China that I didn't know before. I would never have picked it up on my own though, and I certainly doubt I'll ever read it again. It's already in the hands of my boss, who asked to borrow it, and then I'm giving it to my father-in-law, who is interested in both China and economics, so I'm guessing he'll be fascinated.
The book is a collection of essays by James Fallows, journalist for the Atlantic Monthly. Fallows and his wife moved to China for a few years, and the essays were all published in the magazine, then collected for this book. It's clear from his writing that he really likes China, he likes the Chinese people, and he's rooting for China to find their place in the modern world. He also, though, sees the problems and flaws in their politics and business models that might hold them back from progress by Western standards. It's a fair-handed but hopeful look at the state of China and its people in the modern world.
The book is a collection of essays by James Fallows, journalist for the Atlantic Monthly. Fallows and his wife moved to China for a few years, and the essays were all published in the magazine, then collected for this book. It's clear from his writing that he really likes China, he likes the Chinese people, and he's rooting for China to find their place in the modern world. He also, though, sees the problems and flaws in their politics and business models that might hold them back from progress by Western standards. It's a fair-handed but hopeful look at the state of China and its people in the modern world.
August 13, 2012
"I suspected before coming to China, and now know for sure, that no one can sensibly try to present the 'real story' or the 'overall picture' of this country. It is simply too big and too contradictory." (xiv)
"Lawrence Summers calls today's arrangement 'the balance of financial terror.' and says that it is flawed in the same way that the 'mutually reassured destruction' of the Cold War era was. ... China can't afford to stop feeding dollars to America, because China's own dollar holdings would be devastated if it did. As long as that logic holds, the system works. As soon as it doesn't, we have a big problem." (166)
"Yao Minggao, the family elder, said that the easiest way to tell city people from country people was by what they thought was the major disaster in modern Chinese history. If they said the Cultural Revolution, it meant that they were from the city and viewed losing their careers and being sent to the farms as the ultimate hardship. If they said the Great Famine, it meant they were country people who had seen many of their neighbors starve." (237)
"Lawrence Summers calls today's arrangement 'the balance of financial terror.' and says that it is flawed in the same way that the 'mutually reassured destruction' of the Cold War era was. ... China can't afford to stop feeding dollars to America, because China's own dollar holdings would be devastated if it did. As long as that logic holds, the system works. As soon as it doesn't, we have a big problem." (166)
"Yao Minggao, the family elder, said that the easiest way to tell city people from country people was by what they thought was the major disaster in modern Chinese history. If they said the Cultural Revolution, it meant that they were from the city and viewed losing their careers and being sent to the farms as the ultimate hardship. If they said the Great Famine, it meant they were country people who had seen many of their neighbors starve." (237)
February 19, 2012
I like the book, I was a bit worried that it would be too dated, because in China something 4 years old is already dated! So I wasn't sure that it was all up to date, but I thought some of the essays were really good. I thought the one about Environmental stability was good - it was interesting to hear about the Broad company and their air conditioning, I then saw an article about them, and now they are into overall sustainable building - and you can find a video of them building a hotel in 360 hours, or something like that.
The one about Macau gambling industry was interesting.
So I think it would be a good book to use as a jumping off point to learn even more.
One of the best thoughts I saw in the book was that you could tell if people were country or city people if they thought the biggest issue was the Great Leap Forward and so many people starving, or the cultural revolution.
The one about Macau gambling industry was interesting.
So I think it would be a good book to use as a jumping off point to learn even more.
One of the best thoughts I saw in the book was that you could tell if people were country or city people if they thought the biggest issue was the Great Leap Forward and so many people starving, or the cultural revolution.
March 31, 2009
Originally written as a series of articles for The Atlantic Monthly, 'Postcards' offers snippets of modern Chinese life intended to provide the reader with a glimpse of the diversity of challenges and triumphs that the nation faces. Fallows does an excellent job of bringing the reader along on his journey into China. It's not a single smooth, seamless journey, but rather a series of excursions into different aspects of China, from the tale of a successful entrepreneur to the often dangerous factories that drive the export-based economy, from the subtle danger that the 'Great Firewall of China' poses despite being easily bypassed to signs of hope amid the rampant pollution that plagues China. Fallows shows us sides of China that we don't often see presented in the mainstream media. Well worth the read for anyone interested in China.
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