Beijing for Beginners: An Irishman in the People's Republic

by Gary Finnegan

Finnegan finds himself in the world's fastest changing city. His attempts to adjust to an altogether alien culture make for an often hilarious travelogue, peppered with fascinating insights into Chinese history and its transforming society. From Chairman Mao to the recent surge in IVF and plastic surgery clinics, Finnegan attempts to understand modern China and learns a little about himself along the way. However, he begins with more questions than Can he survive without Western comforts? Is the new consumerist China still communist? And why are people calling him Big Nose? As the attention of the world focuses on China, ""Beijing for Beginners"" is ideal for anyone curious about the most populous nation on earth, and the weird and wonderful things on offer for a foreigner grappling with serious culture shock.

Genres: China, Travel, Nonfiction, Asia

235 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2008

Reviews

[Juan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a good craic if you are leaving in Ireland and know a bit about Irish culture, and you are planning to live in China soon. Which, by the way, is exactly my case. Too many jokes about spitting and just superficial mentioning to the internal trip and changing yourself in the path of a culture shock. It is not exactly what I expected, but I must say that this guy knows how to entertain, and the book is very well written.