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Iron & Silk
Salzman captures post-cultural revolution China through his adventures as a young American English teacher in China and his shifu-tudi (master-student) relationship with China's foremost martial arts teacher.
In 1982, Salzman flew off to teach English in Changsha, China. He writes of bureaucrats, students and Cultural Revolution survivors, stripping none of their complexity and humanity. He's gentle with their idiocies, saving his sharpest barbs for himself (it's his pants that split from zipper to waist whilst demonstrating martial arts in Canton). Though dribs of history and drabs of classical lore seep through, this is mostly a personal tale, noted by the Los Angeles Times for "the charmingly unpretentious manner in which it penetrates a China inaccessible to other foreigners."
In 1982, Salzman flew off to teach English in Changsha, China. He writes of bureaucrats, students and Cultural Revolution survivors, stripping none of their complexity and humanity. He's gentle with their idiocies, saving his sharpest barbs for himself (it's his pants that split from zipper to waist whilst demonstrating martial arts in Canton). Though dribs of history and drabs of classical lore seep through, this is mostly a personal tale, noted by the Los Angeles Times for "the charmingly unpretentious manner in which it penetrates a China inaccessible to other foreigners."
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
51 people are currently reading
1642 people want to read
About the author
Mark Salzman
36 books226 followersMark Salzman is an award-winning novelist and nonfiction author who has written on a variety of subjects, from a graceful novel about a Carmelite nun’s ecstatic visions and crisis of faith to a compelling memoir about growing up a misfit in a Connecticut suburb – clearly displaying a range that transcends genre. As a boy, all Salzman ever wanted was to be a Kung Fu master, but it was his proficiency on the cello that facilitated his acceptance to Yale at the age of 16. He soon changed his major to Chinese language and philosophy, which took him to mainland China where he taught English for two years and studied martial arts. He never gave up music, though, and Salzman’s cello playing appears on the soundtrack to several films, including the Academy Award-winning documentary Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O’Brien. He has also played with Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emanuel Ax at Lincoln Center. Salzman’s unusual combination of talents – as both a well-known author and a concert-proficient cellist – led to a feature profile about him in The New Yorker magazine. He was also recently presented with the Algonquin West Hollywood Literary Award.
A number of Mark Salzman’s books have been chosen for “book in common” reading programs by more than a few schools and universities for their elegance, humor, and portrayal of our shared humanity. His first memoir, Iron and Silk, inspired by his years in China, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction and received the Christopher Award. His book True Notebooks is a fascinating look at his experiences as a writing teacher at Los Angeles Central Juvenile Hall, a lockup for violent teenage offenders. Salzman is also the author of the memoir Lost in Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia, and the novels The Laughing Sutra, The Soloist, and Lying Awake. Common to each of his works is a theme of how people struggle to reach an ideal but often fall short, and the quiet change that takes place in facing the discouragement and the possibility of never achieving their goal. Salzman writes with gut-wrenching honesty and unalloyed warmth, combined with a sharp sense of humor.
A number of Mark Salzman’s books have been chosen for “book in common” reading programs by more than a few schools and universities for their elegance, humor, and portrayal of our shared humanity. His first memoir, Iron and Silk, inspired by his years in China, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction and received the Christopher Award. His book True Notebooks is a fascinating look at his experiences as a writing teacher at Los Angeles Central Juvenile Hall, a lockup for violent teenage offenders. Salzman is also the author of the memoir Lost in Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia, and the novels The Laughing Sutra, The Soloist, and Lying Awake. Common to each of his works is a theme of how people struggle to reach an ideal but often fall short, and the quiet change that takes place in facing the discouragement and the possibility of never achieving their goal. Salzman writes with gut-wrenching honesty and unalloyed warmth, combined with a sharp sense of humor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
August 15, 2011
Salzman is a sweet guy, there's no doubt about it. his tales of his time in china are direct, cleanly written, and rooted in a clear love of the world around him and the people in it. he manages to effortlessly sidestep any potential landmines in terms of race, culture, or class simply by being himself - a warm, unpretentious and rather unsophisticated sweetheart. and Iron & Silk is a great mouthwash after reading the sour musings of the irritable and irritating Paul Theroux. but despite all of this travelogue's intrinsic sweetness, this is a rather forgettable personal narrative; conversely, Theroux's critical, often poisonous commentary linger in the mind far longer and seem rooted in a less idealized version of reality. one is a good man and the other is good writer. i liked Iron & Silk, i've recommended it to others, but the sad truth of the matter is that Salzman seems like the sort of good man that i'd like my daughter to marry rather than an interesting writer whose work i'd continue to read.
January 28, 2014
From the back cover: The much-acclaimed adventures of a young martial arts master in China “take the form of a series of lightly sketched-in episodes; almost without exception, they produce the gulp of feeling you might get from an unusually fine short story, and they reverberate long after you have put them down.” (The New York Times)
My thoughts:
Salzman had been interested in China since the age of thirteen, when he’d first seen the television movie Kung Fu. He had studied kung fu, Chinese art and calligraphy. At Yale he majored in Chinese Literature. He wasn’t particularly interested in going to China, but he did need a job once he graduated and he was “fluent in Mandarin and nearly so in Cantonese,” so he applied for and was accepted by the Yale-China Association to teach English at Hunan Medical College in Changsha from August 1982 to July 1984. This is a memoir of his experiences while in China.
The book is told in a series of vignettes, and divided into sections. It begins with two episodes that bookend his tenure – arriving and leaving China. The rest of the memoir is roughly in chronological order (I think). Salzman is an astute observer and writes in a clear yet atmospheric way about his experiences. The various people he meets – professors, bureaucrats, fishermen, students – come to life as he describes their clothing, customs, habits, living conditions and demeanor. Much of the book focuses on his own efforts to expand his knowledge of martial arts, calligraphy and Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese and the local dialect). I was a little disappointed to not have more information about the classes he taught and the students he encountered, though there are a few scenes about those experiences.
The area of China Salzman lived in is still not often visited by Westerners. In the early 1980s few Chinese had themselves traveled beyond their own villages, let alone to other countries. Most of the people he encountered had never seen a Westerner before, and many were stunned to silence on first seeing him. I’ve visited China a few times; my husband was in international business and traveled more extensively in the country than I have. Reading this memoir gave me a glimpse of China that I do not know. It’s an interesting book, though I cannot help but wonder how accurate the portrayal is today, given the Chinese government’s efforts to modernize.
My thoughts:
Salzman had been interested in China since the age of thirteen, when he’d first seen the television movie Kung Fu. He had studied kung fu, Chinese art and calligraphy. At Yale he majored in Chinese Literature. He wasn’t particularly interested in going to China, but he did need a job once he graduated and he was “fluent in Mandarin and nearly so in Cantonese,” so he applied for and was accepted by the Yale-China Association to teach English at Hunan Medical College in Changsha from August 1982 to July 1984. This is a memoir of his experiences while in China.
The book is told in a series of vignettes, and divided into sections. It begins with two episodes that bookend his tenure – arriving and leaving China. The rest of the memoir is roughly in chronological order (I think). Salzman is an astute observer and writes in a clear yet atmospheric way about his experiences. The various people he meets – professors, bureaucrats, fishermen, students – come to life as he describes their clothing, customs, habits, living conditions and demeanor. Much of the book focuses on his own efforts to expand his knowledge of martial arts, calligraphy and Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese and the local dialect). I was a little disappointed to not have more information about the classes he taught and the students he encountered, though there are a few scenes about those experiences.
The area of China Salzman lived in is still not often visited by Westerners. In the early 1980s few Chinese had themselves traveled beyond their own villages, let alone to other countries. Most of the people he encountered had never seen a Westerner before, and many were stunned to silence on first seeing him. I’ve visited China a few times; my husband was in international business and traveled more extensively in the country than I have. Reading this memoir gave me a glimpse of China that I do not know. It’s an interesting book, though I cannot help but wonder how accurate the portrayal is today, given the Chinese government’s efforts to modernize.
September 30, 2024
Published in 1986, this book is Mark Salzman’s memoir of the two years he spent in China after graduating from Yale with a degree in Chinese language and literature. At age twenty-two, he obtained a job teaching English at the Hunan Medical College in Changsha, located in South Central China. In addition to his teaching duties, he was fortunate to train with a martial arts master, Pan, in exchange for English lessons. He was also tutored in the art of calligraphy. He brought his cello, an instrument many Chinese citizens had never seen. It contains many humorous anecdotes, particularly with respect to Chinese bureaucracy – apparently, there is “a regulation” for almost everything, which are expected to be obeyed without question. The people he meets are surprised by his ability to speak Mandarin fluently. Many of them to out of their way to help him. I particularly enjoyed Salzman’s relationship with Pan, and his friendship with a group of local fishermen. It is engagingly written and provides a snapshot of a segment of Chinese culture as it existed in the 1980s from a western point of view.
December 11, 2008
Before there was Peter Hessler, there was Mark Salzman. This first book of his, Iron and Silk, a memoir of time spent in China, was totally charming. Excellent writing, a keen eye, and a sly, self-deprecating sense of humor marked Salzman as a writer to watch.
His subsequent writing career has been unorthodox, but interesting. I've not read all of his work, but the two subsequent books of his that I did read - Lying Awake and The Soloist – confirmed him as someone worth keeping up with. “True Notebooks : a Writer’s Year at Juvenile Hall” just arrived from Amazon and – based on dipping into it at random – promises to be terrific.
Quietly, unobtrusively, Salzman continues to impress me with his wit, insight, and humor.
His subsequent writing career has been unorthodox, but interesting. I've not read all of his work, but the two subsequent books of his that I did read - Lying Awake and The Soloist – confirmed him as someone worth keeping up with. “True Notebooks : a Writer’s Year at Juvenile Hall” just arrived from Amazon and – based on dipping into it at random – promises to be terrific.
Quietly, unobtrusively, Salzman continues to impress me with his wit, insight, and humor.
July 27, 2009
This memoir of the two years Salzman spent teaching English in China quietly wins you over. It's a series of anecdotes introducing you to a wide range of Chinese people, from the powerful to the poor, the obstinate to the kind, the proud to the humble. Many of the tales show Salzman's characteristic ear for humor. What I liked best? I felt like I understood the culture of the Chinese people better after reading it. They are incredibly different from Americans and yet... the ties that bind. Humans are humans. With a concise style, Salzman uses few words to capture big ideas. If you like travel books that focus more on personalities than place, this is your ticket.
February 26, 2012
Salzman became infatuated with Chinese culture, after watching the television series “Kung Fu”, at age thirteen. He received college degrees from Yale, in both Chinese language and Chinese literature.
In the early 80s, he lands a job, in Changsha, China, teaching English to students and teachers at Hunan Medical College. This wonderful memoir, covers his time there. He studies martial arts & calligraphy, with various instructors, which is all fascinating but in these beautiful episodic tales, his deep love for the people and their culture, is what really shines through. It’s funny, warm and touching. I cannot recommend it higher.
In the early 80s, he lands a job, in Changsha, China, teaching English to students and teachers at Hunan Medical College. This wonderful memoir, covers his time there. He studies martial arts & calligraphy, with various instructors, which is all fascinating but in these beautiful episodic tales, his deep love for the people and their culture, is what really shines through. It’s funny, warm and touching. I cannot recommend it higher.
July 14, 2014
I really like Salzman, ever since The Laughing Sutra, which I think no one but me ever read. He's kind of a goofball, so his travel memoir is very generous toward others, and somewhat self-mocking. He amuses me and seems like someone you'd enjoy hanging out with, because, in fine obsessive form, he's done some really cool things in his life, just because he wanted to.
July 31, 2024
The book's premise may seem ordinary: a recent graduate gets the opportunity to travel to China in the 1980s as part of a program to teach English in Changsha, Hunan—but the experience pleasantly surprises. It's Salzman's passion for wushu (kung-fu) that sets the foundation for the book's more memorable moments. It doesn't hurt that Salzman, being one of the few Westerners in the area, is treated like a minor celebrity and given access to opportunities many are not. As he delves into martial arts, he develops deeper relationships with his teachers, leading to his interest in other Chinese arts. It’s the arts that I believe gives this book a unique insight into China, and makes it well worth a read.
At a succinct 200-ish pages, in my opinion, it's worth picking up even if you have only a minor curiosity in Deng's China. Vikram Seth's From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet provides a similarly enjoyable perspective on travel in post-Mao China and is one of my favourite travel memoirs.
4/5
At a succinct 200-ish pages, in my opinion, it's worth picking up even if you have only a minor curiosity in Deng's China. Vikram Seth's From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet provides a similarly enjoyable perspective on travel in post-Mao China and is one of my favourite travel memoirs.
4/5
November 29, 2011
The author, a graduate of Yale in Chinese language and literature, went to China for two years to teach English and study martial arts. This account is presented as a series of episodes, each with its own life lesson. The book gives a clear picture of the variety of experiences he had, from the unsympathetic, even vicious, foreign-hating bureaucracy, to the incredibly open hospitality of those who had the least time to give.
The culture gap (and gape) is made readily apparent, in the student who thinks Americans must be cruel just to think up something like the Shirley Jackson story “The Lottery;” in the family of fishermen who wash and brush their teeth in the same river they use as a toilet; in the intellectual who calls The World According To Garp the most “unsuitable” book he’d ever imagined, then asks to keep it; in the man whose greatest wish is to eat and sleep well, saying Salzman’s dreams, to be liked and to excel, are easily attainable, but to eat and sleep well are beyond one’s control... A beautiful, clever, unassuming book.
The culture gap (and gape) is made readily apparent, in the student who thinks Americans must be cruel just to think up something like the Shirley Jackson story “The Lottery;” in the family of fishermen who wash and brush their teeth in the same river they use as a toilet; in the intellectual who calls The World According To Garp the most “unsuitable” book he’d ever imagined, then asks to keep it; in the man whose greatest wish is to eat and sleep well, saying Salzman’s dreams, to be liked and to excel, are easily attainable, but to eat and sleep well are beyond one’s control... A beautiful, clever, unassuming book.
March 14, 2015
This is the second book by Mark Salzman that I have read. The first was Lying Awake and that lovely book inspired me to search out more of Salzman's works. Iron & Silk was the first book he wrote, telling of the two years he spent in China teaching English in the early 80's.
Salzman has a wonderful way of describing the people he meets. They become as real to the reader as they were to the author. He is honest about his reactions to the country, and he shares his adventures
as a martial arts student with humility and humor.
You do not have to be interested in martial arts or even China to enjoy this book. It is enough to be curious about your fellow human beings, because you will be allowed a glimpse into the lives of some fascinating people.
Salzman has a wonderful way of describing the people he meets. They become as real to the reader as they were to the author. He is honest about his reactions to the country, and he shares his adventures
as a martial arts student with humility and humor.
You do not have to be interested in martial arts or even China to enjoy this book. It is enough to be curious about your fellow human beings, because you will be allowed a glimpse into the lives of some fascinating people.
November 12, 2009
I picked this book up because I saw Mark Salzman in the documentary, "Protagonist". I was fascinated with what he had to say about his life and about martial arts, and drawn in by his apparent excitement and zest for life.
I enjoyed the writing style, which was straightforward and easy to follow - it didn't get in the way of the story. I also really enjoyed the gentle humor found in the clash of the East/West cultures. There was a lot of talk about various styles of martial arts, which I found fascinating, to be honest.
Overall, this was an absorbing memoir of the two years Mr. Salzman spent in China, teaching English at a medical college, as well as learning martial arts from skilled masters.
I enjoyed the writing style, which was straightforward and easy to follow - it didn't get in the way of the story. I also really enjoyed the gentle humor found in the clash of the East/West cultures. There was a lot of talk about various styles of martial arts, which I found fascinating, to be honest.
Overall, this was an absorbing memoir of the two years Mr. Salzman spent in China, teaching English at a medical college, as well as learning martial arts from skilled masters.
October 23, 2010
A wonderfully entertaining travel memoir, consisting of anecdotes from author's 1982 stint teaching English in China. I liked it a lot. Favorite parts, when students were describing their happiest moments, martial arts training.
It did strike me how so much of the stories are distancing, framed so that the Chinese are quaint little characters, summed up with some incident or phrase that illuminates yet conceals. The majority of the Chinese individuals that Salzman describes come across as wonderful or heartbreaking in some way, but also as curiosities for the western reader.
I guess it's tricky trying to describe a people - you don't want to presume you understand them, and Salzman is at least honest in expressing his limitations.
It did strike me how so much of the stories are distancing, framed so that the Chinese are quaint little characters, summed up with some incident or phrase that illuminates yet conceals. The majority of the Chinese individuals that Salzman describes come across as wonderful or heartbreaking in some way, but also as curiosities for the western reader.
I guess it's tricky trying to describe a people - you don't want to presume you understand them, and Salzman is at least honest in expressing his limitations.
November 30, 2011
I actually just re-read this. Read it like 10 years ago (before becoming involved in martial arts or chinese culture, or travelling to china (or anywhere)) but I enjoyed it then. This time, having become sort of ensconsed in those things, I enjoyed very very much.
Definitely gets inside the duel-natured chinese character in a light hearted and really cool/informative way (a series of short non-fiction stories). Recommended for anyone interested in how chinese culture is different from american culture. You did know it was different, right?
Definitely gets inside the duel-natured chinese character in a light hearted and really cool/informative way (a series of short non-fiction stories). Recommended for anyone interested in how chinese culture is different from american culture. You did know it was different, right?
December 2, 2023
- This book takes place in China and represents Asia on my list “Seven Continents of Books 2022” -
I decided this is my favorite of all the books I read in 2022 : )
I enjoyed The Laughing Sutra years ago, and was thinking back to it recently and wanted to read more from Mark Salzman. This one is very different because it’s non-fiction and a memoir, but he has the same gentle,
engaging style. I love the personal exchanges between him and the people he gets to know in his time in China. He connects with people in such an open and genuine way, it’s refreshing.
I decided this is my favorite of all the books I read in 2022 : )
I enjoyed The Laughing Sutra years ago, and was thinking back to it recently and wanted to read more from Mark Salzman. This one is very different because it’s non-fiction and a memoir, but he has the same gentle,
engaging style. I love the personal exchanges between him and the people he gets to know in his time in China. He connects with people in such an open and genuine way, it’s refreshing.
July 4, 2024
This book was a required read for my martial art classes, and I ended up enjoying it. I thought the authors short stories were fun and insightful about Chinese culture. I also thought seeing the authors growth in the martial arts, calligraphy, and language was fascinating. I would have loved if the book had one more chapter that concluded the things he would’ve missed the most from his stay in China or if he was able to stay in contact with his martial art teachers or friends.
July 22, 2024
I read Salzman's gem of a book three decades ago as I was leaving to teach in China for the first time. By then, his book had been out for a decade. Indeed, his was one of the first memoirs in print in English to describe China in the post-Mao period. A few years later, after the turn of the new century, I wrote a review of it on Amazon, which I deleted to write this updated review after recently reading it again. I am glad to report that the simple honesty, humor and good will in his book still holds up well--not for his description of Chinese daily life (he taught there between 1982 and 1984 shortly after the Opening and Reform was launched during the Spiritual Pollution campaign)--but for its insights into Chinese thoughts and feelings. What remains timely is his sensitive connection to the Chinese he met (he was fluent in Mandarin and proficient in Cantonese, and could write Chinese, too) and his poignant portrayal of the traits that to a large extent still characterize both China's culture and society. I still got a lump in my throat after rereading some of his vignettes, most notably "Peking Duck," "Kissing," "No Sad, No Cry," and "A Night Ride." His fond two-part account about days spent with fishing families on a nearby river are uniquely revealing. I actually shared these vignettes with my postgrads in Beijing decades ago and I could readily discern that they were deeply affected as well by recognizing, no doubt, that this foreigner's accounts captured the essence of their parents' lives with dignity. If I were a student about to study abroad in China, or a backpacker or tourist visiting China for the first time, or even a so-called foreign expert who only recently (i.e. past two decades) arrived in the country, I would not hesitate to read this book. Over the past few decades, I have read most of the books published (and even self-published) by Westerners about living and teaching in China and, frankly, I still find Salzman to be the most unassuming, honest, and empathetic of authors in this genre. His dry and sparing humor is also welcome.
February 1, 2012
I'd been under the impression of already having read this one, along with practically everything else Salzman has written. I picked it up the other day only because all the books now in my queue are in the Kindle, and I have to share that gadget with another avid reader in the family. It turns out I'd only seen the video for Iron and Silk.
Since Salzman had a hand in making the movie (and played himself), the two versions of the story of his two years in China are probably equally valid. I think they're equally good, or even delightful.
Iron and Silk reminds me very strongly of another American's memoir about teaching in China, The Early Arrival of Dreams , which describes adventures that occurred at about the same period (early 80s). Although I've never lived there for an extended period (and probably could not bear to do so, at this stage in my life), I've seen enough to recognize everything portrayed here, from the churlish shopgirl who demands $5 for a $1 cup of coffee (and pours out most of the cup when she doesn't get it) to the idiotic bureaucracy, to the disarming openness and generosity of most people one meets.
I think almost anyone who goes to China, as Salzman did, could write an entertaining book about the experience. I had the sense that this book practically wrote itself. That is, while Salzman is a wonderful writer, here he didn't need to do much more than record and shape what happened. That's why I'm giving this only 4 stars, although I could hardly have enjoyed it more.
Since Salzman had a hand in making the movie (and played himself), the two versions of the story of his two years in China are probably equally valid. I think they're equally good, or even delightful.
Iron and Silk reminds me very strongly of another American's memoir about teaching in China, The Early Arrival of Dreams , which describes adventures that occurred at about the same period (early 80s). Although I've never lived there for an extended period (and probably could not bear to do so, at this stage in my life), I've seen enough to recognize everything portrayed here, from the churlish shopgirl who demands $5 for a $1 cup of coffee (and pours out most of the cup when she doesn't get it) to the idiotic bureaucracy, to the disarming openness and generosity of most people one meets.
I think almost anyone who goes to China, as Salzman did, could write an entertaining book about the experience. I had the sense that this book practically wrote itself. That is, while Salzman is a wonderful writer, here he didn't need to do much more than record and shape what happened. That's why I'm giving this only 4 stars, although I could hardly have enjoyed it more.
June 18, 2015
Cina for dummies
avventura in Cina di un americano negli anni ottanta, dopo la morte del Grande Timoniere ma prima della politica di Aperture e Riforme del Compagno Deng...un tizio biondo con gli occhi chiari, che nelle campagne viene visto come un oggetto esotico e nelle città come una pericolosa spia...insegna inglese all'Università dello Hunnan, nella facoltà di medicina, gli allievi sono vecchi medici, giovani future stelle del Partito e poveri vecchi riciclati/recuperati dopo gli eccessi della Rivoluzione culturale, intanto che Mark insegna trova il tempo di imparare cinque o sei stili diversi di combattimento, con maestri importantissimi che se lo contendono per via del fatto che è un Waiguoren, uno straniero...commoventi gli incontri coi pescatori che se lo portano a casa per mostrarlo alle famiglie, e delicato il passaggio in cui scopre che uno dei più famosi maestri di Arti marziali non sa leggere...tutti vogliono imparare l'inglese a memoria come si usa là...come facevano coi Classici Confuciani...e lui cerca di districarsi senza offendere nessuno, senza fargli mai "perdere la faccia"...divertentissimi e surreali gli incontri/scontri con la burocrazia cinese...tutto quello che non ci deve essere non c'è e, se uno straniero dovesse vederlo per sbaglio, allora si negherà anche l'evidenza pur di non "perdere la faccia" di fronte allo straniero...o peggio, di macchiarsi della temibile accusa di Fang Yang Pi, farsi corrompere dallo stile occidentale (letteralmente fare scorregge occidentali)
avventura in Cina di un americano negli anni ottanta, dopo la morte del Grande Timoniere ma prima della politica di Aperture e Riforme del Compagno Deng...un tizio biondo con gli occhi chiari, che nelle campagne viene visto come un oggetto esotico e nelle città come una pericolosa spia...insegna inglese all'Università dello Hunnan, nella facoltà di medicina, gli allievi sono vecchi medici, giovani future stelle del Partito e poveri vecchi riciclati/recuperati dopo gli eccessi della Rivoluzione culturale, intanto che Mark insegna trova il tempo di imparare cinque o sei stili diversi di combattimento, con maestri importantissimi che se lo contendono per via del fatto che è un Waiguoren, uno straniero...commoventi gli incontri coi pescatori che se lo portano a casa per mostrarlo alle famiglie, e delicato il passaggio in cui scopre che uno dei più famosi maestri di Arti marziali non sa leggere...tutti vogliono imparare l'inglese a memoria come si usa là...come facevano coi Classici Confuciani...e lui cerca di districarsi senza offendere nessuno, senza fargli mai "perdere la faccia"...divertentissimi e surreali gli incontri/scontri con la burocrazia cinese...tutto quello che non ci deve essere non c'è e, se uno straniero dovesse vederlo per sbaglio, allora si negherà anche l'evidenza pur di non "perdere la faccia" di fronte allo straniero...o peggio, di macchiarsi della temibile accusa di Fang Yang Pi, farsi corrompere dallo stile occidentale (letteralmente fare scorregge occidentali)
January 22, 2021
As someone that spent 7 years living in China, I really enjoyed this book as it was very relatable. Mark and my time in China was separated by almost 30 years. It was very interesting to read about what it was like to live as a foreigner in China in the 1980s when few Americans were living there.
I took note at many of the similar interactions with Chinese people that I often had. So much has changed in China over the last 30 years, and yet, there are some pervasive attitudes and ways of doing things that have stood the test of time. Like my experience, Salzman articulated the frequent frustrating experiences not being able to fully understand what makes Chinese people "tick."
I've read a few China memoirs that have been much more critically acclaimed and widely read, such as James Fallows "Postcard from Tomorrow Square" and Peter Hessler's "River Town." While I don't think Mark's book necessarily reaches the level of those books, I gave this book a 5 star rating as I thought to myself - "well, heck, I'm no James Fallows or Peter Hessler, either." I truly found the book really at my level, and enjoyed how relatable it was. I found myself nodding my head frequently.
I don't think you would necessarily need to be someone with China experience to enjoy this book. It is a very quick, easy read and the chapters are just broken up into short stories, many of which can stand on their own.
I give Mark a great deal of credit for being so open minded and eager to experience life with Chinese people the way that he describes in this book.
I took note at many of the similar interactions with Chinese people that I often had. So much has changed in China over the last 30 years, and yet, there are some pervasive attitudes and ways of doing things that have stood the test of time. Like my experience, Salzman articulated the frequent frustrating experiences not being able to fully understand what makes Chinese people "tick."
I've read a few China memoirs that have been much more critically acclaimed and widely read, such as James Fallows "Postcard from Tomorrow Square" and Peter Hessler's "River Town." While I don't think Mark's book necessarily reaches the level of those books, I gave this book a 5 star rating as I thought to myself - "well, heck, I'm no James Fallows or Peter Hessler, either." I truly found the book really at my level, and enjoyed how relatable it was. I found myself nodding my head frequently.
I don't think you would necessarily need to be someone with China experience to enjoy this book. It is a very quick, easy read and the chapters are just broken up into short stories, many of which can stand on their own.
I give Mark a great deal of credit for being so open minded and eager to experience life with Chinese people the way that he describes in this book.
March 29, 2021
I have known of this story since I was a child; I remember watching the movie version. That was years before Grandmaster Pan emigrated to Canada, and years before my sister became one of his martial arts students. While I wasn't as scared as Mr. Salzman, Grandmaster Pan was still an intimidating, yet charming and gregarious presence when I first met him. He talked to me about the book, the filming of the movie ("Who else could play me but myself?"), and the premiere (he kept the hat he wore in the room in his apartment dedicated to his memorabilia) while also talking about martial arts, Chinese history, calligraphy, and the benefits of hot tea. He was dynamic and affable, but when it was time to study, he meant business! (Which is a great description of many of my Chinese friends and students, too.)
Reading Mr. Salzman's book, and after my own years working in China, it was interesting to compare Mr. Salzman's experiences to my own, both with living and teaching English in China and knowing Grandmaster Pan. This was an interesting set of anecdotes of a China that basically doesn't exist any more, at least in the large cities like Changsha. Unfortunately for me, I was not a fan of the disjointed anecdotal style- snippets here, snippets there, seemingly chronologically ordered, but without real dates and times. A previous review I read stated that Mr. Salzman stumbled into situations and wrote about them, which I agree with. The subject and people were fascinating, but the narrative was bumbling.
Reading Mr. Salzman's book, and after my own years working in China, it was interesting to compare Mr. Salzman's experiences to my own, both with living and teaching English in China and knowing Grandmaster Pan. This was an interesting set of anecdotes of a China that basically doesn't exist any more, at least in the large cities like Changsha. Unfortunately for me, I was not a fan of the disjointed anecdotal style- snippets here, snippets there, seemingly chronologically ordered, but without real dates and times. A previous review I read stated that Mr. Salzman stumbled into situations and wrote about them, which I agree with. The subject and people were fascinating, but the narrative was bumbling.
February 23, 2021
This is what a book can do! What a lovely window into a point of time in a particular place in the world so different from where the reader is. This is Changsha (Hunan) in the early 1980's, a whole 40 years ago. As someone who has been to China twice, in 1995 and then in 2009, I have seen just how fast it has changed; I am sure this Changsha is long gone, just as I saw very little of 1995 in 2009, and I'm sure if I were to go back now, what I saw in 2009 would be long paved over, and with everyone looking at their phones now. So I consider this a jewel box of a record of a people and culture, emerging from a traumatic historical period, which is likely no longer there or at least much changed.
The lens is through the eyes of a recent, energetic, enthusiastic American college graduate, and his optimistic point of view is so refreshing.
I really wish there was a followup on some of the people he met during his time there, say, the young boy who liked to run away from home and explore, as that could be an interesting reflection of the changes in China over the years, but I guess we're just so spoiled these days with being able to followup on people digitally now. It would be difficult to track down people he met 40 years ago, long before widespread networking.
The lens is through the eyes of a recent, energetic, enthusiastic American college graduate, and his optimistic point of view is so refreshing.
I really wish there was a followup on some of the people he met during his time there, say, the young boy who liked to run away from home and explore, as that could be an interesting reflection of the changes in China over the years, but I guess we're just so spoiled these days with being able to followup on people digitally now. It would be difficult to track down people he met 40 years ago, long before widespread networking.
August 24, 2011
Save yourself some trouble and read River Town: Two Years on the Yangtzeinstead. Iron and Silk is essentially a watered-down, less intellectual version of Hessler's classic read on China's recovery post 1978 yet not post-Mao. It's not a horrible book, but it wanes in comparison to River Town. Essentially, the only unique quality that Mark Salzman brings is his experience with gong fu and marsial arts. Additionally, some of the Mandarin and cultural aspects citied in the book are very localized to Hunan.
October 22, 2009
Surprisingly lovely and personal vignettes. I was really tempted to resent this author, at whose feet all of 1980s China seemed to fall on account of his white skin and youthful charm. But it's sort of impossible not to be won over... a fearlessly social soul armed with a sense of humor and a lifelong dedication to Chinese martial arts / language, Salzman comfortably slips into all the crannies of a very closed society. Beautiful, honest writing about the intensity and absurdity of living abroad.
September 19, 2014
Great narrative on local customs and rural areas of China. I especially liked the chapter on betel nut hallucinations! One effective writing style he uses is that, like his personal experience there, not all aspects of society are understood or explained. It makes you feel like you are there, since you are viewing his aspect of the Chinese world, and he doesn't claim to speak for Everyman.
October 23, 2016
A nice way to discover China throught the look of an American teacher. Lots of little anecdotes telling us more about culture differences. I think that this novel is very linked to its time : the eighties. Culture is moving a lot in China it's interesting to compare this vision of China and the one you could get today
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October 16, 2007damn! the guy speaks Chinese, does kick-ass gong fu (sic) AND can write?
dated but in an interesting, pre-boom China way
need to read some new travel writing to compare
very funny, concise, well-written. a quick, satisfying read.
dated but in an interesting, pre-boom China way
need to read some new travel writing to compare
very funny, concise, well-written. a quick, satisfying read.
September 23, 2014
Fun and enlightening sketches about time the author spent living in China. Enjoyed comparing it with experiences from members/family members of my book club and which characteristics still ring true for Chinese culture today.
April 30, 2007
Interesting stories of American living in China. SAlzman is a fine writer.
October 1, 2007
Interesting take on China in the 80's. Writing style is humorous and the author sympathetic to the Chinese people. some info on martial arts and artists.
December 17, 2020
This book was a quick read that made me laugh and want to know more with each page. There were no unnecessary descriptions (“info dumps”), no long-winded attempted summaries of cultural history (which often precedes a culture-based memoir)—the reader starts right in the middle of Salzman’s misadventure on a train and gets sucked into his story from the start. Instead of a history/culture lecture, the author weaves bits and pieces of info into the story, which makes it run smoothly.
I see where a lot of the hate comes from; I’ve encountered a handful of folks who are automatically against it because the author is white and writing about a non-white culture, or because it’s not reflective of China as a whole. I feel like this kind of thinking builds walls because (1) no book, including this one, can possibly reflect an entire culture—even if the author himself was Chinese, and (2) this is a memoir, which is by nature based solely on this person’s experience. It feels weird to me to invalidate this person’s experience because it does not align with widely accepted cultural concepts, especially since I never got the impression that Salzman was going for that pedantic, “let-me-tell-you-about-China” approach. Instead, I understood the book as “I went to China to and had some lols, also I learned martial arts.” In fact, a lot of the book was self-mocking and didn’t sound like someone who took himself so seriously, DESPITE being a boss at Wushu and super educated.
And it’s because of this playfulness and self-mockery that I liked the book so much. A lot of memoirs commit one of two pitfalls (in my opinion): the authors either (1) put themselves on a pedestal, seeing themselves as somehow better or more enlightened than the culture they are in, or (2) put the culture itself on a pedestal, romanticizing it in a way that almost seems condescending and weird. Salzman manages to avoid these pitfalls and tells it how he sees it—often poking (light-hearted) fun at himself and the culture he finds himself in.
I see where a lot of the hate comes from; I’ve encountered a handful of folks who are automatically against it because the author is white and writing about a non-white culture, or because it’s not reflective of China as a whole. I feel like this kind of thinking builds walls because (1) no book, including this one, can possibly reflect an entire culture—even if the author himself was Chinese, and (2) this is a memoir, which is by nature based solely on this person’s experience. It feels weird to me to invalidate this person’s experience because it does not align with widely accepted cultural concepts, especially since I never got the impression that Salzman was going for that pedantic, “let-me-tell-you-about-China” approach. Instead, I understood the book as “I went to China to and had some lols, also I learned martial arts.” In fact, a lot of the book was self-mocking and didn’t sound like someone who took himself so seriously, DESPITE being a boss at Wushu and super educated.
And it’s because of this playfulness and self-mockery that I liked the book so much. A lot of memoirs commit one of two pitfalls (in my opinion): the authors either (1) put themselves on a pedestal, seeing themselves as somehow better or more enlightened than the culture they are in, or (2) put the culture itself on a pedestal, romanticizing it in a way that almost seems condescending and weird. Salzman manages to avoid these pitfalls and tells it how he sees it—often poking (light-hearted) fun at himself and the culture he finds himself in.
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