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Where Underpants Come From: From Cotton Field to Checkout Counter --Travels Through theNew China and intothe New Global Evonomy
When Joe Bennett bought a six-pack of underwear in his local supermarket for $5.60, he wondered who on earth could be making any money, let alone profit, from the exchange. How many processes and middlemen are involved? Where and how is the underwear made? And who decides on the absorbent qualities of the gusset?Joe embarks on an odyssey to the new factory of the world, China, to trace his underwear back to their source. Along the way he discovers the extraordinarily balanced and intricate web of contacts and exchanges that makes global trade possible.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
6 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
About the author
Joe Bennett
26 books19 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Julian "Joe" Bennett (born 20 April 1957) is a writer and columnist living in Lyttelton, New Zealand.
Born in England, he emigrated to New Zealand when he was twenty-nine. Bennett is a columnist for Christchurch's newspaper The Press and the author of several books.
Julian "Joe" Bennett (born 20 April 1957) is a writer and columnist living in Lyttelton, New Zealand.
Born in England, he emigrated to New Zealand when he was twenty-nine. Bennett is a columnist for Christchurch's newspaper The Press and the author of several books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
April 8, 2019
Well, you haven't already realised that almost everything you use in your daily life is 'Made in China', you should start checking out the labels right now.
Joe traces his underpants from the store in New Zealand, all the way back to the cotton fields. He eats local food, and enjoys getting to know a few Chinese folk. It's an interesting book, but not a real page-turner. If you can borrow it from your library, you might enjoy it, but I wouldn't pay money for it (as I did).
3 Stars = Just 'okay'. Definitely not a page-turner.
Joe traces his underpants from the store in New Zealand, all the way back to the cotton fields. He eats local food, and enjoys getting to know a few Chinese folk. It's an interesting book, but not a real page-turner. If you can borrow it from your library, you might enjoy it, but I wouldn't pay money for it (as I did).
3 Stars = Just 'okay'. Definitely not a page-turner.
August 30, 2025
The author professed to know nothing whatsoever about China before beginning his investigation into where and how his underwear was made. I assumed this was a rhetorical statement, and that in fact he was going to use the pursuit of his underwear manufacturer as a springboard from which to launch a more thorough explanation of the Chinese economy.
But no. He really did appear to know nothing at all about China or the Chinese -- declaring, at one point, that he'd never heard of Guangzhou, a city of 14 million people and one of the closest to New Zealand, where he lives -- and did not really deviate from the specific story of his pair of underwear. I guess we're supposed to giggle about the fact that he's investigating underwear and give him a free pass on all the journalistic paths he failed to follow up on.
The tone of the book was light, conversational and easy to read, but there's just too little here to justify the four or five hours required to read it.
But no. He really did appear to know nothing at all about China or the Chinese -- declaring, at one point, that he'd never heard of Guangzhou, a city of 14 million people and one of the closest to New Zealand, where he lives -- and did not really deviate from the specific story of his pair of underwear. I guess we're supposed to giggle about the fact that he's investigating underwear and give him a free pass on all the journalistic paths he failed to follow up on.
The tone of the book was light, conversational and easy to read, but there's just too little here to justify the four or five hours required to read it.
July 25, 2009
It’s absolutely astonishing to realize how much junk people in North America consume only to throw away. Most of it is from China. When I started to read Where Underpants Come From, I picked up various objects in my office—from the mechanical pencil I write with to my iPod—and I discovered that yes, everything had been made in China. Author Joe Bennett, who is based in New Zealand, does a fantastic job of describing his experience of traveling to that far off land to discover the process of how his cheap underpants were manufactured. The idea is absurd, but he runs with it anyway.
China is the cheapest bidder on manufacturing most of the convenient items we consume at an exhausting rate. It comes as no surprise that the giant nation is, as a result, driving its peasant labor force for meager wages and polluting the air, land, and water at an even faster rate. Statistics aren’t necessary; just take a look at the dirty grey-brown clouds of smog that hover over Chinese cities.
Bennett does more than observe the grainy air; he physically visits various places in China to see for himself what the industrial giant has created in order to keep the Western materialist appetite satisfied. It isn’t pretty, but his encounters are often humorous. As other journalists (such as Anderson Cooper, in the Planet in Peril series) have pointed out, China’s bid to create the cheapest industrial production of everything from underpants to machinery is creating environmental destruction on an astronomical level.
Chinese citizens are also just as disposable. When I was a little girl (in Canada) during Mao’s time, I became interested in not only American Vietnam War veterans, but in the Vietnamese and Chinese soldiers who—as the National Geographic displayed them—were left rotting in dilapidated vet hospitals. Bennett’s descriptions of countless health and safety hazards and substandard machinery show that while Mao may have died in 1976, the view that Chinese workers are easily replaceable has not.
Bennett’s account gets past the stats and much-repeated talk of China as an economic giant. He offers readers glimpses into people’s lives. He goes where the Chinese won’t—places like Urumqi south, where Muslim populations exist—and tries to communicate with the locals. His angle lends compassion and a sincere urge to understand all sides. He admits to his own prejudices against China and its peoples before he actually arrives and notes that people are people everywhere.
As I sit here and type my review on my ‘Made In China’ laptop, the darkness is lit by my ‘Made In China’ lamp, and I drink Chrysanthemum tea (grown and harvested in China) from my ‘Made in China’ glass, I hope that people will take the time to read Bennett’s work. Despite the pollution and slack labor laws and high rate of labor deaths, Bennett finds the people he encounters to be generally happy. Yes, they are driven, but they take time to live for the sake of living and family takes care of family. We Westerners monetarily benefit from the fruits of their hard work, but materialism has only left us miserably wealthy, fat, and insecure.
Review by Nicolette Westfall
China is the cheapest bidder on manufacturing most of the convenient items we consume at an exhausting rate. It comes as no surprise that the giant nation is, as a result, driving its peasant labor force for meager wages and polluting the air, land, and water at an even faster rate. Statistics aren’t necessary; just take a look at the dirty grey-brown clouds of smog that hover over Chinese cities.
Bennett does more than observe the grainy air; he physically visits various places in China to see for himself what the industrial giant has created in order to keep the Western materialist appetite satisfied. It isn’t pretty, but his encounters are often humorous. As other journalists (such as Anderson Cooper, in the Planet in Peril series) have pointed out, China’s bid to create the cheapest industrial production of everything from underpants to machinery is creating environmental destruction on an astronomical level.
Chinese citizens are also just as disposable. When I was a little girl (in Canada) during Mao’s time, I became interested in not only American Vietnam War veterans, but in the Vietnamese and Chinese soldiers who—as the National Geographic displayed them—were left rotting in dilapidated vet hospitals. Bennett’s descriptions of countless health and safety hazards and substandard machinery show that while Mao may have died in 1976, the view that Chinese workers are easily replaceable has not.
Bennett’s account gets past the stats and much-repeated talk of China as an economic giant. He offers readers glimpses into people’s lives. He goes where the Chinese won’t—places like Urumqi south, where Muslim populations exist—and tries to communicate with the locals. His angle lends compassion and a sincere urge to understand all sides. He admits to his own prejudices against China and its peoples before he actually arrives and notes that people are people everywhere.
As I sit here and type my review on my ‘Made In China’ laptop, the darkness is lit by my ‘Made In China’ lamp, and I drink Chrysanthemum tea (grown and harvested in China) from my ‘Made in China’ glass, I hope that people will take the time to read Bennett’s work. Despite the pollution and slack labor laws and high rate of labor deaths, Bennett finds the people he encounters to be generally happy. Yes, they are driven, but they take time to live for the sake of living and family takes care of family. We Westerners monetarily benefit from the fruits of their hard work, but materialism has only left us miserably wealthy, fat, and insecure.
Review by Nicolette Westfall
September 6, 2010
Written by a Brit living in New Zealand. Puportedly an examination of how China has become such a manufacturing power, through the process of following the source of a pair of mens' briefs (and their components) made in China. Most of the manufacturers won't give him the time of day. What evolves is a travel essay (that's what the author writes), that tries to study the people of China's rural and manufacturing centers. All he seems to do is piss people off. Bennett doesn't really exhibit much sensitivity. Can he imagine a Chinese journalist that speaks not one word of English showing up in a New Zealand sheep farm and expecting to get the royal treatment?
April 2, 2018
3.5 stars.
This is the second book I read by Joe Bennett. He traveled to China to do research on the underpants. He didn't know much about this industry. When he was buying a pack of underpants in New Zealand, it occurred to him that writing China on such a topic would be nice. He hoped to unveil how underpants were made, transported, and sold to Western worlds. He went on with the idea and this was the result.
I had to admit it was less insightful than I thought. I liked his book 'Hello Dubai' more. Maybe it is because I know more than the author since I am from Taiwan. I found some paragraphs redundant. Joe seemed to jot down many tedious observations. Having said that, these descriptions might be vivid to Westerners. To some extent, I live in a similar environment, so it's boring to me. However, Joe's writing was humorous. He knew how to make fun of everything.
Joe tried to contact some exporters and manufacturers and successfully convinced a few of them to let him visit the spots. He did show readers some superficial knowledge he gained from the visits. If you want to learn more, you should check out Peter Hessler's books, where you would learn a lot more.
One thing stood out in my reading. That was the gray color of China. Joe constantly referred to the dismal environment. China boosted the economy at the expense of pollution. The sky was not blue but dark gray. He showed concerns for the nation. No wonder so many Chinese wanted to emigrate simply because of the poor living quality.
It's expected that Joe stumbled on several obstacles. Firms normally would't let a stranger just come and go. Therefore, Joe's account was far from complete, yet he did showed us some less seen places in China. In sum, if you like to read diary-like travelogue with some close look-up on China, this book would be fine. Otherwise, you may feel a bit disappointed.
This is the second book I read by Joe Bennett. He traveled to China to do research on the underpants. He didn't know much about this industry. When he was buying a pack of underpants in New Zealand, it occurred to him that writing China on such a topic would be nice. He hoped to unveil how underpants were made, transported, and sold to Western worlds. He went on with the idea and this was the result.
I had to admit it was less insightful than I thought. I liked his book 'Hello Dubai' more. Maybe it is because I know more than the author since I am from Taiwan. I found some paragraphs redundant. Joe seemed to jot down many tedious observations. Having said that, these descriptions might be vivid to Westerners. To some extent, I live in a similar environment, so it's boring to me. However, Joe's writing was humorous. He knew how to make fun of everything.
Joe tried to contact some exporters and manufacturers and successfully convinced a few of them to let him visit the spots. He did show readers some superficial knowledge he gained from the visits. If you want to learn more, you should check out Peter Hessler's books, where you would learn a lot more.
One thing stood out in my reading. That was the gray color of China. Joe constantly referred to the dismal environment. China boosted the economy at the expense of pollution. The sky was not blue but dark gray. He showed concerns for the nation. No wonder so many Chinese wanted to emigrate simply because of the poor living quality.
It's expected that Joe stumbled on several obstacles. Firms normally would't let a stranger just come and go. Therefore, Joe's account was far from complete, yet he did showed us some less seen places in China. In sum, if you like to read diary-like travelogue with some close look-up on China, this book would be fine. Otherwise, you may feel a bit disappointed.
January 20, 2013
Realizing I know next to nothing about China, this immediately caught my attention. And it was worth the buy. China is impossibly large and complex, so no single work can hope to capture it all. This book doesn't even try, instead choosing a simple approach - from genesis to shelf, where to underpants come from? In reality it is a travel book. Bennett spends most of his copy looking at the culture in China - the people, the food, the attitudes, the small things you cannot fathom on television or in movies.
His writing is reminiscent of Bill Bryson: full of dry humour and witty observations, though with far more anecdotes. It's a light read and easy to cut through. It also serves as a great first stepping stone in demystifying this country. Bennett does not cover it all - and he never claims to try. Instead he focuses on a single purpose and through that manages to create a wholesale impression of a country few of us understand.
His writing is reminiscent of Bill Bryson: full of dry humour and witty observations, though with far more anecdotes. It's a light read and easy to cut through. It also serves as a great first stepping stone in demystifying this country. Bennett does not cover it all - and he never claims to try. Instead he focuses on a single purpose and through that manages to create a wholesale impression of a country few of us understand.
December 6, 2010
This past year I read "Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory" and "Larry's Kidney: (Being the Story of) How I Found Myself in China with My Black Sheep Cousin and His Mail-Order Bride, Breaking Chinese Law to Get Him a Transplant--and Save His Life." The first was written by a fairly knowledgable young writer who is clearing becoming an expert on China, the second by someone who made zero claims to knowing anything about the country but seemed to make some interesting observations nevertheless.
Here Joe Bennett knows nothing about China to start and learns little worth passing on, in my view. He visits Shanghai and several other areas in China and also Thailand.
I'm sorry his dog died while he was traveling to do his research for this book but that doesn't excuse the poor result.
Here Joe Bennett knows nothing about China to start and learns little worth passing on, in my view. He visits Shanghai and several other areas in China and also Thailand.
I'm sorry his dog died while he was traveling to do his research for this book but that doesn't excuse the poor result.
May 16, 2009
I'll admit it, the title was intriguing, and was probably what made me read this. I don't know what I expected, but it exceeded whatever that might have been. Think Bill Bryson in China. The writing was a pleasure to read, he has a great turn of phrase. I didn't laugh out loud quite as much as I do with Bill, but I still found it very amusing. The subject matter was fascinating. 'Made in China' is something I just take for granted, and have never thought really deeply about. His aim to delve into it and in the process reveal so much about Chinese history and contemporary life really worked.
August 27, 2009
I picked this up at the library because it looked like an interesting premise. It is an interesting premise, but I'm not sure how I feel about the execution. While his perspective on both the Western view of China and China's view of the racial and cultural minorities within its borders are very interesting, the author got a little fuzzy-weird and introspective at the end. I'm sorry his dog passed away while he was in Thailand, but it has no bearing on how underpants are made.
Apparently I really like for someone to pick a thesis and stick with it.
Apparently I really like for someone to pick a thesis and stick with it.
August 24, 2009
Buying a pair of underpants in New Zealand, the author contemplates how they got from China to his store and can be sold for $2.99 or even a 5 pack for $4.37. He sets out to trace the journey of his underpants; he visits factories in China, the huge port in Shanghai, remote villages in the Uighar region tracking down all the steps involved. Part idiosyncratic travel log and part global economics, this is wholly fascinating and entirely readable.
August 28, 2010
An impulse read, and a terrific treasure. The topic may strike you as a bit on the weird side, but this is a legitimate topic that is "covers" more than the bare facts, and in a witty style. You learn a lot about the global economy by his personal trek to the factory in China (much to the suspicion of the managers that he was a spy) to observe first-hand the process from manufacturing the underpants to marketing them at Wal-Mart. I definitely plan to read some of his other books
January 28, 2011
I picked up this book expecting it to be more of an insight into Chinese economy, but I was disappointed in the fact that it was more of a travel essay of unsuccessful attempts to trace a pair of underwear backwards to the farm. It was mildly interesting because I recently traveled to Shanghai and I enjoyed reading his interpretations of things I recently saw myself in Shanghai, but the book was not what I hoped it would be.
June 10, 2011
This book had promise in the first visits to Shanghai but bogged down when the author went in search of thread and rubber in Thailand, where the culture was more the subject than the source materials for underpants. If you like the same sort of jokes over and over you might stick with it. I got bored, but I appreciate the effort and there are things to be learned from his account.
January 7, 2020
Found this copy in an op shop, replete with mystery page-stains.
Moves at a pace. Are there whiffs of racism, and is that the comedians art of stereotype? Perhaps the whiff of bigotry is a deliberate prelude to Bennett’s admissions of generic UK (his place before NZ) racism due to little formal or informal cultural education about China. Prone to exaggeration to make a point when exaggeration isn’t really necessary, or, to rolling out banter for effect… carefree or careless? 50 pages in, I’m wondering if I’ll learn anything. I start to become nervous that this is how my own diaristic editorialising reads, after all, my mum told me to read this because: she thought I’d enjoy it / thought it was like my own writing? But by page 52, as Bennett runs through the manufacturing details supplied by The Warehouse Ltd.’s China office, I get a palpable sense of the miracle and the alienation of cheap Chinese underpants on sale to middle NZ. And as the narrative moves on to a tour of the export port and its environs, I get the depressing and possibly unintended sense of a world of commerce that couldn’t give a fuck about ecological peril. This is supported by own comparatively micro experiences of motoring up the Yangtze River through garbage while the ship’s cook emptied buckets of dirty polystyrene plates overboard. But hey, I flew to China in a cloud of carbon!?
As the book progresses I start to warm to Bennett’s writing; more insightful and observant than the bravado sensed at its opening. Bennett weaves observations of locals and tourists throughout, knowing when to take major asides from the underpants investigation catalysing this book.
It’s amazing how much tourism, politics and culture are folded into the detective work of Where Underpants Come From. And, not necessarily the intention, but I don’t think I’ll be buying ‘Made in China’ underpants ever again.
Moves at a pace. Are there whiffs of racism, and is that the comedians art of stereotype? Perhaps the whiff of bigotry is a deliberate prelude to Bennett’s admissions of generic UK (his place before NZ) racism due to little formal or informal cultural education about China. Prone to exaggeration to make a point when exaggeration isn’t really necessary, or, to rolling out banter for effect… carefree or careless? 50 pages in, I’m wondering if I’ll learn anything. I start to become nervous that this is how my own diaristic editorialising reads, after all, my mum told me to read this because: she thought I’d enjoy it / thought it was like my own writing? But by page 52, as Bennett runs through the manufacturing details supplied by The Warehouse Ltd.’s China office, I get a palpable sense of the miracle and the alienation of cheap Chinese underpants on sale to middle NZ. And as the narrative moves on to a tour of the export port and its environs, I get the depressing and possibly unintended sense of a world of commerce that couldn’t give a fuck about ecological peril. This is supported by own comparatively micro experiences of motoring up the Yangtze River through garbage while the ship’s cook emptied buckets of dirty polystyrene plates overboard. But hey, I flew to China in a cloud of carbon!?
As the book progresses I start to warm to Bennett’s writing; more insightful and observant than the bravado sensed at its opening. Bennett weaves observations of locals and tourists throughout, knowing when to take major asides from the underpants investigation catalysing this book.
It’s amazing how much tourism, politics and culture are folded into the detective work of Where Underpants Come From. And, not necessarily the intention, but I don’t think I’ll be buying ‘Made in China’ underpants ever again.
September 8, 2021
As a tween not able to find any deep reviews, I read this and was shocked and annoyed to read all the foul language and other inappropriate things. I mean, there are plenty of ways to express your feelings without constantly cursing. And I understand that when he visited China, he did say the things he wrote, but did he have to write the words in his book? No, he didn’t, he could have just said he cursed at the person, or just left it out completely. The book was interesting and informative, but I probably won’t read it again any time soon because of the things I said above. If there was a Younger Readers edition without the language and such, I would probably read that. But for now, I’m just going to stay away.
December 29, 2017
I wanted it to be a really insightful exposé on supply-chain issues, sweatshops, pricing conundrums and environmental costs...but it just wasn't. It's more a travelogue mentioning all the red-tape and cultural issues that created road-blocks for the author in his quest to trace a pair of department-store undies right back through manufacturing processes to source materials. I think I was just looking for a different kind of book.
February 7, 2020
This book is laced with snippets of humor whilst explaining the process and source of materials tht went into making the author's underpants. A reasonably interesting approach to trade and the conditions factory workers endure in the process. I enjoyed bits of the book, but it wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. It achieves what it sets out to do, but had to be read in small doses.
October 13, 2020
I was hoping this would be an amusing read while finding out 'where underpants come from', instead I felt so depressed by it, at one point almost in tears, that I closed the book and was done. Unnerving and horrifying at times, it's going to be hard not to feel an element of guilt each time I buy a product with Made in China on the label. Time to make some ethical choices I think.
July 23, 2019
Interesting. I like Joe's quiet, droll humour. It gave me a lot to think about from an environmental point of view.
August 9, 2019
Entertaining, informative and makes you think.
October 13, 2019
The idea was fun. The delivery was boring.
April 16, 2021
Fascinating and easy-to-digest read about China’s booming economic growth, focusing on textiles. But the author delves into culture and history as well.
January 6, 2022
An amusing read that explores the East-West supplier-consumer economic structure through one purchase.
November 11, 2022
An interesting insight to the people of China and their manufacturing industry. Although I am sure it may be dated now, it was a great snapshot of the country at the time.
July 7, 2014
This book is really about China - and about "the commercial world on which we all depend but about which I know so little." But I really like the title.
As the author describes his journey to find the origin of his underpants - down to the where the cotton and rubber trees (for the elastic) was grown, it is sometimes tedious, sometimes fascinating. It got more interesting toward the end. I think if the last half of the book had been as slow as the first half, as interesting as the information was, I wouldn't have gone above 2 or 3 stars. But as he gets to the end of his journey(s), it gets more interesting and he wraps up the book talking about East and West, differences and similarities, religion and philosophy.
A few highlights...
On the 2nd page, talking about the West overtaking China in technology, the author says, "But the West's triumph looks like it's proving brief." And it doesn't look like it was on purpose! I can't tell. Get it? Brief?
And in the first chapter, he talks about purchasing a pair of underwear for $2.99 - a 5-pack for $4.37. When was this printed? In 1932? Nope; 2008. So, where does this guy get his underwear? The Dollar Store? (Maybe they're just cheaper in New Zealand.)
While some stories of his journey were amusing, I didn't laugh much. But I couldn't help but laugh out loud when the author bought a phrase book in Shanghai and describes the "romance" section.
Overall, I thought it was a pretty thought-provoking book.
As the author describes his journey to find the origin of his underpants - down to the where the cotton and rubber trees (for the elastic) was grown, it is sometimes tedious, sometimes fascinating. It got more interesting toward the end. I think if the last half of the book had been as slow as the first half, as interesting as the information was, I wouldn't have gone above 2 or 3 stars. But as he gets to the end of his journey(s), it gets more interesting and he wraps up the book talking about East and West, differences and similarities, religion and philosophy.
A few highlights...
On the 2nd page, talking about the West overtaking China in technology, the author says, "But the West's triumph looks like it's proving brief." And it doesn't look like it was on purpose! I can't tell. Get it? Brief?
And in the first chapter, he talks about purchasing a pair of underwear for $2.99 - a 5-pack for $4.37. When was this printed? In 1932? Nope; 2008. So, where does this guy get his underwear? The Dollar Store? (Maybe they're just cheaper in New Zealand.)
While some stories of his journey were amusing, I didn't laugh much. But I couldn't help but laugh out loud when the author bought a phrase book in Shanghai and describes the "romance" section.
Overall, I thought it was a pretty thought-provoking book.
December 14, 2012
You might think of this book as a companion piece to Friedman's The World is Flat. While Friedman focuses on the digital revolution, Bennett wonders why he can buy a pack of five pairs of underwear for $3.00. His idea is to trace the underpants from the store in New Zealand where he purchased them to the factory in China where they were made, to the cotton fields where the cotton was produced and the rubber trees, the base for the elastic waistband.
As he travels to China the book becomes a bit more of a travelogue. Having been in Shanghai a few years ago, the stories Bennett shares brought back some good memories. Bennett captures well the transitions China continues to experience and puts in a broader historical context without overwhelming you.
Mixed in with the more serious reporting are stories of learning to use chopsticks and other adventures with Chinese food and beer.
To find the rubber Bennett travels to Thailand which allows him to contrast his perceptions of the Thai with the Chinese folks he meets.
Though some might see his approach as a bit whimsical, Bennett asks serious questions about globalization and its impact on himself, as well as on the often young people toiling away for long hours for low pay so that we can purchase cheap underwear.
By the way, the pair I am wearing today were made in Guatemala. I don't remember what I paid, but it was likely 3 to 4 pair for $10 or less.
As he travels to China the book becomes a bit more of a travelogue. Having been in Shanghai a few years ago, the stories Bennett shares brought back some good memories. Bennett captures well the transitions China continues to experience and puts in a broader historical context without overwhelming you.
Mixed in with the more serious reporting are stories of learning to use chopsticks and other adventures with Chinese food and beer.
To find the rubber Bennett travels to Thailand which allows him to contrast his perceptions of the Thai with the Chinese folks he meets.
Though some might see his approach as a bit whimsical, Bennett asks serious questions about globalization and its impact on himself, as well as on the often young people toiling away for long hours for low pay so that we can purchase cheap underwear.
By the way, the pair I am wearing today were made in Guatemala. I don't remember what I paid, but it was likely 3 to 4 pair for $10 or less.
December 26, 2011
**Spoiler alert** (I didn't mark this with the spoiler tag to hide it because can you really, really spoil the suprise in a book about the origins of underwear??): the author, in the end, does not get down to every basic component of the underwear that he is searching back to its beginnings. However, he get MAJOR MEGA props for even coming close! When I realized that he was going to try to hunt down thread, cotton, elastic, and rubbber IN CHINA, I laughed. The more I read about industrial China stuff, the more I am completely amazed that we have ANY functional goods. There is so much turmoil, change, incredible growth, and dishonesty involved, that I am simply amazed at all the totally awesome, radical stuff that I own that comes from China.
Anyways, I loved this book. The author did a great job at not making it boring. Really, the origins of tighy whiteys could quickly become dull. But this author put in all sorts of human aspects and I even cried when he talked about his sweet old dog dying. I cried in a book about underpants...that's a statement that I never expected to make in my lifetime. Kudos to Joe Bennett for an awesome book. Joe, if you read this, I think you are very cool and I'd like to be your friend. Feel free to send me a friend request on Facebook.
Anyways, I loved this book. The author did a great job at not making it boring. Really, the origins of tighy whiteys could quickly become dull. But this author put in all sorts of human aspects and I even cried when he talked about his sweet old dog dying. I cried in a book about underpants...that's a statement that I never expected to make in my lifetime. Kudos to Joe Bennett for an awesome book. Joe, if you read this, I think you are very cool and I'd like to be your friend. Feel free to send me a friend request on Facebook.
May 31, 2013
My Dad lent me this book, and its really good! I like his style, the way he travels reminds me of my Dad (fearless) and the places he goes remind me of the places we went. I really should get on to Google Maps and see if I can dig up some pictures of the places he goes.
I've been talking about it with people, and its hard, because there are cheap goods (eg undies) and expensive goods coming out of China, and its going the same way that Japan did (eg junk, copies, then better than the real thing), but ruinously, eg huge dams, flattened fishing villages, drowned towns.
In many places I think doing it this way, and this quickly wouldn't work.
But at the same time its changing China socially as well, the one child thing (with the obligations to support your parents/granparents), and the rural to urban drift, which happens with every urbanised economy.
I can't help but muse over my son's picture books, where all of the older ones are published in exotic locations like London, or Sydney or the USA, and then in the 90's, every single one is published in China. I think I'd be hard pressed to wear anything that wasn't made in China, or use things which weren't made in China.
Its a good book, it really makes you think about the change in production, and the human side of it as well.
I've been talking about it with people, and its hard, because there are cheap goods (eg undies) and expensive goods coming out of China, and its going the same way that Japan did (eg junk, copies, then better than the real thing), but ruinously, eg huge dams, flattened fishing villages, drowned towns.
In many places I think doing it this way, and this quickly wouldn't work.
But at the same time its changing China socially as well, the one child thing (with the obligations to support your parents/granparents), and the rural to urban drift, which happens with every urbanised economy.
I can't help but muse over my son's picture books, where all of the older ones are published in exotic locations like London, or Sydney or the USA, and then in the 90's, every single one is published in China. I think I'd be hard pressed to wear anything that wasn't made in China, or use things which weren't made in China.
Its a good book, it really makes you think about the change in production, and the human side of it as well.
January 6, 2012
I never read travel books. Maybe, except for Joules Verne, which never really had to travel but in his imagination (which got him pretty far, though). But I usually think it's a waste of time to read about a place you can just go and visit, or even worse - already visited.
I just got back from a trip to China a couple of months ago, so reading Bennet's stories about crossing the road in Shanghai or trying to order lunch were amazingly similar to my experience. And yet, I wasn't bored, but charmed. He is simply charming. Sweet, naive, and yet sometimes cynical, tells his story just the way his story should be told - informative, raw and personal. He wasn't pretending to be a journalist trying to bring home the best and most complete story; he was telling a very good story.
All in all, it's a surprisingly nice book.
I just got back from a trip to China a couple of months ago, so reading Bennet's stories about crossing the road in Shanghai or trying to order lunch were amazingly similar to my experience. And yet, I wasn't bored, but charmed. He is simply charming. Sweet, naive, and yet sometimes cynical, tells his story just the way his story should be told - informative, raw and personal. He wasn't pretending to be a journalist trying to bring home the best and most complete story; he was telling a very good story.
All in all, it's a surprisingly nice book.
December 28, 2009
Excellent travel book and very interesting in terms of what the huge industrial machine that China is. I have been to China twice and Joe Bennett described perfectly what it is like to be there. Telling his experiences in food, travel and language capture exactly how I felt during my 4 weeks in China during 2006. I especially appreciate how Bennett shows respect for the Chinese people and how he seems to really embrace people and culture where ever he travels. While the overall story of this book seems to be a better understanding of just how China does what it does in supplying the world with just about every sort of product you could think of, Joe helps us to realize that the enemy is not Chinese people. I am already looking for other books written by Joe Bennett.
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