Product Description

Simon Winchester undertakes a journey from the mouth of the Yangste River to its source. This is the story of the river, it's cities and their people, built around the author's own journey to discover something of the essence of China and her people, the Yangtse being her soul and centre

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82601 in Books
• Published on: 1998-02-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 448 pages

About the Author
Simon Winchester, who has reported from almost everywhere during an award-winning 20 year career as a Guardian correspondent, now lives in NY. He is the Asia-Pacific Editor for Conde Nast Traveler & contributes to a number of American magazines, as well as the Daily Telegraph, the Spectator and the BBC. His books include: OUTPOSTS: TRAVELS TO THE REMAINS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE; KOREA: A WALK THROUGH THE LAND OF MIRACLES; THE PACIFIC; PACIFIC NIGHTMARE; PRISON DIARY, ARGENTINA.

Customer Reviews

Starter Kit for China
This book contains a wondrous selection of linguistic oddities - those that could do with the attention of a proof-reader (bindles, decoctions and similar), spellings that illustrate trans-atlantic schizophrenia (dike/dyke) and lack of confidence with prepositions (`raft the river' and `raft on the river'. There are the obscure phrases(.. sealed his letter with a huge red chop), the peculiar (.. gun his engine, .. jury-rig the radiator) and the occasional reference that I feel is simply wrong e.g. `Tibetan bibles' (Bibles being Christian Holy Script, not Buddhist.
Apart from these obstacles, the rest of the language is beautifully crafted and descriptive. It is an excellent `Starter Kit' for those interested in China but with little or no previous knowledge - informative but it doesn't batter you with too many facts.

A Mystery Within
If you are interested in China, and the Yangtze in particular, this is a fascinating read. It is cram packed with information on the Yangtze and and the countryside it travels through on its journey from its source. I have one major reservation, though: if you read between the lines it may not be all that it seems. At the outset he makes clear how much he owes to Lily, his 'guide and mentor' without whom he could never have made the journey. It turns out that the journey is long and arduous; they are frequently uncomfortable, and find themselves in serious danger on more than a few occasions. Throughout, Lily proves a tower of strength, even though sometimes fearful and, especially when dealing with Chinese officialdom. At the end of what seems to have been an epic journey Winchester leaves his companions, Lily among them, and walks off to view the 'source' of the Yangtze on his own: and that's the end of the book. From what I could make out about Lily I hardly think she would have stayed behind and not travelled those last few yards with Winchester to see, what we are told is to the Chinese, the 'cradle of China'. Something fishy seems to be going on.

Similarly, he gives the impression throughout the book that he stops and 'chats' with the locals as they are passing through. Now, unless he's a linguist of some note this seems highly unlikely. Especially, when you consider that Chinese accents and dialects can be mutually incomprehensible within relatively few miles of each other. And especially when he arrives in the land of the Yi, Naxi and Yao peoples who speak languages that are Tibetan-Burmese linguistically. Of course, he never says he is or he isn't a remarkable linguist: but why leave readers with this impression? Does he think it adds kudos to his account?

With these reservations I am left wondering how much of the journey he actually did himself and how much he constructed from the many interviews and considerable research he carried out. After all, Lily must remain conveniently anonymous, and so we are left to take him at his word. In a review by his publisher he is described as curious, urbane, witty and knowledgeable - nowhere are significant linguistic skills mentioned, even in passing.

These reservations take the edge off the book, but it is still an interesting and thought-provoking read.

A travel book with a difference
When I bought this book I was actually looking for a different book by the same author but this one caught my eye – I wasn’t disappointed.

The book tells of the efforts of Simon Winchester to travel all the way along The Yangtze river from east of Shanghai to the mountains of Tibet. There’s none of the humour of Bill Bryson or Peter Moore; instead this is more the sort of book you could imagine Alan Whicker writing.

At the start, Winchester explains some of the background to the book, notably explaining upstream and downstream, and introducing his travel companion whose real name we are not told for the risk of endangering her safety with Chinese authorities. Clearly, you’re reading a serious travel book. As the journey progresses he describes in detail Shanghai, Nanking, The Three Gorges (before the completion of the hydroelectric dam being built there) and Shigu (an astonishing place a long way along the Yangtze where the river undertakes a quite astonishing turn).

The book is written against the background of bureaucracy and officialdom which at various points threaten the continuation of the story.

As someone who has travelled only very briefly in China, I was absolutely fascinated by this book which perhaps in some way provides a little insight into a country which has so very much to offer.