Across China [Mass Market Paperback]

Peter Jenkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 1988

In the mid-1970s Peter Jenkins set out across the country's heartland to rediscover America. His stirring account of that extraordinary quest unfolded in the two bestselling books, A Walk Across America and The Walk West, which brought joy and inspiration to millions of readers.

Now The Magnificent Journey Of Discovery Continues On The Far Side Of The World...

Across China

A phone call from a friend marked the beginning of a rare opportunity for Peter Jenkins to trek deep into Tibet, over Mount Everest, and across China to gaze on an ancient mysterious land that few Westerners have ever seen. You will share in his wonder and excitement as he joins some of the world's most daring adventures to conquer the Himalayas...as he defies the Chinese authorities to explore an off-limits fishing village...as he wanders across the steppes of the proud Mongol herdsmen to wrestle with the descendents of Genghis Khan's legendary Golden Horde.

Across China is the journal of a don't-fence-me-in American. It is the story of an astonishing voyage that opened his eyes to new worlds and his heart to new friends, a voyage that strengthened his pride in America.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In chronological sequence Jenkins writes three different types of narrative. The first, set at his Tennessee home, recounts the origins of his China trip. Another follows the 1984 American expedition to Mt. Everest via the unclimbed north slope in Tibet. A third narrative shifts to Jenkins's own travel to the grasslands of Inner Mongolia and the south China coast at Fuzhou. His colorful, casual prose and numerous photographs carry the reader along with him. As a book on China travel this is not unique; Journey into China ( LJ 2/15/83) and James Ballingall's A Taste of China ( LJ 9/15/84) are representative of the genre. Where this excels is in the suspenseful mountaineering sections on Everest. The disconnected arrangement of narratives, however, detracts from the net effect. For mountaineering collections. Elizabeth A. Teo, Moraine Valley Community Coll. Lib., Palos Hills, Ill.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Across China is a prism which refracts cultural differences and in which common human concerns converge....Refreshing and full of infectious good humor."

The Baltimore Sun

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (March 12, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449214567
• ISBN-13: 978-0449214565
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #594,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute wonderful journey into a once forbidden country., March 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Across China (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read all of Peter's books and have fallen in love with his exciting journeys. But none have touched me as much as "Across China". No anthropologist could touch the 'ways' of the Chinese people as Peter has. The 'fixes' he gets himself into (and out) are so hilarious that you find yourself sitting on the edge of your seat right along with him. The book is so well written that you find yourself on the last page before you are ready to close the back cover. You are guaranteed to read Peter Jenkins books more than once as watching a best selling movie over and over.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Jenkins writes like an old freind telling you a story, October 23, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Across China (Mass Market Paperback)

>I fell in love with Peter Jenkins work when I read WALK ACROSS AMERICA. After reading a few pages you feel like you are right beside him during his adventures. This book is wonderful, because he opens up an entire new world that the West knows very little about. The people in the book become real. This will be one of the best books that you will ever read.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More food please., December 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Across China (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was pretty good, and it read really fast. I would have liked a little more detail about some of the places. It was very hard to get a feel for the time element in Jenkins' trip. Also, it seemed like a lot of China was left out. I know Jenkins set out to see the "real China," but it seemed as though much of it was unaccounted for. Then again, I guess the book is called "across" and not "all around." I thought that he did a good job conveying the impact of the cultural revolution, but, overall I was left a little cold by the way the whole book seemed to hurry me back to America. Read this to get you acquainted with places and ideas, then read "7 Years in Tibet" and "The Snow Leopard" to really teach you something.