Adrift in China (Summersdale Travel) [Paperback]

Simon Myers (Author)

Book Description

Series: Summersdale Travel | Publication Date: May 31, 2002

China is the third largest country in the world, holds nearly a quarter of the earth's population and claims a recorded history going back more than 3000 years. Foreigners' reactions to China and its people veer from one extreme to the other, as if the gargantuan size of the place demands a sweeping response. Simon Myers spent years in the Middle Kingdom trying to fathom just an inkling of China. Firstly as a Western student, still preoccupied with searching for much-missed dairy products; then as a businessman selling the capitalist icon, Coca-Cola, inaugurated to Business Drinking and losing face; and finally, independence - on the road on a Chinese motorbike and sidecar. In this work he offers an informed and personal account of China, aiming to go behind the cliches and provide a different take on life in this fascinating and frustrating country.

Editorial Reviews

Review

- Phillip Blazdell - BootsnAll Travel

Myers, with a nice mixture of poignant and quirkily amusing prose, documents his experiences. This is an ambitious book and one that Myers himself seems somewhat astonished to have written. He states that this book is 'about a journey in China. One that started in 1990 and finished eight years later in a daze on a Changjian motorbike and sidecar in London. I didn't think it would take that long – honest. If I had thought it would, I doubt I would have started. What began as an innocent year abroad to learn another language slipped unnoticed, like a tributary of the Yellow River, inevitable and lazy, into something bigger and more demanding.' But Myers has produced a book which on one level is a humorous account of endless drinking sessions, disgruntled North Korean students, hellish working conditions, frustrating situations and the sheer mind-numbing frustration of living and working in China which stands shoulder-shoulder with comic writers such as Bill Bryson and Peter Moore (actually, Moore's writing would benefit greatly from reading Myers book) whilst on another level it is a detailed, and somewhat thrilling, portrait of a country in transition. Much of the humour of this book (and there are many parts which caused me to laugh out loud) revolves around the mind-bending quantities of alcohol that the author is forced to drink. On one memorable occasion he thinks that he will survive a cooperate drinking session when he sees thimble-like cups on the table only to learn that these are to be replaced with bucket size vessels.
Overall this is a well-written, amusing and thoughtful book. The author has managed to capture a country in transition and provide a valuable insight into its people, its culture and its strange and bizarre business practises. This book should be on anyone who is interested in China's list.

- China Review

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Summersdale (May 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840242175
• ISBN-13: 978-1840242171
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,665,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious account of travels throught the middle country, July 12, 2005

By 

Ogdred Weary "AliX" (Shanghai) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adrift in China (Summersdale Travel) (Paperback)

Living in China myself, I can relate to Myers' experiences. Truth is much stranger than fiction in China, and he captures it wonderfully. I recomend this book to anyone who has an interest in contemporary China or travel writing in general.

4.0 out of 5 stars Adrift in China, October 2, 2009

By 

slow guy "cj750hack" (middle america) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Adrift in China (Summersdale Travel) (Paperback)

I found this book to be an enjoyable, quick read. It is part travelogue and part business book, revealing the details of an elaborate hospitality ritual (involving lots of alcohol), necessary to do business in China in the early days of capitalism. I bought the book because it features the Chang Jiang CJ750 motorcycle as the escape vehicle of choice. This is a Chinese reproduction of a late 1930's BMW motorcycle, with sidecar, as used in WW2. I would have liked to learn more about the bike, but overall found the book to be well written and interesting.