Customer Reviews

China Underground

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Having recently read and reviewed Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven, in which two women travel to Communist China in the '80s, I was fascinated to read Zachary Mexico's riveting portraits of "underground" artists, musicians, and intellectuals in the newer, more open China of the 21st century. I actually had Zachary Mexico's father as a guest Pilates client for several days here at Parrot Cay. I always ask guests about the books they are reading while on holiday, and he actually gave me his copy of the book just before he left so that I could read it for review.

Having lived in Kunming, China from 2002-2004, Mexico found that he really missed China. As he says, "it is hard to imagine a more exciting place than China." With a growing economy and more personal creative freedom, people at every level of Chinese society are changing and growing in ways nobody would have imagined 10 or 20 years ago. So he decided to return and write "about the crazy people I'd met in China and the even crazier people they'd introduced me to."

China Underground takes us from the mountains of Dali, where green marijuana grows freely and is smoked freely by just about everybody, to Linfen, the most polluted city in the world, where everyone wears masks to filter the obvious particles out of the air. He visits with prostitutes (known as chickens), with minority Uighur musicians, with filmmakers, writers, homosexuals (rabbits), and academics.

I must admit that I was at first shocked by the amount of drug use among the younger Chinese. Pot, black hashish, ketamine, cocaine... many are stoned all day every day. And they are disillusioned after growing up in a Communist system that actively discourages individual creative thought and any kind of critical argument.

The overall feeling of the book is hard to pin down, as even the same people express desperation, glee, excitement, despair, boredom, and impatience all in the space of a few hours or days. People want change, but aren't necessarily prepared for what change might mean.

Mexico offers a peek into the inside inner workings of daily life in China that most of us will never get to see. You will be surprised, shocked, and horrified. You will laugh, cry, and get angry. But most of all China Underground will make you think about China differently. This is not the Communist China we grew up with!

>> I just finished Zachary Mexico's book. I'm amazed by his
>> eloquent story telling, the clarity of his observations and his
>> proficiency in the subtleties of the Chinese language. I was struck by his
>> bravery to travel alone throughout China following leads, exploring the dicey
>> underbelly of an enormous, complex country and exposing his findings.
>
>> The writings show an avid interest in people's stories, a gift of
>> conversation, a true non-judgemental ( my spell checker is telling me that is not a word) compassion for how people deal with their lot in life.
>>
>> The book was captivating because of the fascinating, real people interviewed and because of Zachary's youthful yet wise reactions to his surroundings. In addition to character descriptions and life situations he fleshed out his studies by writing about their living spaces, food choices, clothing fit and interestingly, brand names of their cigarettes as if that too reflected upon one's character. He sees China as a worldly, yet objective, young outsider, free to express what is often not sanctioned in China. His inclusion of historical contexts was extremely helpful.

I lived in Shanghai for a year in college in the mid 90's and some of the stories in the book really resonated with what I saw there. I give kudos to Zachary's passion for journalism and being amiable enough to be invited inside the locked closets. The stories are captivating and fascinating and together paint a picture. However having lived there I felt the culmination of stories where only a slice of the pie.

This book arrived just at the right time. Having resided in China for three months, I was just getting to grips with the 'lay of the land' and wanted answers to questions about what really goes on under the surface of this bewildering, fantastic country. China Underground holds no punches, it is seen through the eyes of a writer who 'got down amongst it all' and gained the confidence of a handful of characters who were prepared to speak out. It was an easy, racy read and made was totally believable - in fact, I crossed paths with one of the musicians Mexico talks about in one of his later chapters. It is a fascinating, revealing exploration into the lives of some colourful characters caught up in contemporary China, a country struggling to work out what it is and where it is going. I am surprised it made it throught customs but very glad it did.

fun and insightful vignettes into moderm chinas cultural and generational clashes. worthy buy as a lghter but still relevant read. author has a rather western persoecitve and his work reflects his agenda.

My travel companions and I read this book during our second lengthy travel through China and found it a great complement to what we could see on our own and to Peter Hessler's books. Its writing is uneven in style but always interesting and entertaining. I not only recommended it to others but bought several copies for my friends.

This firsthand memoir of the author's encounter with the 'new China' and its cultures and characters makes for a key travelogue focusing on contemporary Chinese culture from the young traveler's vantage point, and is an essential acquisition for any library strong in travelogues or Chinese culture. From a punk band's struggles to Beijing's drug-fueled club scene, chapters survey the rejects and outsiders of contemporary Chinese society.

if you even have the sligghtest intrest in china then you have probably read some boring travel books about the country and its historical atractions. i was never one to be into tourist traps so when i read this book i was stoked to read about how the culuture really is in china. the author puts you right into the lives of a variety of people living in modern china. thank you zachary mexico i really enjoyed this book

China Underground quickly captured my attention. Zach Mexico skillfully recounts stories told from the private perspective of his real life subjects. Mexico has an impressive gift for relaying their stores. Perhaps what most impressed me was his ability to have earned such trust from his subjects in so short a time. He is both their confidante and the purveyor of their extremely personal truths. That is a gift in of itself.

The book was truly astonishing. I was amazed by all of the unique people and situations the author encountered over his time in China. He's an insightful writer who took me into a culture of a country I have always been fascinated with but due to its political climate, remains a mystery. I was very impressed with his experiences of traveling in areas that a normal tourist would never even come close to. It was truly not the China I studied in school or the one I watched on television during the Olympics. The diversity of the people he encountered and experiences that he came across was absolutely fascinating, enlightening, and shocking all at the same time.

I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly