Customer Reviews

Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation or How He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I like Maarten: he's half Czech, I'm half Czech; he's actually lived in Port Vila Vanuatu with his wife, I've actually lived in Port Vila Vanuatu with my wife. In addition, he is much funnier than I am. His books about the South Pacific ("The Sex Lives of Cannibals" [SLC] and "Getting Stoned with Savages" [GSWS]) were hoots, and very accurate from what I can attest to from having spent time in some of the same places (Vanuatu and Fiji).

In "Lost on Planet China" (LPC) Maarten is still funny, but much less so in this book than in his two previous works. I counted five personal "laugh out louds" from LPC, as opposed to the dozens and dozens of "laugh out louds" I experienced from both SLC and GSWS. I found his personal opinions usually reasonable (having spent some time in China, I disagree with some of those other reviewers apparently offended by Maarten's honesty), but some of his jokes began to become repetitious (example: by the time he is blaming George Bush for not getting served meatballs in Xian I actually closed the book for a day - this was approximately tenth time a similar "W" attempt at humor was clumsily inserted). But mostly, the editing of LPC is horrible. He mentions at the end (in his Acknowledgements) that his editor was giving birth during the time she was editing one of his chapters. Actually, it reads as if she was giving birth during the last 1/4 of the book. This end section is disjointed, confusing (example: a reference is made to something that apparently happened earlier during Maarten's trip, but which seems to have been redacted out of an earlier chapter), and frequently just plain boring.

This book is like we've started on a very interesting trip of discovery together with a person you know with a reputation for being funny. Things start well, as time goes on you have some minor issues, but you are still enjoying yourself and learning. Then things begin to get disorganized and you actually start to wonder why you are still going along. It's not just that China is complex (as the author keeps pointing out), it's because the trip itself is beginning to seem pointless. You keep thinking it's got to get better, and despite a few brief respites, it does not get better. Even though the first 250-300 pages are good, the last 100 pages are a chore and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Or maybe it's the live squids.

One final thought: although I doubt that Maarten had anything to do with the map, it is rather interesting. Taiwan appears to be a province of the PRC - Broadway Books does not apparently consider the ROC as a separate country - yet Tibet appears (judging by the typeface) to be some sort of separate country. Complex indeed.

J. Maarten Troost has taken us to a small atoll in the South Pacific and to the volcanic Vanauatu in his previous books, Sex Lives of Cannibals and Getting Stoned With Savages. Now he turns his wit and observational skills on that great unknown,China, in his latest endeavor, Lost on Planet China, and what a marvelous travelogue it is!

Told with his trademark wry humor, Lost on Planet China follows Troost as he starts off in the big cities of Beijing (which has given me a whole new perspective on the 2008 Summer Olympics), Shanghai, and Hong Kong. I was flabbergasted at the amount of pollution in China; it seems its entry into the twenty-first century is coming at a very high price. But like Troost, it was the western travels through Tibet, Leaping Tiger Gorge, and Dunhuang that I found the most informative and interesting. Troost's writing is such that I could feel the thin air and experience the death-defying trails seemingly first hand; his interactions with the peoples of China were fascinating glimpses into lives that I doubt I'll ever experience. I love that Troost chose to visit not just the obvious tourist stops such as the Terra Cotta Warriors and the Great Wall, but also smaller islands like Putuoshan. I came away with a real flavor for the history and the feel of China.

I enjoyed this book immensely, though I do wish Troost had told me two things that continually popped into my mind throughout the reading: Where did he get the money for such an extended trip (not that it's actually my business, but I'm curious), and what was his reunion with his wife and two young sons like once he finally left Planet China? Other than those two minor points, I have to say that this is another engaging entry in Troost's repetoire, and I'll be eagerly looking forward to seeing where we'll be traveling next.

As an aside, do watch the short films on the homepage of this book on Amazon. Not only are they funny, they give a bit of insight into the scenery and conditions experienced in Lost on Planet China.

Let it not be said that Maarten Troost is not an entertaining, humorous guy who's seemingly willing to try almost anything for the adventure, if not for laughs. Unfortunately, the price for trying so hard to be glib in travel writing is that it can too easily devolve into exaggeration and a (perhaps unintentional) condescendion toward the people and places the writer encounters.

Thus it is with LOST ON PLANET CHINA, reportedly Troost's third travel book and the first I've read. This book regrettably comes across as half dabble, half slumming, and all for effect. Troost begins his journey in Beijing, where he repeatedly insults his translator tour guide Miao Miao by spelling her name Meow Meow and suggesting her name is that of a Bond girl). He then moves in a more or less circular fashion around the country to Tai Shan, Qingdao, Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Putuoshan Island, Hong Kong/Macau, Guangzhou, Dali, Lijiang, Lhasa, Lanzhou, Dunhuang, Chengdu, Xi'an, Harbin, and finally Dandong at the North Korean border. Troost samples a number of China's most famous sites and places on the cheap, as it were. This of course affords him the opportunity to travel on ultracrowded trains, sleep in crummy hotels, and generally experience a bit of the country's less fulsome underbelly.

All of this adds up to what we might call, with full ironic intent, a "pretty picture." China isn't just dirty, it's a veritable pigpen of dirt, dust, human and animal feces, and garbage. Chinese people don't just spit, they shower each other and Western visitors in a continuous barrage of what Mr. Troost charmingly calls "loogies." Chinese people aren't just without manners, they're positively animal-like in their incivility. The country isn't just heavily populated, it's a nightmare of human gridlock that would have confirmed Malthus's worst imaginings. The air isn't just polluted, it's visible, it's brown or gray or both, and it can kill you in a matter of weeks.

While these extreme representations serve a peculiar form of disparaging, Animal House-like juvenile humor, they hardly serve the reader who really wants to learn about or understand China. Yes, these behaviors and problems exist, and many are pervasive if not tragic, but they hardly make the country the tourist nightmare Mr. Troost would have us believe. Having traveled moderately extensively in China, lived in the Shanghai area (in Suzhou) for most of three years in a standard apartment block building, visited a number of the same cities and locales Mr. Troost describes, and ridden on trains in several parts of the country, I barely recognized the China I know in this author's descriptions. I've seen and experienced all the same things this author disparages, but they pale in comparison to the warm, positive experiences I've had with Chinese people and culture. If all I had to go on were LOST ON PLANET CHINA, I would never want to visit the country he describes. To the extent that this book's readers might reach that unhappy conclusion, the loss would be theirs. Shame on you for that, Mr. Troost.

Imagine for a moment that an educated, culturally jaded Chinese citizen spent the better part of the year mimicking Mr. Troost's travels, only in the United States. That individual could then sit down and pen a travel book about traffic jams, fundamentalist churchgoers, strip malls, professional wrestling and car-crushing events, people weighing 350 pounds and carrying 75% of it in their hips and posteriors, dirty streets in major cities, gun-slinging NRA'ers, decaying roads and falling bridges, a train system that is the embarrassment of the industrialized world, fanatical, hate-spewing political talking heads, and the like. New York City could be reduced to its dirty streets and aging subways, Washington D.C. to its crime rate and failing schools, and so on. That, in a nutshell, is what Mr. Troost gives the reader about most of China - a view through dirt-streaked (as opposed to rose-colored) glasses.

Curiously, for all his close-to-the-people travel experiences, Mr. Troost has very little to offer from individual Chinese people beyond a few tour guides. We never really meet China through it people or experience its culture except through the cynical, Seth Rogen eyes of the author. And that's not the real China any more than the description above is the real America. Elements of truth yes, but exaggerated for negative, albeit perhaps humorous effect. It's a sad type of humor though, one that has numerous ugly predecessors in American history - the colonialist attitude of nineteenth century Westerners in Shanghai, treatment of Chinese coolies as little more than slaves, the buck-tooth caricatures, the Chinese Exclusion Act, and much more. Mr. Troost travels the very edges of this prejudice, stopping just short of calling out 1.3 billion people as little yellow monkeys. Humor through gross exaggeration and racial condescension is really not very funny. It's just hurtful and unfortunate.

While Mr. Troost is certainly a talented writer and an amusing personality he fails miserably in his attempt to "understand the world's most mystifying nation." Perhaps if he had tried to get to know some Chinese people rather than just wandering around and complaining about the polluted air he might have come closer. In fact if you took out all of the references to the air in China this book would have been reduced to a rather shortish magazine article. Troost covered a lot of ground in China - Beijing to Hong Kong to Tibet and beyond but I cannot find where he records a single instance of a more than cursory encounter with a Chinese person. The Chinese are what's incredible about China. This book would have been infinitely more informative and entertaining if he had slowed down a little and gotten to know them a little better.

I would only recommend this book to someone who is already well-versed in Chinese culture, historical events, and the political, social and economic situation developing in the world's newest superpower, and only then as an example of misinformation available in popular media. While reviews in The New York Time and others have remarked upon the success of Troost's style as neither travel writing nor journalism, they overlook the rather blatant fact that he relies entirely upon sensationalism and misconception, resulting in a skewered and often derogatory description that misleads the reader.

While he attempts to engage the reader through self-defacing humor at his own inaptitude, this just adds insult to injury. Troost is essentially taking all of a Westerner's fears about foreign travel and China, and magnifying them. His occasional insightful observation is undermined by his relentless disparaging comments and poor understanding of Chinese culture and history. At every turn, Troost affirms Western values, beliefs, policies and lifestyle at the expense of what China may have to offer. As a Westerner who has extensively studied and lived in Asia, I can tell you that China has many faults, which must be address with all due seriousness. But Troost lacks in the necessary cultural sensitivity, focusing solely on the negative. This influences the reader in a negative way, especially if that reader is, as the inside flap of the book suggests, an "armchair" traveler. Troost is the type of tourist I have encountered, both abroad and at home, whose attitude reflects poorly on himself and the nation he is supposed to be representing as a guest in another country. He is the type I have been tempted on a number of occasions to tell to simply go home. Imagine if someone came to America and only wrote about the obesity epidemic, the mass hysteria encouraged by the media, and our rampant commercialism?

I would go so far as to label this book a work of Orientalism, a term defined by the academic Edward Said. He wrote about how cultures will choose an Other against which to compare themselves. Everything that is good about us can be reflected as a negative aspect of them. We are clean and progressive; they are dirty and backwards. In Lost on Planet China, Troost establishes the whole of China as the Other of the West. His paltry attempts at humor through self-mockery hardly make up for his off-hand, uninformed and usually dismissive remarks about a rich, vibrant nation. Despite all its faults, China deserves better. The author's note in the beginning of the book, which states Troost knows nothing about China other than the same random bits of common knowledge as most Westerners, should really read as a disclaimer, a warning to potential readers.

If you are looking for a book to read about another culture and laugh at their shortcomings, and feel better about your own, this is the book for you. If you are looking for travel writing about China that is informative, well-written and entertaining, I would suggest Peter Hessler's Oracle Bones.

As a China born, now California resident, I felt quite curious to read what an American had to say about my home country.

In the beginning, I will admit, I was somewhat offended by the way he portrayed us but then as I began to remember my last visit to my hometown (1 hour's drive from Bejing) and read more, I realized he was right. We do have quite a lot of pollution. We are possibly the rudest people on the planet. And the traffic is hell (what is considered good driving there, which is not crashing into someone, is quite different here.)

Some parts, like the beggars and the takeover of Tibet made me cry. I used to think Tibet was better off with China but after reading this, I realize I was grieviously blinded. Now I want to kick all my fellow Chinese out of Tibet. I do wonder though, if he gave the beggars money.

A lot of parts made me laugh. Hard. But I won't give any specifics away.

I learned a lot. Seriously, my mother didn't even know that you can bargain for taxi rides. Though we refrained from speaking english there to make sure we weren't cheated. The Mao Regimen especially was an eyeopener. I knew he was bad, but not Hitler bad. It really shows how censored China is.

And yes, it's true. We Chinese are proud. And we also hate Japan (most of us anyways - you'd be hard pressed to find someone not). And we can get REALLY crazy. One actress was told to wear pants with a picture of the Japanese flag on it for a photoshoot. Big mistake. China shamed her, crowds threw eggs at her, and people relentlessly bashed her on the internet. Poor dear. This was worse than when the Chinese actresses were shamed for being in Memoirs of a Geisha.

I was slightly dissapointed that he didn't visit a McDonald's (only here in China do you see businessmen having lunch meetings at Mickey Dees) or my hometown as we have a good selection of fresh fruit available every day. But we also have people throwing cucumbers out of their 5th story window as a way of saying "Shut up!". And beaches infested with jellyfish. That are later served for dinner.

Overall, this book was amazing, refreshingly honest, and wonderfully written. It's addictive yet light enough that you can let go of the book with only mild efforts and get some sleep.

Back during the Bubble Era of Japan, when they looked posed to take over the economic world and everyone was scrambling to catch up, there were a gazillion travel guides and cultural books dumped out of publishing companies looking to "explain it all" (make a fast buck) or just to show us what a wild and wacky place that country was with their odd customs and eating habits. Well, the bubble burst, and Japan was forced to exit stage left, and the new contender of China has stepped up to strut. Exit gaijin, enter laowai.

But that's OK. These kinds of books may be shallow and basic travel porn, but depending on the strength of the writer (Bill Bryson for instance. Anthony Bourdain for another) can be fun to read and just maybe we will glean a little insight between clever witticisms. I mean, we certainly aren't going to go there ourselves now are we? So we live a little vicariously.

And by these standards, how does J. Maarten Troost do? Does he pull it off? To be honest, he does OK. "Lost on Planet China" is not bad at all. From the start he admits that he has no interest or knowledge of China, nor any real reason to go there. Of course, there is a small subplot about thinking of moving his family there do to the high cost of living in California, but this is discarded after a few pages and never mentioned again. It soon becomes obvious that Troost has gone to China because he is a travel writer by trade, he needs to make a paycheck just like everyone else, and what with China being "hot" right now it only makes sense to make that his next book. Off we go.

Troost manages to keep my interest and take me on a tour through actually quite a bit of a large country. Unfortunately we are not given a timeline of his tour, but he seems to have spent several months there rather than the cursory few weeks, and he becomes more comfortable with the country as the months go by. This is by far the most unique and fascinating part of "Lost on Planet China". As he becomes bolder, and his preconceived notions fall away, the book becomes much more interesting and his destinations more adventurous. After all, Asia is only weird to those who don't live there, and after a few months Troost's impressions show more depth, and there is less of the "Wow, what a wacky country!" feel to the book.

And "Lost in Planet China" is definitely no love letter. Troost has a great contempt for much of what he sees, and justifiably so. Horrible pollution and poverty, absolute government control and rampant corruption and gangs...anyone looking to be lost in the beauty and majesty of this ancient culture isn't going to find it here. That also is an interesting and enjoyable part of the book. Most travel writers feel the need to connect with the country, to find the common ground and suggest that if only we could just understand then we would see the inner beauty. Not Troost. It is a refreshing viewpoint, but one sure to upset those looking for a feel-good travel book.

There are a lot of faults here. The book is long and dull in parts, there are some spelling mistakes, and the whole thing could use some editing. There is nothing particularly spectacular about his writing, but it isn't bad either. However, "Lost on Planet China" is worth a read just for Troost's raw honesty and some of the cool places he takes you. I am sure the market will soon be flooded with "China Wow!" books of more polish and professionalism, but they probably won't be any better than this.

Troost is funny, observant and an extremely energetic traveler. He not only avoids the "beaten path" but seems to avoid entire regions that have them. His trips are well researched yet he retains a good bit of flexibility as he travels. This is the first of his books that I have read and, based on other readers' comments, may check out another before I pass any final judgments.

I'm a sucker for any book that has a map on the inside covers and love travelogues where the author actually travels rather than simply visits. There's no denying that Lost on Planet China covers a tremendous amount of territory. What bothers me about most of the book is that Troost often prefers to criticize rather than understand. It's obvious from the start that he has little affection for Chinese cities or their inhabitants. It's not until he reaches Tibet that we see any glimmer of pleasure in his commentary. Even though I heartily agree with his disdain for the Chinese government's conquest and destruction of Tibet, I am not very comfortable with his ongoing expressions of distaste for modern Chinese culture and customs. A lot of the book's best laughs come at the expense of the people he is observing. After a while, the jokes about flying loogies, his ongoing dismay that signs and transit information in Chinese cities are so inconsiderately written in Chinese and his frustration with the massive crowds and dense pollution gets a bit old. It's often hard to see where the humor leaves off and personal bias takes over.

You may want to write this off as a minority opinion, but I just can't escape the feeling that virtually all of Troost's humor comes at his subject's expense.

What a great book. Well written and witty. I felt like I was in China with him. Having friends who recently returned from China after adopting children, and their experiences there, I would recommend that everyone read this book before traveling to China. What an eye opener, and so funny at times that I laughed out loud. Educational, informative and entertaining all at once. The author has a wonderful personality and sense of humor- I could easily travel with him and think the same thoughts he did at events and surroundings he experienced. I was sorry the journey ended. If there were more than five stars, this book would get them.

First off, I had to put this book down at p. 50 to vent. I picked up Lost on Planet China in order to read a light-hearted and entertaining take on traveling in China. I've been to China in the recent past and have studied both the language and culture. From the start of the narrative, Troost fully admits his nearly total lack of familiarity with the region, detailing outdated conceptions of modern Chinese society held by many Americans. Today, China's historical legacy from the 20th Century conjures up images of a totalitarian police-state dominated by the Party, a situation fundamentally at odds with China's latest GDP statistics splashed across world headlines. Troost sets out to find what makes the Middle Kingdom tick, seeking to understand the world's most populous nation that has skyrocketed to prominence on the global stage.

So which is it, Iron Rice Bowl or Rising Dragon? So far, Troost falls flat on his face in his efforts to gain any substantial knowledge from his experiences. And what can you, the reader, glean from his keen observations? Well, China is kind of dirty for starters. People spit all the time, and there the air' quality's not really up to par. When faced with the myriad contradictions underlying the political and social situation in China today, Troost's running commentary comes across as inane and idiotic. He backs away from any insightful reflections on important issues and consistently relies on hastily made judgements and pitifully misinformed preconceptions. Put together, the poorly edited patchwork of anecdotes hold the potential for mass misinformation in a depiction of a nation and society far beyond his limited grasp and inadequate literary chops.

If the writer admittedly knows next to nothing about the place he is traveling through, he should at the very least bring an open mind ready to absorb new experiences and try to bridge gaps in cultural understanding. What exactly qualifies Troost to even conceive of writing this book? Well for starters... nothing. No, J. Maarten, the constant stream of insipid and uninspired attempts at humor fail to instill any measure of readability in your book. I can make gross (and culturally belittling) generalizations about China from the comfort of my sofa without ever cracking a page. Bottom line, Lost on Planet China smacks of a thinly veiled market ploy to cash in on the whole burgeoning "China Rising" hype set to coincide with the 2008 Olympics. If anyone is truly seeking to understand the complexities at work in today's China from a more open and enlightened perspective, I would absolutely recommend Peter Hessler's River Town over Lost on Planet China any day. Sadly, J. Maartern Troost remains mystified.

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (P.S.)