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Guy Delisle

Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China Hardcover – October 17, 2006

by Guy Delisle (Author), Helge Dascher (Translator)

133 ratings

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The follow-up graphic novel to the acclaimed Pyongyang: A Journey to North Korea
Shenzhen is entertainingly compact, with Guy Delisle's observations of life in a cold urban city in southern China that is sealed off from the rest of the country by electric fences and armed guards. With a dry wit and a clean line, Delisle makes the most of his time spent in Asia overseeing outsourced production for a French animation company. By translating his fish-out-of-water experiences into accessible graphic novels,Delisle is quick to find the humor and point out the differences between Western and Eastern cultures. Yet he never forgets to relay his compassion for the simple freedoms that escape his colleagues by virtue of living in a Communist state.

Print length

152 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Drawn and Quarterly
Publication date

October 17, 2006
Dimensions

6.47 x 0.75 x 8.77 inches
ISBN-10

1894937791
ISBN-13

978-1894937795
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Last year's Pyongyang introduced Delisle's acute voice, as he reported from North Korea with unusual insight and wit, not to mention wonderfully detailed cartooning. Shenzhen is not a follow-up so much as another installment in what one hopes is an ongoing series of travelogues by this talented artist. Here he again finds himself working on an animated movie in a Communist country, this time in Shenzhen, an isolated city in southern China. Delisle not only takes readers through his daily routine, but also explores Chinese custom and geography, eloquently explaining the cultural differences city to city, company to company and person to person. He also goes into detail about the food and entertainment of the region as well as animation in general and his own career path. All of this is the result of his intense isolation for three months in an anonymous hotel room. He has little to do but ruminate on his surroundings, and readers are the lucky beneficiaries of his loneliness. As in his earlier work, Delisle draws in a gentle cartoon style: his observations are grounded in realism, but his figures are light cartoons, giving the book, as Delisle himself remarks, a feeling of an alternative Tintin. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Delisle's Pyongyang (2005) documented two months spent overseeing cartoon production in North Korea's capital. Now he recounts a 1997 stint in the Chinese boomtown Shenzhen. Even a decade ago, China showed signs of Westernization, at least in Special Economic Zones such as Shenzhen, where Delisle found a Hard Rock Cafe and a Gold's Gym. Still, he experienced near-constant alienation. The absence of other Westerners and bilingual Chinese left him unable to ask about baffling cultural differences ranging from exotic shops to the pervasive lack of sanitation. Because China is an authoritarian, not totalitarian, state, and Delisle escaped the oppressive atmosphere with a getaway to nearby Hong Kong, whose relative familiarity gave him "reverse culture shock," Delisle's wittily empathetic depiction of the Western-Chinese cultural gap is less dramatic than that of his Korean sojourn. That said, his creative skill suggests that the comic strip is the ideal medium for such an account. His wry drawings and clever storytelling convey his experiences far more effectively than one imagines a travel journal or film documentary would. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Drawn and Quarterly; First Edition (October 17, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 152 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1894937791
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1894937795
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.47 x 0.75 x 8.77 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #521,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #110 in Drawn & Quarterly Comic & Graphic Novels
- #1,012 in Literary Graphic Novels (Books)
- #1,978 in Travelogues & Travel Essays

Customer Reviews:
133 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		59%
4 star		24%
3 star		7%
2 star		7%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Michelle M

An entertaining look at one man's experiences in China

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2014

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This is the first book that I have read by this author and it was very entertaining. As another reviewer stated this truly is the story of a stranger in a strange land. Delisle was in China for work and that was the focus of his activities, he was not there to travel or discover things about the country. It is interesting to see the reactions on both sides of when he did try to interact with the Chinese (I particularly like their response to how overtime is handled in the Canada). There is a sense of loneliness and depression that permeate the book as the author tries to set up a daily and weekly routine and find activities to break the boredom. This however is offset by his thoughts on his experiences and the anecdotal stories from his life that he intersperses with the China stories.

I like that he showed the people trying to be good "hosts" to a visitor to their country and entertain him to the best of their ability - what was funny was his slightly puzzled reaction to these efforts. The drawing were simple and clean but conveyed people's reactions well and clearly showed the context of the situations he was describing. I enjoyed this novel and have bought more of the books in his travel series to see what happened to him in Burma and North Korea

One person found this helpful

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Michael Valdivielso

Very interesting point of view...

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2009

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After reviewing Pyongyang, which I found very interesting and have already reread a couple of times, I ordered his other books, one of them being this one. I happen to love everything about Japan, China, and other Asian nations, so as you can guess I enjoyed this book very much. Yes, I have reread it a couple of times even before doing this review. In some ways Mr. Delisle didn't really tell us anything we haven't heard before a hundred times. Yet I think some of the events, some of the happenings that happened to him, were interesting in the way he presented them to us. Maybe because he deals with the world in the form of shapes and forms and interactions, that he wants to understand cause and effect, and how things work.
There is no racism or buckteeth, not sure where one of the reviews got that, he just truly enjoys learning. I get the impression that he wants to understand just for the fun of it. He desires, in the end, to understand people, why they do things and uncover life's little mysteries. Like, who is stealing the manhole covers? Was the girl who put the photo albums on his desk in love with him? Why do the hostesses on the train give a military salute when they pull into the station?
Get it used or new, but enjoy it.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Marvellous depiction of expat life in industrial China

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2007

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Guy Delisle's book is a great example of a graphic novel, though this being nonfiction is not really a novel, that is able, or rather requires, the drawings to capture the atmosphere of his life in China. Set in Shenzhen, a city that is primarily a mega-industrial park, Delisle is on a short term international assignment to oversee a company doing animation for a French tv show. Through a sparse, yet entertaining story line, and dark, almost smoggy illustrations, he is able to capture the alienation and isolation of a Westerner's expat life in this grim city. Furthermore, the lack of available distractions are highlighted by one weekend trip to Hong Kong. This book is an entertaining read, and for anyone who has lived abroad for even a short time, it is enough to make you give thanks you did not have to live/work in Shenzhen.

3 people found this helpful

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David Liao

Not as strong as Pyongyang or Burma but still a great read

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2010

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It's a little smaller and more roughly drawn but you'll still get the same "flavor" of Guy DeLisle's perspective. Obviously, he sees a China different from that of a farmer, laborer, or state bureaucrat so there's still insulation from all the human rights abuses but what you do get is a picture of life in a big up-and-coming industrial city.

If you want a little taste of life as a tourist or a business visitor, this is a good start especially considering the pictures. There is some of the usual analysis you've come to expect but not to the extent in his other works.

One person found this helpful

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Michael R. Gallagher

Enjoyable book, Shenzhen has since changed (for good and bad)

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2007

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I first came to Shenzhen a year or two after Delisle spent his three months in the city, and I have been here since. Mr. Delisle should have gotten out a bit more and tried to get to know more expats at least, although understandable because his time was limited. There's no reason for a dull moment here. Nevertheless, many of his observations were spot on and made me chuckle about how things were and how some are still the same. The physical city has changed and it is so much easier to live a life with the comforts expats expect. Likewise, the outlook of the people here is much more cosmopolitan than before--although there are still many moments of cultural disjunction.

The inherent story of Shenzhen isn't as compelling as his book on Pyongyang, but Delisle has found plenty of observations that keep the book flowing fast. It's great snapshot of a city in the midst of a huge transformation. (BTW, that 15 story windowless building you saw once, but never saw again. It's a parking structure that is still around.)

4 people found this helpful

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lawrence david farrell

China from a unique view

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2014

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Because of his unique perspective as an invited animator, Delisle is able to insert himself into ordinary life in a large Chinese city without being constantly being 'managed' by state 'handlers'. The results are wry, and often very effective in stripping a rapidly changing society. He is very straightforward, without being condescending to the many people that he interacts with daily. He even gets in a little Shanghai and Hong Kong to boot! A new paradigm for both the travelogue and the 'graphic novel' formats.

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2016

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The book is a quick read. I don't think every body would enjoy or understand reading about other cultures this way, but I was entertained. I, probably, will purchase another one of these light reads. Anyone who has ever traveled to China would understand what the author is stating in his pictures. I plan to share my purchase with other friends who travel.

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E. J. Ford

Brilliant and Perceptive

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2013

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Delisle's various travelogues (involving China, North Korea, Israel, and Burma/Myanmar) are fascinating accounts of travel, discovery, disappointment, and delight. Though he often visits parts of the world that are dangerous or depressing, he always comes away with insightful cartoons as a result. Now, if only we can convince him to keep going to dangerous/inhumane locations...

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Top reviews from other countries

Killgrave

Funny and eye opening

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2021

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Very eye opening, extremely funny and easy to read. I suggest checking out the authors North Korea book as well.

CM

good book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2021

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the content is too old, not reflecting the current picture but it's still a great book.
very good presentation of the life experience as usual.

Bobolink

A highly observant, humorous, uncurious writer

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2019

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The observations in this book are brilliant. The author has a wonderful cultural sensitivity. Great artistic skill, witty references. The drawback is the author seems to find (self-professed) ignorance of the culture of his subject more rewarding (as an artist and writer) than knowledge, which requires more time and patience than the author appears to have. A very entertaining read that is makes a success of acute observations that lead nowhere.

sappy16

Enchanting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2013

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I really enjoyed this book - I read it in a night (not a great feat as it is not a very long book, but it held my attention nonetheless). I haven't read any of the author's other books, but I will certainly check them out. The storyline was interesting and full of funny little observations, and I felt I finished it with an idea of how it felt to be stuck in Shenzhen and unable to speak the language. The pictures were charmingly unsophisticated, but very evocative (black and white, and sketch-style). Great book.

Russell LEAK

An excellent graphic travelogue

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2018

Verified Purchase

I love his work. I want tokeep turning the pages of his strange travel situations.. illustrated beautifully and keeps you turning the page to find out what happens next even if it is the same as the day before 😄

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