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Smoke and Mirrors: An Experience of China Paperback – January 1, 2009

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 70 ratings

In order to remain in power through this period of fundamental and far reaching transformations, the Chinese communist party must walk a tight rope, balancing and mediating the conflicting needs, desires and aspirations of its various constituencies.

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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins India (January 1, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8172238460
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8172238469
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.87 x 1.97 x 9.84 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 70 ratings

About the author

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Pallavi Aiyar
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Award winning journalist and author Pallavi Aiyar spent six years living in a hutong home in the heart of the old imperial city of Beijing. She reported from across China for the Hindu and Indian Express in addition to teaching English at the Beijing Broadcasting Institute. She is the winner of the 2007 Prem Bhatia Memorial Award for excellence in political reporting and analysis for her dispatches from China.

Her book Smoke and Mirrors: An Experience of China won the Vodafone-Crossword Popular Book Award for 2008.

She currently lives in Brussels with her husband, son and two Chinese cats, where she writes about Europe for the Business Standard.

Pallavi has degrees in Philosophy, History and Media Sociology from St Stephens

College Delhi University, Oxford and the London School of Economics.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
70 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book an excellent read with fascinating chapters and episodes.

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5 customers mention "Reading experience"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an excellent, easy read. They also appreciate the modesty and lack of boastfulness.

"...What I also really enjoyed, was that the book was written with modesty and none of the boastfulness which is prevalent in many similar "foreigner in..." Read more

"...All this and more is looked at in depth in a highly readable piece of reporting." Read more

"Small and easy read. Was expecting too much after reading some rave reviews elsewhere. Obviously the reviewers were not my wavelength :-)...." Read more

"Good book if you want to understand understand India and China with both positive and negative sides" Read more

3 customers mention "Content"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fascinating, informative, factual, entertaining, and balanced with a good mix. They also say there is a broad variety of topics covered within the book.

"...There was a broad variety of topics covered within the book, but not to the point of creating an ad hoc feel to it, the continuity remained...." Read more

"insightful, sensitive, balanced - I recommend for everyone to ready it, not only readers interested in China and southeast Asia!" Read more

"...Some chapters and episodes are fascinating. I did not know much of Chinese social life and was left informed...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2012
This was a great read and the author kept me interested in the content from start to finish. The book was informative, factual, entertaining and balanced with a good mix of seriousness and lighter reading. It was good on many levels actually and there were many differences that set it apart from other books of a similar nature.

Obviously her Indian background and the resultant comparisions between India and China allowed for a fresh and unique perspective, and this was a big drawcard here for me. Prior to reading this book I'd always assumed the two countries to have many parallels but the author opened my eyes to some great differences between them (and also confirmed for me other aspects which I'd assumed to be true), particularly regarding levels of poverty and differences in attitudes towards religion.

What I also really enjoyed, was that the book was written with modesty and none of the boastfulness which is prevalent in many similar "foreigner in China" books. The author didn't harp on about becoming "more and more Chinese", didn't drown the book in quotes from Confucius and others, didn't feel the need to show off her new language skills to the reader, didn't carry on as if she was the only foreigner on Chinese soil etc. I really liked how level headed she was and didn't come with any of the "China expert" ego that often tarnishes these books for me.

There was a broad variety of topics covered within the book, but not to the point of creating an ad hoc feel to it, the continuity remained. Most things you can think of related to China were covered in the book (and often cross-examined with their counterparts in India) ... politics, travel, industry, food, religion, living conditions, health etc. etc., yet the book never became too bogged down in any one aspect. You had a bit of everything here, from Christmas in Beijing, to dam projects in Yunnan, the Qinghai-Tibet railway and all in between ...

Also of appeal to me was that she didn't bore me with endless irrelevant personal tales. There was enough of her daily life and personality given to make me warm to her and have me know that I was reading a memoir not a textbook, but the main focus remained on the bigger issues she was presenting. Yes, due to the background of the author, the book did maintain somewhat of a journalistic feel but it wasn't like watching the nightly news.

I strongly recommend this one and it is by far one of the top books in this sub-genre for me.
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2014
Aiyar is a reporter for an Indian newspaper who documents the new China and it's prosperity through a unique set of eyes. She writes as a native of the other fastest growing nation, and neighbor, India. But the two populous countries are as different socially as they are politically. She moves to Beijing at the dawn of the twenty-first century to teach at a trade college just as China's boom is really starting. Beijing is getting ready to host the Olympics and is as busy tearing down the old as it is building the new. Massive civil engineering and construction projects are completed quickly under China's one party rule that would never get off the ground in India's democracy and China's urban elite grow wealthier by the minute. But, at what cost? And who isn't prospering? Who pays the cost of such rapid growth? All this and more is looked at in depth in a highly readable piece of reporting.
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2014
insightful, sensitive, balanced - I recommend for everyone to ready it, not only readers interested in China and southeast Asia!
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2014
This is an excellent read on China, particularly from the perspective of an Indian. It is a bit dated given the speed at which China changed, but valuable nevertheless to those striving to understand the middle nation, devoid of stereotypes that usually plague foreigners.
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2015
Small and easy read. Was expecting too much after reading some rave reviews elsewhere. Obviously the reviewers were not my wavelength :-). A slice of life it is;through the eyes of an Indian, who is not very observant, tries hard though. Some chapters and episodes are fascinating. I did not know much of Chinese social life and was left informed. Wanted to read a lot more on the train journey to Lhasa but felt it ended abruptly. Language is pathetic for sure, then who am I to comment on the language? All the best sellers these days in India have similar standards.
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2014
As a Chinese, I can
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2014
Good book if you want to understand understand India and China with both positive and negative sides

Top reviews from other countries

Subrat Padhi
5.0 out of 5 stars A True China Diary
Reviewed in India on January 13, 2024
A must read for anyone who needs to understand the country that is likely to take over the world a few decades from now.
Vivek P
4.0 out of 5 stars Good!
Reviewed in India on May 23, 2020
Gives you a first hand Indian perspective of what it's like to experience China. The book is as much a travelogue as it is a political/cultural commentary on the differences between the two countries - so makes for an easy read. Those who find China mysterious and fascinating at the same time and are looking to get started on knowing more about what life is like on the other side of Himalayas, this could be your gateway! Strictly recommended for a casual read.
2 people found this helpful
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Subramanian
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book
Reviewed in India on August 13, 2023
Nice book. Got a better perspective of China. Also a history lesson. Also a very good comparison between India and China
v shivakumar
5.0 out of 5 stars Great. Very balanced reportage.
Reviewed in India on May 10, 2020
I liked it for its balanced coverage. I didn't like it's being too soft on India. India manages to get away too easily.
SUMIT RANJAN DASGUPTA
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for the travellers.
Reviewed in India on August 2, 2021
A good book and delivered in good shape.