A review by mirsa
Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present by Peter Hessler

5.0

Fascinating account of a journalist's experiences in China at the turn of the century. Hessler takes us from archaeological digs in Anyang to Muslim dumpling joints in Yabaolu, from the relentless industry of the experimental city of Shenzhen to the uncertainty in immigrant neighborhoods in D.C. post-9/11. He introduces us to an Uighur trader, former students from his time teaching English in a rural Sichuanese town, and even the famous actor Jiang Wen - all people trying to make their way in the world, all people who grew from the soil of 20th-century China in its most turbulent era. Hessler has a gift for telling the stories of the 老百姓, the ordinary people, without pushing his own narrative over theirs. Highly recommended.