In 1996, 26-year-old Peter Hessler arrived in Fuling, a town on China's Yangtze River, to begin a two-year Peace Corps stint as a teacher at the local college. Along with fellow teacher Adam Meier, the two are the first foreigners to be in this part of the Sichuan province for 50 years. Expecting a calm couple of years, Hessler at first does not realize the social, cultural, an...
In 1996, 26-year-old Peter Hessler arrived in Fuling, a town on China's Yangtze River, to begin a two-year Peace Corps stint as a teacher at the local college. Along with fellow teacher Adam Meier, the two are the first foreigners to be in this part of the Sichuan province for 50 years. Expecting a calm couple of years, Hessler at first does not realize the social, cultural, and personal implications of being thrust into a such radically different society. In River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze, Hessler tells of his experience with the citizens of Fuling, the political and historical climate, and the feel of the city itself.
"Few passengers disembark at Fuling ... and so Fuling appears like a break in a dream--the quiet river, the cabins full of travelers drifting off to sleep, the lights of the city rising from the blackness of the Yangtze," says Hessler. A poor city by Chinese standards, the students at the college are mainly from small villages and are considered very lucky to be continuing their education. As an English teacher, Hessler is delighted with his students' fresh reactions to classic literature. One student says of Hamlet, "I don't admire him and I dislike him. I think he is too sensitive and conservative and selfish." Hessler marvels,
You couldn't have said something like that at Oxford. You couldn't simply say: I don't like Hamlet because I think he's a lousy person. Everything had to be more clever than that ... you had to dismantle it ... not just the play itself but everything that had ever been written about it.
Over the course of two years, Hessler and Meier learn more they ever guessed about the lives, dreams, and expectations of the Fuling people.
Hessler's writing is lovely. His observations are evocative, insightful, and often poignant--and just as often, funny. It's a pleasure to read of his (mis)adventures. Hessler returned to the U.S. with a new perspective on modern China and its people. After reading River Town, you'll have one, too. --Dana Van Nest, Amazon.com
文虽浅近，其意则深，最妙在幽默感，上次这样享受的阅读还是Trevor Noah那本Born a Crime。“如果用一个人听的懂的语言和他交谈，触动的是他的思维；如果用一个人的母语和他交谈，触动的则是他的心灵。”曼德拉这个观点真的很对。何伟学习中文，利用中文去接触身边的人，这份触动即是于对方，也是于他自己。我一直觉得只有真正学好中文的美国人，才能有机会了解中国，正如我们学英语才能了解美国一样，何伟...文虽浅近，其意则深，最妙在幽默感，上次这样享受的阅读还是Trevor Noah那本Born a Crime。“如果用一个人听的懂的语言和他交谈，触动的是他的思维；如果用一个人的母语和他交谈，触动的则是他的心灵。”曼德拉这个观点真的很对。何伟学习中文，利用中文去接触身边的人，这份触动即是于对方，也是于他自己。我一直觉得只有真正学好中文的美国人，才能有机会了解中国，正如我们学英语才能了解美国一样，何伟在涪陵的identity的挣扎太有共情了，英语影响我太多了，时刻要警惕，提醒自己不要lost。Trevor写南非，毕竟是他老家，何伟在涪陵两年几乎没有跟人平等交流的机会，但却能如此表达，让我对牛津英国文学专业肃然起敬。过于苦难的历史，无论怎么讲都容易cynical，唯有幽默，能传递出真正的悲怆。(展开)
![[美国] 彼得·海斯勒](https://img9.doubanio.com/img/author/medium/public/1489073184.25.jpg)
彼得·海斯勒 作者
温森陈
上海译文出版社2012版
思郁
上海译文出版社2012版
Shame
上海译文出版社2012版
小老鼠
上海译文出版社2012版
蓝文青
上海译文出版社2012版
12 有用 姜小白 2021-09-07 17:15:00
文虽浅近，其意则深，最妙在幽默感，上次这样享受的阅读还是Trevor Noah那本Born a Crime。“如果用一个人听的懂的语言和他交谈，触动的是他的思维；如果用一个人的母语和他交谈，触动的则是他的心灵。”曼德拉这个观点真的很对。何伟学习中文，利用中文去接触身边的人，这份触动即是于对方，也是于他自己。我一直觉得只有真正学好中文的美国人，才能有机会了解中国，正如我们学英语才能了解美国一样，何伟... 文虽浅近，其意则深，最妙在幽默感，上次这样享受的阅读还是Trevor Noah那本Born a Crime。“如果用一个人听的懂的语言和他交谈，触动的是他的思维；如果用一个人的母语和他交谈，触动的则是他的心灵。”曼德拉这个观点真的很对。何伟学习中文，利用中文去接触身边的人，这份触动即是于对方，也是于他自己。我一直觉得只有真正学好中文的美国人，才能有机会了解中国，正如我们学英语才能了解美国一样，何伟在涪陵的identity的挣扎太有共情了，英语影响我太多了，时刻要警惕，提醒自己不要lost。Trevor写南非，毕竟是他老家，何伟在涪陵两年几乎没有跟人平等交流的机会，但却能如此表达，让我对牛津英国文学专业肃然起敬。过于苦难的历史，无论怎么讲都容易cynical，唯有幽默，能传递出真正的悲怆。 (展开)
11 有用 那日の河川 2020-11-20 22:59:45
在居家中读完英文原版，感到了一种只有in-betweener能理解的，游离的冷静和苦涩。以及勾起了一股对前信息化时代浓浓的乡愁，物质匮乏但野蛮生长的90年代，蒙昧也被盖上了一层柔光滤镜。
3 有用 Azure. 2020-12-25 14:32:27
相当沉浸的一段阅读体验。和Ethan一起，他读中文版我读英文版。这本书就在我们半夜两点不睡觉聊有关中国的种种，听跳岛和the china talk采访何伟，看李一凡的《淹没》和把耳朵泡在万青新专辑中读完了，读到最后一页很伤感，仿佛自己也离开了涪陵。何伟真的是一个很温柔的人呀。
2 有用 momo 2021-01-07 23:08:28
从开始觉得作者有一些带有偏见，到慢慢跟随的作者的目光理解他的真实反应，作者的转变也变得合理了。正像作者说的他是以一个外来者的身份来看待涪陵，但是同时他也是一个insider，这种双重身份给了他看待这个城市的独特眼光。感谢他的记录，当我们来参照如今的中国社会改变了多少，不变了哪些，又在哪些地方倒退了。另外，很喜欢Peter Hessler的语言！！！
1 有用 绵绵 2012-08-21 18:38:36
一个作者的书连着看会吐，不过还好这个是英文版的
0 有用 ヤナギ 2024-05-02 22:21:48 四川
看到后面，多少有点nostalgia，也不得不感慨，Ho Wei那时候才29岁左右，可他却有着同龄人少有的通透与洞见，总是能够冷静地去观察和记录周遭的人和事——当然也可能跟他Waiguoren、Peace Corps志愿者身份有关，并且还能从中掺杂几丝幽默。我佩服他的冷静与智慧，当然也更佩服（或许也不限于）那个时代背景下坚韧的普罗大众。
0 有用 MajorTangerine 2024-04-13 18:24:35 北京
四百页英文我为什么要读两个月啊？因为我好像有一百页两百页一万页的眼泪要流。
0 有用 遠燈 2024-04-04 21:18:02 云南
专业课老师推荐的英文书，第一次读完的外文著作，收益颇丰
0 有用 :) 2024-03-27 01:22:21 浙江
还是得看原文，这样那些近乎刻薄的直白才能被还原。但也越看越不适，分不清是因为觉得被俯视，还是因为我们生活的地方被毫不粉饰地展露着而羞怒。
0 有用 michaelmas 2024-03-24 12:29:35 上海
Can’t be better written.