River Town Two Years On The Yangtze Chapter Summary

In his memoir River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze, Peter Hessler explains his time teaching English in the town Fuling. However, he paints a portrait of China that defies the preconceptions that a Westerner would have. Furthermore, while doing so, he discusses all the personal challenges and experiences that one would have in being a westerner in China at the time period. Ultimately, however, the value of his book comes from the image that he paints, which shows a side of the country that many do not know.

One of the strengths of the novel is how it parallels his own journey living in Fuling. When the memoir begins, he has very little knowledge of Chinese and knows almost no one in the town. As he continues, however, he begins to learn more Chinese, and even some of the local dialect. The reader then sees his knowledge of Chinese growing. For instance, in the beginning he mentions a sign on a trail that he routinely ran on. At first, he can barely read the sign. Later on, he revisits the same site, and has the ability to read the sign completely. Due to this parallelism, the reader almost feels as if they, too, are learning.

Another strength in his writing is

the inclusion of Chinese vocabulary. Though the book is in English, he utilizes Chinese words in describing something. For instance, instead of using the term “foreigner” he consistently refers to himself or the concept of being a foreigner as a “waiguoren”. This is the term used in Mandarin that means foreign person. He also uses terms such as laobaixing, which refers to the common class of people, and danwei, which refers to the work unit. By including these terms, it gives the reader an idea of some of the words that he encountered daily.
While his writing does contain many strengths, it also has weaknesses. More specifically, the memoir is only told from his perspective. As a result, the reader is given a one sided account of what happened. While the facts are assumed to be true, there isn’t any definitive way of knowing the truth.
Besides that, however, the very nature of memoirs is restricted due to the first person perspective way of storytelling. Although he may be able to paint a picture of China and some of its people in the era, his perspective is still limited. Therefore, he will never be able to capture all of what he saw, felt or experienced, let alone the country as a whole. Hence, while he may be able to give an idea of what China looked like during the era, it is ultimately just one perspective, albeit a western one.
In addition to the limitations of the memoir format, it is also important to remember the time period of the novel. While Hessler taught in Fuling from 1996 to 1998, the book was published in 2001. Though that is not that long ago, it is crucial to recognize that the book can tell us about that time period, but not so much about the period today. This is not so much a weakness, but simply an aspect to keep in mind.
Hessler’s memoir follows the two years that he spent in Fuling teaching English. When he first arrives with his friend Adam, neither of them can really hold a conversation with in Mandarin. Initially, he is made fun of for being a “waiguoren”. People make fun of him by calling him a “yahoo” or by calling him “yangguizi”, meaning “the foreign devil”. But he gradually begins to make more friends and learns more Chinese. In fact, he gets to know a few people and families quite well. For instance, he routinely eats with the Huang family, who own his favorite restaurant. He even has meaningful conversations with strangers that he meets. These conversations range from discussions on his salary as a teacher to the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square.
Besides explaining his experiences in learning Chinese and building relationships, Hessler describes his class and teaching experiences. For instance, he describes one particular day where he had his students act out a modified version of Robin Hood. However, he also describes each of the students and their particular abilities. For example, he describes Linda, his best student. He mentions that she was one of the most intelligent students he had, but also describes the hardships that she dealt with, such as the death of her father.
Third, he also describes various events that have occurred in Chinese history. One example in particular is the return of Hong Kong to China. In fact, he describes the events leading up to the return, as well as the subsequent celebration that occurred in Fuling. However, he also tells of earlier events, including the creation and history of the White Crane Ridge in the Yangtze.
Finally, he chronicles some of the viewpoints that people in Fuling hold about a variety of matters. The most prominent one being the view that people held on the construction of the Three Gorges dam. He claims that many people were either indifferent or supportive of the dam, despite the predicted consequences. This is but one, as he includes several issues such as communism, the United States, and Capitalism.
Ultimately, Hessler’s goal in writing of his experiences would appear to be to portray China and some of its people in a time of great change. Additionally, it would be to describe his own experiences as a westerner adjusting to living in another country. This particular story utilizes the format of a chronological travelogue. Like other travelogues, Hessler gives information while telling of his own story instead of merely presenting information like a textbook. That does mean, though, that this is told through his own, subjective experiences.
Despite the book being a travelogue of one man, the memoir succeeds in describing a side of China that many westerners may not know.

Instead of talking about traveling in one of the big cities like Shanghai or Beijing, he discusses life in a relatively small area. By doing so, he creates a picture that may not be what people know. For instance, he describes the life and struggle of the various farmers that live near Fuling, as well as the “stick-stick soldiers” who act as porters. Additionally, he describes their hopes and dreams of the future. For example, one man he talked to wished to eventually have his own car, which would be a luxury in that part of the country. That is just one example of the many other people who wished to own similar items, including cell phones, beepers and videodisc

players.
Furthermore, he talks of the both the people and the language. For instance, he mentions that instead of using the term hundun to refer to the dumpling dish, the people in Fuling refer to them as chaoshou. However, people in a different part of Sichuan will call them baomian. In addition, he mentions that the Sichuan dialect of Mandarin has a few differences from the standardized variety. For example, the sound n gets replaced with l. He also mentions that the tones of Sichuanese have a few tonal differences from the tones of Mandarin. Hence, Hessler reveals details about the language differences in Sichuan. Thus, he describes a side of China that not many people would know.
Finally, his inclusion of the perspectives of various people helps to paint this picture. For instance, when he first meets with Father Li, he asks him of the church’s history. He tells Hessler about the ill-effects that the Cultural Revolution had on him and the church. More specifically, he talks of the poverty that he suffered and the priests that were killed, However, Father Li doesn’t seem to harbor any hate. According to him, the political situation was infinitely better than the past. While this is but one example, Hessler includes multiple accounts of people with similar stories. Consequently, he paints an even deeper portrait of a China that many people don’t know.
In summation, Hessler’s memoir tells his own personal journey of learning about China, while simultaneously explaining the people and the history. He explains language, people’s thoughts on issues, their stories, and events in history. Consequently, he creates an image of the nation and people that goes beyond what many westerners think. However, it is important to recognize that this novel is merely one man’s perspective about his time in foreign country. As such, it should be not taken out of its context nor taken as complete fact. Nonetheless, it is a well-written memoir that can give an idea of what the country was like when he taught there. Ultimately, it is another source to anyone who desires to learn more about the country.