Postcards from Tomorrow Square: Reports from China (Vintage)

From a blog I wrote January 23, 2009: Mr. Fallow is a reporter for Atlantic Magazine and this is a collection of essays written from 2006 through 2008 about various aspects of modern China. They cover a range of topics from first impressions, China's economic rise, internet censorship, the Sichuan earthquake, the 2008 Olympic games, Chinese philanthropy, and many others providing snapshots of...more

From a blog I wrote January 23, 2009: Mr. Fallow is a reporter for Atlantic Magazine and this is a collection of essays written from 2006 through 2008 about various aspects of modern China. They cover a range of topics from first impressions, China's economic rise, internet censorship, the Sichuan earthquake, the 2008 Olympic games, Chinese philanthropy, and many others providing snapshots of modern China. As many of you know I lived in Shanghai from Sept 2005 to Sept 2006 and I often found the news of China on CNN or on other news outlets to be lacking and not giving an accurate picture of what life in China is really like. For example portraying China as a military threat is laughable when the US projects military power all over the globe and has 10 carrier groups in its navy and China doesn't even have one carrier let alone a carrier group. Mr. Fallow's wrote the book about China I wish I could write. A book that not only repeats what is wrong in China, but also what is right. How many people know for example that the new car emission standards in China are much stricter than those in the United States? If you want to know what China is really like and not fall into the trap of believing the Lou Dobbs (CNN "reporter") or Senator Chuck Schumer (New York State Senator and China Basher) then you should read this book. I couldn't agree more with these words from his essay "China Makes, The World Takes": 'The easier America makes it for talented foreigners to work and study there, the rich, more powerful, and more respected America will be. America's ability to absorb the world's talent is the crucial advantage no other culture can match - as long as America doesn't forfeit this advantage with visa rules written mainly out of fear.' - James Fallow I couldn't agree more with that statement. Why only four stars? There are a few stylistic things I didn't care for. For example calling the country "America" and not "The United States." Sometimes I hear Canadian colleagues complain about that and they do have a point. At times he adopts a superior tone as well. These are small matters however and as I said if I had any real talent writing this is the kind of book I would like to write and tell the World that China is different from what they might hear on the nightly news or read in the newspaper   hide