The Early Arrival of Dreams: A Year in China
by Rosemary Mahoney
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Description
One year before the protests in Tiananmen Square, Rosemary Mahoney participated in a teaching exchange between Harvard and Hangzhou University. At Hangzhou she was able to overcome her students usual rigidity and achieve a rare and intimate glimpse of their culture and their attitudes. This remarkable memoir captures both the dreams and the grim realities her Chinese students faced within the confines of an oppressive political regime. Book jacket.Tags
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Member Reviews
Very descriptive book of an English teacher's experience living and teaching in China for 1 year (1987).
Rosemary clearly wrote about her daily life and encounters with others over the course of the year. I could not have done what she did as the living and working challenges seemed almost intolerable. I visited China in 1983 and what she described was not shown to us as tourists, but once in a while we could see into people's living and working areas and they were as she described.
When the government does not tell the truth or wants it known, so many limitations are put upon citizens, seriously dampening their creative and intellectual contributions.
Rosemary clearly wrote about her daily life and encounters with others over the course of the year. I could not have done what she did as the living and working challenges seemed almost intolerable. I visited China in 1983 and what she described was not shown to us as tourists, but once in a while we could see into people's living and working areas and they were as she described.
When the government does not tell the truth or wants it known, so many limitations are put upon citizens, seriously dampening their creative and intellectual contributions.
Rather tedious and plodding. And the word "tromping" is employed far too frequently for my taste.
Book about a woman that went to China to teach English at a University. Interesting, but I've read better. Not a keeper.
I found the constant repetitions of the soddy, dirty conditions very depressing.
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Author Information
10+ Works 1,015 Members
Rosemary Mahoney is the author of six books of nonfiction, including Down the Nile Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff. She was educated at Harvard College and Johns Hopkins University and was the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a nomination for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Mahoney show more has written for numerous publications, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post Book World, and the New York Times Book Review. She lives in Rhode Island. show less
Common Knowledge
- Important places
- China
- Original language
- English
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Travel, Biography & Memoir, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 951.242 — History & geography History of Asia East Asia: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea Southeast China East China Sea Area Zhejiang
- LCC
- DS796 .H25 .M34 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Asia History of Asia China Local history and description Hong Kong
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 110
- Popularity
- 294,321
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.47)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 6
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 2
