River Town Journals

Reflections of Two Years on the Yangtze

Alan Jia

Table of Contents
Table of Contents.........................................................................................................................1
Text Based Log 1.........................................................................................................................2
Text Based Log 2.........................................................................................................................3
Open Letter..................................................................................................................................4
Hmmmm 1...................................................................................................................................5
Hmmmm 2...................................................................................................................................6
Inspired Art..................................................................................................................................7
Questions.....................................................................................................................................8
Mystery Assignment Personal Reflection.................................................................................9

Text Based Log 1

They had seen great changes, both political and economic. Perhaps by my standards
they were politically brainwashed, but compared to the past they were remarkably free I
sensed that a great deal depended on the people of this age group. (Hessler 23).
An overall opinion on the state of Chinas countryside in 1996, Hesslers observation
really makes me wonder about the rift between urban and rural China. With both of my parents
belonging to that generation, there is a distinct difference between how I was brought up and
how the children in Fuling were brought up. Although I was born in the United States and have
lived here for sixteen out of my seventeen year life, the general consensus I have gathered is that
my hometown Hangzhou was not affected as much as the countryside during the cultural
revolution. Even though it is no Beijing, Hangzhou is still an urban power aided by the
neighboring Shanghai. From various visits and conversations with my relatives, there has been
little evidence of political promotion or activism in my life. However, what I find most notable is
the number and types of people that left China around the span of Hesslers experience in the
country. Almost every single Chinese family in this district, and almost every Chinese family I
have met for that matter, is a first generation Chinese family that immigrated in search for a
better life and more opportunities outside an overbearing communist influence.
The exact opposite from how Hessler describes the countryside, the larger cultural
influence and higher education standard within the city breeds mistrust in the government system
instead of the reverence expressed by the students in Fuling. Almost a prerequisite, only the
wealthy or top students can afford the risk to leave everything behind in China to travel to the
United States. Probably the top two qualities it takes to create a sustainable difference on a
political level, the idea that all of these people leaving China behind strikes me as concerning
considering Hessler noted that a great deal depended on the people of this age group. If this is
true, China would seem to be in a slow state of brainwashing and decline in the countryside as
the potential difference makers abandon the country one after another. Probably a large
generalization, I still hope that those who left for greener pastures during trying times never
forget their homeland.

Text Based Log 2

The woman smiled wistfully, shaking her head. I wondered what amazed her morethat
there was a country where birth wasnt limited, or that Americans were so foolish as to want only
two children. Many of the peasants I met seemed inclined to go with the second viewpoint, and
sometimes they had the same reaction to American farming, which to a Sichuanese peasant
seemed to be an incredible combination of luck and incompetence (Hessler 263).
Much like how Hessler thinks little about monetary troubles during his time in China,
many people around the world take certain luxuries for granted that is utterly shocking to the
Chinese peasants who struggle to secure biological rights that technically cannot be limited by
anyone. Right as simple as having more than one child, these enumerable privileges are limited
by a government that is simply incompetent at providing for its people. Although this is actually
a rare and debatable impossible task for a governmental system, the Chinese countryside is
almost left abandoned, forcing its citizens to farm just enough to feed themselves. The fact that
this woman was not even aware that it was possible for others to have more than one child
without consequence is even more shocking indicating that these people are completely blind to
the world outside of their country. Either pointing to the national censorship of the country or the
lack of technology to transmit information, these things that we take for granted in the United
States is saddening considering that the top headline currently trending on Yahoo is about Justin
Biebers new mustache. A maddeningly uninteresting article, it takes an incredible amount of
resources to gather and then to deliver this piece of news to an entire nation while the peasants of
China can only sit around, not even knowledgeable enough to realize what they could be wishing
for.
On the other hand, at what point is there too much available information? Some people
choose to lead a life in the wilderness away from the technology that is, as some claim, ruining
social interactions and setting the human race itself behind while its creations forge ahead. Some
would covet the opportunity to escape the societal grasps of money and authority, living off the
land with their own natural abilities and instincts. It seems that as more technology is developed,
half of the time it is just another opportunity to menial labor, ultimately taking away from our
talents as humans. As the Sichanese peasant points out, when do our engineering feats in life stop
making us more efficient, but instead start drawing away from the independence and competence
that we are biologically gifted?

Open Letter
Dear Classroom,
As you house a critical generation of students under your roof, the changes you witness are
essential to the future of the village of Fuling and perhaps even the rest of China. When they
enter, they will come eagerly, quickly choosing education over the farming lifestyle that
dominated Sichuan and much of the South. Quick and energetic hands will scrub your floors,
clean your windows and tidy the rest of you to avoid punishment while emitting a sense of pride
that they have a classroom they will be able to call theirs. Largely uneducated, these students will
enter proficient in the topics of farming and herding, but inadequate in the arts of English and
other topics of study. Built in 1982, the changes you will see in curriculum, students, styles of
teaching and freedom will be key indicators of what the future holds. Like the students that flock
to you in search of guidance, your job will be to sit and watch as history unfolds within your
walls. Privileged to house an American teacher, you will learn the lessons being brought to the
country, learning how they will be integrated within the traditions and customs that the Chinese
hold on to so dearly. When you watch the river running, refusing to be tamed, you will be
witnessing the iron tenacity of the Chinese, clinging to the beliefs they hold. However, just like
the attempts to tame the Yangtze, perhaps one day within your walls, in one of the desks you
provide, someone will be able to challenge this never ending flow. As you house the next set of
difference makers in the modest heart of Fuling, you will be able to foretell the direction the
country takes before anyone else. Just as how the revolution was started by an ambitious group
of college students, the next reforms and ideals will stem directly from the students under the
direction of the classes held within. A front row seat to a pivotal group in a country of change,
the potential is limitless. I, for one, am envious at every opportunity you will get to see.
Sincerely,
Alan Jia

Hmmmm 1
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/modernchina/f/What-Was-The-Cultural-Revolution.htm
A central theme to the story, the Cultural Revolution paints the background to Hesslers
duration in China. Within his descriptions, I learned some of the obvious outward effects as he
told of the extreme patriotism and the perceived brainwashing that swept the nation. However,
the actual event is more stunning that I could have possibly imagined. Originating in attempts to
rid China of the Four Olds, Mao Zedong led a revolution to purge old customs, old culture, old
habits and old ideas from the country. Starting in the countryside, he gathered overwhelming
support from the proletariat or the working party in order to upend what he termed the oppressive
class structure.
Although this might seem like a noble, Robin Hood-like cause, the wave of violence and
destruction that descended with Maos Red Guards will mar Chinese history forever. Ancient
religious edifices, artifacts and statues are now lost forever either destroyed or burnt altogether.
Never can some of the culture be recovered from the ashes of the revolution much like the sacred
texts of Confucius or the great calligraphy or works of arts produced before Maos reign. Even
though the government was sinking into corruption, the revolution destroyed upper class lives as
these educated people were often the targets of these riots and protests. As they were killed,
tortured or thrown into reeducation camps, China suffered with them as its economy went into a
decline that would force many back to a peasant lifestyle on the farms. To top it off, the
education system was shut down for a decade as teachers were hunted down leaving the country
unable to find a stable path of progress for years. It was as if one man had led China into the
Dark Ages that was mistakenly brought to Europe hundreds of years ago. In the end, it is
possible that millions of lives were lost, cultural relics were destroyed forever and yet, Mao
Zedong is seen as a hero to the people of Fuling. It is clear that the original peasants benefited
the most from the revolution, but it is unbelievable how anyone could be happy with this result.

Hmmmm 2
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/651857/Yangtze-River
http://www.internationalrivers.org/campaigns/three-gorges-dam
Perhaps larger than even the communist manifesto Hessler experienced in China, the
Yangtze River remained a constant throughout his stay much like its steady flow through history.
Appropriately named the Chang Jiang, translated into Long River in Chinese, the Yangtze is
almost 4,000 miles long, only shorter than the Amazon and the Nile. Beginning at its source at
the plateau of Tibet, the Yangtze extends through ten provinces until it empties into the East
China Bay. Traveling through the frigid Bayan Har Mountains, the Yangtze makes its way across
China to Fuling and the famous Three Gorges.
Mentioned several times in the book, the Three Gorges Dam was a major conflict in the
mind of Hessler. Although largely met with indifference from the peasant farmers on the banks
of the Yangtze, it is clear that the dam creates far more troubles than what its electricity is worth.
The largest hydroelectric project in the world, the Three Gorges Dam flooded thirteen cities, 140
towns and an unbelievable 1,350 villages. Clearly a large problem when the most populated city
in the world needs to relocate 1.2 million people, the external cost factors of the dam are clearly
not efficient in the slightest in a short-term context. However, looking at the long-term effects, it
is evident that environmental troubles will forever plague this decision as pollution, erosion,
earthquakes and droughts have directly stemmed from the effects of the dam. With the Yangtze
already at risk for earthquakes due to its location on a seismic crack, it is estimated that the
added pressure from the dam increases the likelihood of these quakes adding in yet another cost
in a growing equation. Overall, building the largest dam in the world seems like just another
attempt at expressing national pride and with all of these costs factored in, not even close to
worth destroying the pristine beauty of an unaltered countryside.

Inspired Art

Although the most populated country in the world, China holds some of the most pristine,
untouched natural wonders of the world. Pictured is Xi Hu or West Lake translated into English.
Located in my parents hometown in Hangzhou, I have visited multiple times and still amazed at
how such a peaceful are can exist surrounded by a busy marketplace within a bustling urban
sprawl. While small food stands line the pictured pathway around the lake, families can rent
small pedal boats to explore the clear waters. Even though individuals have used the lake to run
their small businesses, Xi Hu has remained timeless over the years, still emanating a peaceful
getaway that everyone can appreciate.
When Hessler finds the small families living simple lives on the banks of the Yangtze, he
finds an innate beauty about the simplicity of the land and the lifestyle it provides. When voicing
his appreciation, the villager disagrees complaining that the land is too poor. While Hessler is
trying to escape the crowd of the city, he finds peace off the beaten path whereas the farmer finds
his poor life less desirable to an area with real market value. Xi Hu is a perfect combination
rarely found in the modern era as more and more of these areas, like the banks of the Yangtze,
are being destroyed in search of homes, natural resources or other monetary benefits. By starting
small businesses on the banks of the lake, people who can appreciate the natural beauty of the
lake are drawn to the area resulting in statues, buildings and pathways being built, enhancing the
area itself. Both people and nature benefit and grow from this mutualistic relationship, defining a
real natural progression. As the population grows across the world, I hope that more areas will be
developed with a natural harmony between nature and efficiency unlike the Three Gorges Dam
fiasco.
7

Questions
1. How similar was your experience to Peter Hesslers?
2. Could you sense any slight shift away from Communism during your time there? If not,
what would it take for this to happen?
3. Did you learn Chinese as diligently as Hessler? Im admittedly curious about how much
of the language you picked up while there.
4. I am under the impression that the rural areas are bordering on chaotic in China although
it seems a Big Brother stereotype is typically conveyed. Was there a sense that the area
was heavily scrutinized by the government?
5. What is your favorite Chinese dish/type of food?

6. It is evident that foreigners are studied intently by the native population. Do you think
this will ever be remedied? If so, how?

7. Pollution was mentioned more than a couple of times in the beginning parts of the story.
Were the Chinese mostly apathetic to the filth around them? Or were there concerted
efforts to protect the environment?

Mystery Assignment Personal Reflection

When I stumbled into the enhancement last year after a last minute change from
Literature to Language due to a scheduling conflict, I knew I was in for an interesting year. As I
looked around for an empty seat, I noticed many people that I had never shared a class with for
8

whatever reason. Most of the time, the AP label seems to scare students off from a course, but
there was no fear as I walked in, even after we learned how extensive summer homework would
be. Seven journals later, I realized that this would be by far my most interesting class of the year.
Seven personalized entries written by very different minds, the exchange of ideas, personalities
and philosophies has been evident throughout the first week of school.
Personally, these journals made me think a little extra and although sometimes it had
nothing to do with the plot or main idea of River Town, the pondering put me in different
perspectives that I would never have thought about. Having been born and raised in the United
States, I had put little thought into my own culture outside of the short visits that mostly
consisted of exploring the many foods of China. Much to the dispute of some, I have always
considered myself a Chinese person and after this week, it is more confusing than ever. From the
slight fun I get trying to distinguish attempts at the Chinese language to the quirks in Chinese
culture that everyone seems to find strange except us Chinese people, I do not think my ethnicity
has ever been studied so intently within my high school career. To me, some of the customs we
have encountered, such as an extreme sense of hospitality are perfectly normal and part of my
everyday life, but, on the other hand, I am just as grossed out by the or drunken shrimp as
everyone else. An enjoyable experience, the sharing of journals and different reference frames
experienced by others has taught me much more about myself more than anything. It is very rare
that I get to listen to a personal opinion about China and although this road could lead to a
number of endings too awkward to describe, the honesty in these judgments is a refreshing
change to a sometimes overly sensitive society that we live in.
Overall, reading River Town is a very new experience for several, and even me at many
points which resulted in the vast amount of thoughts and questions that have filled our
discussions. Hopefully most people realize that this is a fairly extreme case of communistic
behavior and that a decade after Hesslers experience, numerous regions of China offer much
more than the communist bravado portrayed throughout.
459