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Beijing Bastard : Into the Wilds of a Changing China by Val Wang (2014, Hardcover)

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About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherPenguin Publishing Group

ISBN-101592408206

ISBN-139781592408207

eBay Product ID (ePID)201673213

Product Key Features

Book TitleBeijing Bastard : Into the Wilds of a Changing China

Number of Pages352 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicWomen, Cultural Heritage, Ethnic Studies / Asian American Studies, Sociology / General, Personal Memoirs, Women's Studies, Asia / China, Customs & Traditions

Publication Year2014

GenreSocial Science, Biography & Autobiography, History

AuthorVal Wang

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1 in

Item Weight19.5 Oz

Item Length9.2 in

Item Width6.2 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2014-011951

Reviews"Damn, that Val Wang can write real good. I couldn't get enough of her Beijing Bastard. This is the kinda book that makes you want to pack an extra lung and move to China." -Gary Shteyngart, author of Absurdistan "Val Wang has given us a memoir perfectly suited to the Beijing that she brings to life so well: heedless, pungent, and proudly insubordinate. She is both American and Chinese, fascinated by her ancestors' history and desperate to escape it. Like contemporary China itself, Wang is torn between the aspirations for success, idiosyncrasy, and belonging. A vivid and evocative read." -Evan Osnos, author of Age of Ambition "Val Wang spins a rollicking tale of misadventure in Beijing, wonderfully engaging, filled with astute observations of modern China, and edged by a sharp wit that left me laughing out loud on the subway even as I concealed a tear at the last page." -Ann Mah, author of Kitchen Chinese and Mastering the Art of French Eating "A spectacular debut by a writer with the most enviable gift a storyteller can have: timing. Like Arthur Phillips' Prague and other generation-defining works that capture a fleeting, golden moment in both the lives of a group of expatriates and a larger-than-life place, Val Wang's memoir of Beijing is shot through with insight, beauty, humor and sadness." -Ben Ryder Howe, author of My Korean Deli "Takes readers effortlessly through the seemingly disparate worlds of a family divided across distance and generations. Wang's Beijing is gritty and bleak but also hopeful and exciting, and her affection for the city is palpable.... A deftly written and entertaining memoir that offers a fresh perspective on contemporary China and the people caught in its rapid transformation." - Kirkus Reviews, Advance Praise for Beijing Bastard "Val Wang has given us a memoir perfectly suited to the Beijing that she brings to life so well: heedless, pungent, and proudly insubordinate. She is both American and Chinese, fascinated by her ancestors' history and desperate to escape it. Like contemporary China itself, Wang is torn between the aspirations for success, idiosyncrasy, and belonging. A vivid and evocative read." -Evan Osnos, author of Age of Ambition "Val Wang spins a rollicking tale of misadventure in Beijing, wonderfully engaging, filled with astute observations of modern China, and edged by a sharp wit that left me laughing out loud on the subway even as I concealed a tear at the last page." -Ann Mah, author of Kitchen Chinese and Mastering the Art of French Eating "A spectacular debut by a writer with the most enviable gift a storyteller can have: timing. Like Arthur Phillips' Prague and other generation-defining works that capture a fleeting, golden moment in both the lives of a group of expatriates and a larger-than-life place, Val Wang's memoir of Beijing is shot through with insight, beauty, humor and sadness." -Ben Ryder Howe, author of My Korean Deli "Takes readers effortlessly through the seemingly disparate worlds of a family divided across distance and generations. Wang's Beijing is gritty and bleak but also hopeful and exciting, and her affection for the city is palpable.... A deftly written and entertaining memoir that offers a fresh perspective on contemporary China and the people caught in its rapid transformation." - Kirkus Reviews

Dewey Edition23

Grade FromTwelfth Grade

Dewey Decimal305.48/8951073

SynopsisA humorous and moving coming-of-age story that brings a unique, not-quite-outsider s perspective to China s shift from ancient empire to modern superpower Raised in a strict Chinese-American household in the suburbs, Val Wang dutifully got good grades, took piano lessons, and performed in a Chinese dance troupe until she shaved her head and became a leftist, the stuff of many teenage rebellions. But Val s true mutiny was when she moved toChina, the land her parents had fled before the Communist takeover in 1949. Val arrives inBeijingin 1998 expecting to find freedom but instead lives in the old city with her traditional relatives, who wake her at dawn with the sound of a state-run television program playing next to her cot, make a running joke of how much she eats, and monitor her every move. But outside, she soon discovers a city rebelling against its roots just as she is, struggling too to find a new, modern identity. Rickshaws make way for taxicabs, skyscrapers replace"hutong" courtyard houses," "andBeijingprepares to make its debut on the world stage with the 2008 Olympics.And in the gritty outskirts of the city where she moves, athriving avant-garde subculture is making art out of the chaos. Val plunges into the city s dizzying culture and nightlife and begins shooting a documentary, about a Peking Opera family who is witnessing the death of their traditional art. Brilliantly observed and winningly told, "Beijing Bastard"is a compelling story of a young woman finding her place in the world and ofChina, as its ancient past gives way to a dazzling but uncertain future.", Raised in the suburbs by Chinese émigré parents with high hopes for her future, Val Wang dutifully took piano lessons, performed in a Chinese dance troupe, and became a black belt in martial arts. That is, until she shaved her head and became a leftist, a feminist, and a vegetarian-the stuff of many teenage rebellions. But her true mutiny came when she moved to China, the land her parents fled before the Communist takeover in 1949. Landing in Beijing, Val finds a city whirling with chaos and promise and teetering between tradition and fast-paced modernization. Living first with her strict Chinese relative in a hutong courtyard home, she forms an immediate and visceral attachment to the old city. But Beijing is on the verge of an epic transformation. Just like Val, the city is rebelling against its roots, struggling to find a new, modern identity. Bicycles are giving way to taxicabs, and skyscrapers are replacing courtyard house as Beijing prepares to make its debut on the world stage with the 2008 Olympics. As the old city disappears beneath the wrecking ball, a new one is beginning to emerge. Caught in the fascinating and utterly confusing moment of transition, Val moves to the gritty outskirts of the city where, to her surprise, she discovers a thriving avant-garde subculture making art out of the chaos. Plunging into the city's dizzying culture and nightlife, Val meets a motley crew of young filmmakers, expats, and entrepreneurs, who both fear and thrive on the uncertainty. Surrounded by subversive artists who are telling their versions of China's upheaval, Val soon realizes that documentary film is where her artistic passion lies. And when she meets a Peking Opera family who are witnessing in real time the death of their traditional art, it is her turn to focus her camera lens on the history unfolding before her. Brilliantly observed and winningly told, Beijing Bastard is a compelling coming-of-age story of a young woman finding her place in the world - and also of China, as its ancient past gives way to a dazzling but uncertain future. Advance Praise for Beijing Bastard 'Val Wang has given us a memoir perfectly suited to the Beijing that she brings to life so well- heedless, pungent, and proudly insubordinate. She is both American and Chinese, fascinated by her ancestors' history and desperate to escape it. Like contemporary China itself, Wang is torn between the aspirations for success, idiosyncrasy, and belonging. A vivid and evocative read.' Evan Osnos, author of Age of Ambition 'Val Wang spins a rollicking tale of misadventure in Beijing, wonderfully engaging, filled with astute observations of modern China, and edged by a sharp wit that left me laughing out loud on the subway, even as I concealed a tear at the last page. Ann Mah, author of Kitchen Chinese and Mastering the Art of French Eating 'A spectacular debut by a writer with the most enviable gift a storyteller can have- timing. Like Arthur Phillips's Prague and other generation-defining works that capture a fleeting, golden moment in both the lives of a group of expatriates and a larger-than-life place, Val Wang's memoir of Beijing is shot through with insight, beauty, humor, and sadness.' Ben Ryder Howe, author of My Korean Deli 'Wang delivers a sensitive narrative that take readers effortlessly through the seemingly disparate worlds of a family divided across distance and generations . . . Wang's Beijing is gritty and bleak but also hopeful and exciting, and her affection for the city is palpable . . . A deftly written and entertaining memoir that offers a fresh perspective on contemporary China and the people caught in its rapid transformation. Kirku

LC Classification NumberE184.C5W357 2014