Oracle Bones melds the multiple personalities and tangled story lines into a kaleidoscopic vision of a country surging toward an uncertain future The society that emerges from its pages is one buffeted by conflicting currents, confident and yet deeply insecure, and haunted by its recent past.
Acentury ago, outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. In Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation, viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful of ordinary people. In a narrative that gracefully moves between the ancient and the present, the East and the West, Hessler captures the soul of a country that is undergoing a momentous change before our eyes.
Author's Note
PART ONE
Artifact A: THE UNDERGROUND CITY
The Middleman
Artifact B: THE WRITTEN WORLD
The Voice of America
The Broken Bridge
Artifact C: THE WALL
The Overnight City
PART TWO
Starch
Hollywood
Artifact D: THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE
At Night You're Not Lonely
Immigration
The Courtyard
Artifact E: THE BRONZE HEAD
Anniversary
Sichuanese
PART THREE
Artifact F: THE BOOK
Asylum
Artifact G: THE UNCRACKED BONE
The Games
Sand
Artifact H: THE WORD
Translation
Flags
Straight to Video
Artifact I: THE HORSE
Wonton Western
Election
PART FOUR
Chinatown
Artifact J: THE CRITICISM
State Visit
Artifact K: THE LOST ALPHABETS
Encapsulate Prime
Artifact L: THE MISPRINTED CHARACTER
Patton's Tomb
Artifact Z: THE SOLD WORDS
Tea
Sources
Acknowledgments
Index