Chinese Lessons

Pomfret not only describes China today, he also reminds us what came before, thereby posing the important question: Is it possible for China to avoid reckoning with its past and still become a responsible, possibly great, nation? — Orville Schell, The New York Times

― In Chinese Lessons, my first book, I tell the story of how Chinese coped with the incredible transformation of their lives from the 1950s to the 2000s. It’s an intimate account, documenting what it felt like being Chinese during these shattering changes—from the famine of the Great Leap Forward, to the brutality of the Cultural Revolution, to the mind-bending ideological jiu jitsu prompted by the economic reforms of the ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s. Many Chinese friends have told me that this book resonates deeply with them because it tells the story of their generation—the one that made China what it is today. Westerners who’ve lived in China have shared that this book gave them a deeper understanding of their Chinese friends, business partners, and competitors.

Reviews:

“In this intimate and revealing book, John Pomfret shows why he is one of the great China correspondents of his generation: He has never held himself at a distance, but has plunged in, with vigor and an open mind. His approach to China has no tint of romanticism or awe; the lives he discovers and the stories he tells, including his own, are unvarnished, unexpected, and riveting.” ―Steve Coll, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Ghost Wars

“Chinese Lessons is an extraordinary book. Through telling the intimate stories of his former classmates, John Pomfret reveals a contemporary China where many individual lives have been thwarted and twisted. This is a book full of insights, honesty, and compassion. It touched me deeply.” ―Ha Jin, author of Waiting

“John Pomfret has written a brilliant, insightful book describing the dark side and human cost of the 'Chinese economic miracle.' His feel for China, based on years of living there, his fluency in Chinese, and his reporting genius cut through the sham and spin.” ―James R. Lilley, former U.S. Ambassador to China and chief of the American Mission in Taiwan

Cast of Characters

Six of my roomates and me

A group of history majors, class of 1982, Nanjing University.

Du Mengxi and her family. Her faith in Christianity made her the envy of her classmates, many of whom found themselves without beliefs.

Little Guan’s surprise birthday party in 1979 with Western and Chinese classmates at Nanjing U.

Little Guan with her son, Ding Xing.

Song Liming with Antonella and other classmates @1980

Song Liming in Rome.

A page from “Book Idiot” Zhou’s collection of photos of himself in the 1970s during the Cultural Revolution. Since the publication of Chinese Lessons, he’s immigrated to the United States

“Book Idiot” Zhou burns paper money for his deceased parents in 2003.

“Book Idiot” Zhou with his mother and father before the Cultural Revolution. During the Cultural Revolution, he was forced to criticize his mother during a “struggle” session.

Wu Xiaoqing stands before a field at Nanjing Teacher’s College where his parents were attacked and ultimately murdered by Red Guards on August 3, 1966. Their killings were the first of the Cultural Revolution.