The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze and Back in Chinese Time - Hardcover

Winchester, Simon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805038884 ISBN 13: 9780805038880

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1996

Synopsis

An author travels up the Yangtze river from the Tibetan border to the East China Sea and attempts to get at the soul of China as he passes through the many faces of China. 12,500 first printing.

About this title

Review

"Winchester is a storyteller...romantic enough to make us yearn to be there with him." --"The Washington Post"
"Winchester is an exceptionally engaging guide...at home everywhere, ready for anything, full of gusto, and seemingly omnivorous curiosity." --"The New York Times Book Review"
"Another home run." --"Los Angeles Times"
"At one time or another, many of us, I suspect, have wanted to be Simon Winchester, to lead a life that was equal parts Jan Morris and James Bond." --"San Francisco Chronicle"
"Winchester is an exquisite writer and a deft anecdoteur." --Christopher Buckley

Winchester is a storyteller...romantic enough to make us yearn to be there with him. "The Washington Post"

Winchester is an exceptionally engaging guide...at home everywhere, ready for anything, full of gusto, and seemingly omnivorous curiosity. "The New York Times Book Review"

Another home run. "Los Angeles Times"

At one time or another, many of us, I suspect, have wanted to be Simon Winchester, to lead a life that was equal parts Jan Morris and James Bond. "San Francisco Chronicle"

Winchester is an exquisite writer and a deft anecdoteur. "Christopher Buckley""

Winchester is a storyteller...romantic enough to make us yearn to be there with him. The Washington Post

Winchester is an exceptionally engaging guide...at home everywhere, ready for anything, full of gusto, and seemingly omnivorous curiosity. The New York Times Book Review

Another home run. Los Angeles Times

At one time or another, many of us, I suspect, have wanted to be Simon Winchester, to lead a life that was equal parts Jan Morris and James Bond. San Francisco Chronicle

Winchester is an exquisite writer and a deft anecdoteur. Christopher Buckley

"

"Winchester is a storyteller...romantic enough to make us yearn to be there with him." --The Washington Post

"Winchester is an exceptionally engaging guide...at home everywhere, ready for anything, full of gusto, and seemingly omnivorous curiosity." --The New York Times Book Review

"Another home run." --Los Angeles Times

"At one time or another, many of us, I suspect, have wanted to be Simon Winchester, to lead a life that was equal parts Jan Morris and James Bond." --San Francisco Chronicle

"Winchester is an exquisite writer and a deft anecdoteur." --Christopher Buckley

From the Back Cover

It is the symbolic heart of China. Rising in the mountains of the Tibetan border, it pierces 3,900 miles of rugged country before debouching into the oily swells of the East China Sea. Its path embraces every geographic feature and almost every ethnic group, and its banks are home to both scenic splendor and foul industrial pollution. Connecting China's heartland cities with that volatile coastal giant Shanghai, it has also historically connected China to the outside world through its nearly one thousand miles of navigable waters. And to travel up those waters is to travel back in history, to sense the soul of China. Long off-limits to foreigners, the far reaches of the Yangtze are still off-limits to most tourists and travelers simply by dint of the difficulty in traversing the terrain. But, for Simon Winchester, traveling the length of this mighty river was a lifelong dream and, together with a Chinese companion, he set out to do just that. The result is this unforgettable portrait of China. Endlessly curious, urbane, witty, and knowledgeable, Winchester introduces us to a world we might otherwise have missed. To follow him on his adventures up the Yangtze is to experience the essence of China - to absorb its flavors as well as learn its history and politics, to feel its geography and climate as well as engage in its culture, and to meet up en route with uncommon people in remote and almost inaccessible places. This is travel writing at its best: lively and informative, amusing and thoroughly engaging.

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805038884
• ISBN 13: 9780805038880
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 410