Foreign Babes in Beijing - Softcover

DeWoskin, Rachel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1862078165 ISBN 13: 9781862078161

Publisher: Granta Books, 2006

Synopsis

Hoping to improve her Chinese and broaden her cultural horizons, Rachel DeWoskin went to work for an American PR firm in China. Before she knew it, she was not just exploring, but making Chinese culture - as the sexy and aggressive, fearless Jiexi, star of a wildly successful soap opera. A Chinese counterpart to Sex and the City, revolving around Chinese-Western culture clashes, the show was called Foreign Babes in Beijing. Living the clashes in real life while playing out a parallel version on screen, Rachel forms a group of friends with whom she witnesses the vast changes sweeping through China as the country pursues the new maxim 'to get rich is glorious'. In only a few years, billboards, stylish bars and discos, international restaurants, fashion shows, divorce, foreign visitors, and cross-cultural love affairs transform the face of China's capital. Foreign Babes in Beijing is as astute and informative as it is witty, moving and entertaining.

About this title

Review:

'An appealing and intelligent memoir about China, told from a refreshing perspective: a woman’s' -- Sunday Morning Post (South China)

'DeWoskin's...prose is as gripping as it is constant...A babe's- eye view that turns out to be surprisingly substantive' -- Kirkus Review

'Deft, daffy comedy of errors' -- William Grimes

'Exhibiting sensitivity and uncommon wisdom, DeWoskin delivers a candid and valuable portrait of a China few Westerners get to see' -- Booklist

'For a real insider’s look at life in modern China, readers should turn to the work of Rachel DeWoskin' -- The Economist

'Lost in Translation- esque glimmers of the differences between the Chinese and American acting worlds' -- Publisher's Weekly

'Offers...an intelligent and complex portrait of what it is like to be a young American woman on the mainland' -- The Wall Street Journal

'gives readers the perfect feel for today's China- a place where ancient and modern mingle' -- Library Journal

‘DeWoskin provides a perspective that is as unusual as it is revealing’ -- Independent

Synopsis:

Hoping to improve her Chinese and broaden her cultural horizons, Rachel deWoskin went to work for an American PR firm in China. Before she knew it, she was not just exploring but making Chinese culture as part of a wildly successful soap opera.

About this edition

• Publisher: Granta Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1862078165
• ISBN 13: 9781862078161
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304