"Wild Swans" by Jung Chang
"Wild Swans" by Jung Chang I’ve always been drawn to China – maybe I’m the reincarnation of a Chinese princess or maybe I was just a simple peasant in Yunnan...
In any case, when I was young – after travelling around Europe a bit as a student and then United States, when I started working for an American consultancy firm – my first journey abroad was to China.
That was in 1988.
I’m not even exactly sure why I chose China. What I do know is that I am still fascinated by China’s ancient culture and the fact that this “world” - like our own - created/invented/produced wonders in the arts and sciences.
In 1988 I went to China with the Italian tour operator Avventure nel Mondo, which back then really was a (dis)organisation of adventurers… I say that affectionately: I have travelled all over the world with them and met some of the most important people in my life on these journeys.
Last year - after 30 years – I decided to return to see the “new world”. The writer Yu Hua (“China in ten words”)says that we (the West) achieved over centuries (from the Middle Ages to the present) what China did in 4 decades...
I have to say, China really has changed.
China, a world unto itself
The mountains of Guilin One thing that really stuck in my mind from my first journey to China was Guilin and its special mountains. We went for a trip on the Pearl River on a little boat and saw fishermen using cormorants to fish by tying a chord around their necks to prevent them from swallowing their prey; we visited small villages where people’s source of sustenance was rice which they ate from small dishes …
Nowadays the Chinese also travel around their own country for tourism.
That same destination is now served by 200 motorboats every day, with each carrying at least 100 people … things are changed somewhat.
In my heart I still have my first image of Guilin, but in my mind I’m happy there has been such progress for these people and that living standards are improving for them too.
Back then I discovered the Lonely Planet guides, while during my more recent journey I discovered the book “Wild Swans”.
Lonely Planet had been a real discovery: I think I went to Piazza Cavour in Milan, which had a large bookshop. I was looking at guides on China and following the suggestion of the bookseller, I chose “China – a travel survival kit”, essentially because it had a map of the cities with details of places (to visit, hotels and restaurants) that was written in English and in Chinese. I thought it would be an advantage to have things written in Chinese, but when I got there I realised not everyone could read …
The book "Wild Swans"
Today I discovered “Wild Swans” following a suggestion by a friend at the golf club who regularly travel to China for work. He recommended this volume (it’s literally a volume!) which tells the story of China in the 20th century. Despite its size, it’s a gripping read and is more than a novel: it features historic events - validated by the author – through the story of her grandmother, mother and herself, and described the country and its myriad transformations over the twentieth century.
…and what about GoodGoing! ?
What does this mean in terms of work and searching for work? It means that in order to approach a country, its people and civilization, it’s better to get ready, look for tools to understand things, find your way around and understand the way a country works - just like a Lonely Planet guide back in the day and Wild Swans today. Otherwise everything can be a bit superficial and a tourist will say that China is beautiful just like a worker finishing an interview might think things went well… without understanding anything about the company or organisation.
