Description
What kind of people would you meet if you decided to walk across the world’s most populous country?
The Great Walk of China is a journey into China’s heartland, away from its surging coastal cities, where the ripples of prosperity are only just beginning to be felt and many find themselves left behind. Through his conversations with the people he meets along the way, the Chinese-speaking Earnshaw paints a portrait of a nation struggling to come to terms with its newfound identity and its place in the world. Our wandering guide never backs away from sensitive and sometimes uncomfortable topics, and captures the essential kindness and generosity of the Chinese people with brilliant clarity.
MEDIA ATTENTION
“A journalist’s journey by foot from Shanghai to Tibet offers a fascinating look at a part of China seldom seen by foreigners.” — The Christian Science Monitor
Listen to Matt Driskill’s podcast of Graham Earnshaw’s talk at the FCC, and Graham’s interview on RTHK Radio 3
“After so much legwork and countless chats, Earnshaw knows China better than most Chinese people do. Some of his best strolls take him past the massive Three Gorges Dam and across reform-through-labor prison-farms. Long before the final page, his readers too know China much better than before.” — Cairns Media Magazine
“Earnshaw presents a first-hand look at the lives and experiences of local villagers, dealing with the huge transformations of China today... Earnshaw said that as a long-time reporter in China, he is very interested in how China and the West interact and that was one of the purposes of his trek.” — Global Times
“A ramble into a country’s heart and soul… Earnshaw’s deceptively simple travelogue reveals the complexities of an eternal China coming to terms with the forces of change. Lyrical, witty and wise, The Great Walk of China will rank among the great travel classics.” — Adam Williams, author of The Emperor‘s Bones
“An on-the-ground portrait of what China is really like, away from the bright lights of Shanghai and Beijing. Engagingly written, it stands out in the fast-growing stock of writing about a country that is still too little understood.” — Jonathan Fenby, author of The Penguin History of Modern China
