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In Manchuria: A Village Called Wasteland and the Transformation of Rural China
In the tradition of In Patagonia and Great Plains, Michael Meyer's In Manchuria is a scintillating combination of memoir, contemporary reporting, and historical research, presenting a unique profile of China's legendary northeast territory. For three years, Meyer rented a home in the rice-farming community of Wasteland, hometown to his wife's family, and their personal saga mirrors the tremendous change most of rural China is undergoing, in the form of a privately held rice company that has built new roads, introduced organic farming, and constructed high-rise apartments into which farmers can move in exchange for their land rights. Once a commune, Wasteland is now a company town, a phenomenon happening across China that Meyer documents for the first time; indeed, not since Pearl Buck wrote The Good Earth has anyone brought rural China to life as Meyer has here.
Amplifying the story of family and Wasteland, Meyer takes us on a journey across Manchuria's past, a history that explains much about contemporary China-from the fall of the last emperor to Japanese occupation and Communist victory. Through vivid local characters, Meyer illuminates the remnants of the imperial Willow Palisade, Russian and Japanese colonial cities and railways, and the POW camp into which a young American sergeant parachuted to free survivors of the Bataan Death March. In Manchuria is a rich and original chronicle of contemporary China and its people.
Amplifying the story of family and Wasteland, Meyer takes us on a journey across Manchuria's past, a history that explains much about contemporary China-from the fall of the last emperor to Japanese occupation and Communist victory. Through vivid local characters, Meyer illuminates the remnants of the imperial Willow Palisade, Russian and Japanese colonial cities and railways, and the POW camp into which a young American sergeant parachuted to free survivors of the Bataan Death March. In Manchuria is a rich and original chronicle of contemporary China and its people.
434 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 17, 2015
About the author
Michael Meyer
185 books90 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Michael Meyer is an American travel writer and the author of In Manchuria: A Village Called Wasteland and the Transformation of Rural China and The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed. He graduated from University of Wisconsin–Madison. He first went to China in 1995 with the Peace Corps. Following Peace Corps, he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied writing under Adam Hochschild and Maxine Hong Kingston.
His work has appeared in The New York Times, Time, Smithsonian, the New York Times Book Review, the Financial Times, Reader’s Digest, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Iowa Review, and on This American Life.
In China, he has represented the National Geographic Society’s Center for Sustainable Destinations, training China’s UNESCO World Heritage Site managers in preservation practices.
He lives in Singapore and Pittsburgh, where he is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh, teaching Nonfiction writing.
After a five year clearance delay, his book The Last Days of Old Beijing was published in mainland China.
Michael Meyer is an American travel writer and the author of In Manchuria: A Village Called Wasteland and the Transformation of Rural China and The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed. He graduated from University of Wisconsin–Madison. He first went to China in 1995 with the Peace Corps. Following Peace Corps, he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied writing under Adam Hochschild and Maxine Hong Kingston.
His work has appeared in The New York Times, Time, Smithsonian, the New York Times Book Review, the Financial Times, Reader’s Digest, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Iowa Review, and on This American Life.
In China, he has represented the National Geographic Society’s Center for Sustainable Destinations, training China’s UNESCO World Heritage Site managers in preservation practices.
He lives in Singapore and Pittsburgh, where he is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh, teaching Nonfiction writing.
After a five year clearance delay, his book The Last Days of Old Beijing was published in mainland China.
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February 10, 2016
Twelve years ago when I was planning a trip to China, I used a guidebook which issued a warning to the effect that “no matter how up to date this book is at the time of its printing, it will be out of date by the time you read it.”
Michael Meyer tries to grab hold of that slippery country and to give a sense of its past and present by living in a remote Manchurian village called Wasteland and digging through the layers of history. All the while, the village is hurtling into the twenty-first century, as Eastern Fortune Rice, an organic rice production facility, buys up land and crops, moving farmers into highrises. A spa – not likely to be patronized by the locals – springs up and inspires the rapid building of roads.
Meanwhile Meyer lives with a farmer in a traditional hut, sleeping on a cotton bedroll atop a kang, a brick platform heated by burning dried rice stalks underneath. He loves this place and enjoys village status because his wife grew up in Wasteland. When he is not volunteering in the local school as an English teacher, he travels in often rough fashion through Manchuria, a region whose history is embedded in the imperial aspirations of China, Japan, and Russia.
As a land on the “wrong” side of the Great Wall, Manchuria has a unique past, not so tied to the ancient great dynasties that are so much the hallmark of Chinese pride. Meyer gives us a lot of history; I was woefully ill informed about the Russian and Japanese incursions on this land, and I kept turning to Wikipedia for grounding in dates and sequence.
When Meyer moved between his personal experiences and chapters on history, I initially found the narrative somewhat fractured, but the book got stronger for me as the threads came together, and I was left feeling that this is a wonderful book. I especially relished the stories of his travels to find lost histories – Russian churches, a willow palisade “wall,” old train stations.
In Manchuria is equal parts history lesson and village cultural study. It’s lovely to be embraced by Meyer’s zeal for his story.
Michael Meyer tries to grab hold of that slippery country and to give a sense of its past and present by living in a remote Manchurian village called Wasteland and digging through the layers of history. All the while, the village is hurtling into the twenty-first century, as Eastern Fortune Rice, an organic rice production facility, buys up land and crops, moving farmers into highrises. A spa – not likely to be patronized by the locals – springs up and inspires the rapid building of roads.
Meanwhile Meyer lives with a farmer in a traditional hut, sleeping on a cotton bedroll atop a kang, a brick platform heated by burning dried rice stalks underneath. He loves this place and enjoys village status because his wife grew up in Wasteland. When he is not volunteering in the local school as an English teacher, he travels in often rough fashion through Manchuria, a region whose history is embedded in the imperial aspirations of China, Japan, and Russia.
As a land on the “wrong” side of the Great Wall, Manchuria has a unique past, not so tied to the ancient great dynasties that are so much the hallmark of Chinese pride. Meyer gives us a lot of history; I was woefully ill informed about the Russian and Japanese incursions on this land, and I kept turning to Wikipedia for grounding in dates and sequence.
When Meyer moved between his personal experiences and chapters on history, I initially found the narrative somewhat fractured, but the book got stronger for me as the threads came together, and I was left feeling that this is a wonderful book. I especially relished the stories of his travels to find lost histories – Russian churches, a willow palisade “wall,” old train stations.
In Manchuria is equal parts history lesson and village cultural study. It’s lovely to be embraced by Meyer’s zeal for his story.
October 13, 2015
I read this with the hopes of data I could use in my novel research, and I ended up delighted with the book overall. This is one of several great travelogues/historical explorations I have read in recent years (Children of Kali by Kevin Rushby is worthy of note here). Meyer approaches the book with an American perspective, but as an American who is quite happy to immerse himself in other cultures. He lived for a year in his wife's native Manchurian village of Wasteland, while his wife is elsewhere, and explored the region by bus and rail.
Manchuria is one of the places that is always noted in World War II narratives as the place where Japan began their foray into mainland Asia. Meyer does an excellent job of showing a place with a vital role in history--the Manchu dynasty originated there--that was caught in a terrible 20th century tug-of-war between China, Japan, Russia, and Korea. Communism and the Cultural Revolution destroyed--and built--much more. Wasteland is undergoing a dramatic change in recent years as the home of a powerful rice corporation. The village is becoming something more, with the farmers of the past 50 years being nudged into massive apartment blocks so that their old, kang-heated shacks can become more rice paddies.
Meyer's chapters are easy to read, and the book goes by fast. I loved the historical information and how he portrayed it, but I was surprised to find myself falling in love with Wasteland and its residents. It's remote and bitterly cold much of the year (Siberia is right next door), but also a place of beauty that is even shown by the actions of a elderly local who plots where to sneakily plant her beloved poppy seeds along the main thoroughfare after the rice corporation repaves and modernizes the road.
March 8, 2015
Would be good for those who are interested in Chinese history. Former Peace Corps member Michael Meyer takes us through a journey of rural China, from it's time under the emperors to the modern day and the changes and shifts it has gone through. When people think of China they may think of the Forbidden City or the Great Wall or Communism or any other number of things, but Meyer takes the reader on a very different journey through a place where probably a lot of people may have never heard of, unless they are familiar with the story of China's last Emperor.
His wife's family is from there and the book chronicles his time from when they met until they find out she is pregnant with their first baby. Meyer shows the reader how the area actually has no recorded history, but has witnessed change and growth while mostly staying the same, until the present time arrives and big Farm and Agriculture begin seeping into this rural area.
I felt the book was rather plodding and boring. I enjoyed the stories of his wife's family, of certain events, how life was different there vs. the US, how people interacted with him, etc. But I felt it could really plod around at times and it just seemed like one long history text. I suppose it might be tough without more context of the history of China or the historical importance of this area.
I noticed a lot of reviewers seemed to have liked it, but it wasn't for me. Someone who served in the Peace Corps in China (he doesn't talk much about his PC service, so I don't know if it would be a good reference for a Peace Corps volunteer) or has an interesting in China or this region might enjoy it a lot more.
His wife's family is from there and the book chronicles his time from when they met until they find out she is pregnant with their first baby. Meyer shows the reader how the area actually has no recorded history, but has witnessed change and growth while mostly staying the same, until the present time arrives and big Farm and Agriculture begin seeping into this rural area.
I felt the book was rather plodding and boring. I enjoyed the stories of his wife's family, of certain events, how life was different there vs. the US, how people interacted with him, etc. But I felt it could really plod around at times and it just seemed like one long history text. I suppose it might be tough without more context of the history of China or the historical importance of this area.
I noticed a lot of reviewers seemed to have liked it, but it wasn't for me. Someone who served in the Peace Corps in China (he doesn't talk much about his PC service, so I don't know if it would be a good reference for a Peace Corps volunteer) or has an interesting in China or this region might enjoy it a lot more.
June 28, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this description of Northeastern China, centered on the village (named Wasteland) where the author's wife spent her childhood. Largely a memoir of the author's experiences and travels to sites of interest, it gives quite a lot of the history of Manchuria, as this part of the country was traditionally called, from the imperial period through the Japanese occupation, the Mao years, and into the present. This history is both from research and from the point of view of people who lived through it. It interests me that a type of corporate collectivization of the rural areas is taking place that parallels the agribusiness corporate collectivization of American agriculture. What I enjoyed most in the book, however, was the chance to become acquainted with ordinary Manchurian people, particularly the author's in-laws in Wasteland.
February 24, 2016
Michael Meyer is such an exquisite writer on China that I almost couldn't finish this book, both because nearly every sentence generated additional thoughts -- forcing me into perpetual distraction -- and because my sense of inadequacy in the face of his ridiculous skill was constantly in the back of my head. Damn you Meyer, for being this good! :)
March 26, 2018
读书：历史之外，满洲以里
初见这本书是看到有朋友新书到手秀朋友圈，但这本中文名叫做《东北游记》的书并没有引起我找来一读的欲望：就是外国记者在东北转悠一圈的所见所闻，顺便来点怀古呗？去年关于东北的负面报道特别多，于是对东北的历史和现状有了一些兴趣，希望了解作为共和国长子的东北何以至此。所以，我带着问题，找到这本书，想通过书中描写的历史，看看能否找到东北变成今天这个样子的合理性，以及有没有可能窥见这片土地的未来。读完之后，好像找到了，但也似乎问题更多了。
先大略介绍一下这本书吧。英文名《In Manchuria：A Village Called Wasteland And the Transformation Of Rural China》，我宁愿翻译成《满洲以里：荒地村与中国农村的变迁》而非《东北游记》。作者是跟彼得·海斯勒（何伟）一起作为美国和平队志愿者在中国支教过的迈克尔·迈尔（梅英东），此前还写过一本《再会老北京》，风评也很不错。梅英东在北京支教认识了一个东北姑娘，跟人结婚后跑到姑娘老家吉林市的荒地村住了两年，顺便借着东北便捷的铁路网四处访古流窜，追寻这片土地的历史，也观察这片土地的现状。所以，这不是走马观花堆积素材的“东北游记”，而是深入满洲以里得来的“有机”历史。
所以还是值得一读的。
历史是本书最有血有肉的部分，或者说是我最关注、也受启发最多的部分。所以，全书点题的在我看来是这句话：“在东北，一个人能感受和触摸多少过去，多少历史。”对东北历史的追寻虽然可以上至新石器时代的昂昂溪遗址，但真正对今天构成有机的，还是应该从大清龙兴说起。后金建国到入关建立清王朝的历史我们耳熟能详（拜那么多充斥屏幕的辫子戏所赐），“闯关东”也曾经是影视热门，但对清末到新中国，还是有很多历史细节我们的了解并不多。比如说，历史书从未讲过，东北在清末已经全面成为俄国殖民地。沙俄东进吞并西伯利亚之后并未止步，一方面跨过百令海峡进入阿拉斯加，与英法的扩张势头迎面相遇后才停下脚步；另一方面翻过外兴安岭直捣满清龙兴之地，直到与同样在寻求扩张且已吞并朝鲜半岛的日本撞在一起才刹住车。正是因此，日俄战争才会在东北爆发，而清廷只能关起门来，保持“中立”。苏联对东北的野心与沙俄一脉相承，日本投降后，苏军接管东北，将大量工业设施拆运回国，并继续主导东北直到中苏交恶。所以，东北在20世纪里，有一大半的时间都不是中国人在统治。
而俄国和日本先后统治东北的半个多世纪，在梅英东笔下十分有声有色。俄国人修了中东铁路，并从无到有建设出国际化大都市哈尔滨；中国政府取消了哈尔滨建城百周年的纪念活动，因为不希望殖民者的功绩被铭记，但俄国人留下的印记仍然比比皆是。日本对东北的建设更加用心，很多城市规划和基建到今天都仍然受用无尽，他们的移民规划也表明了扎根的决心；当时在国际上即有论调“不是征服，是发展”，可见日本在东北带来的进步也是有很多人承认的。作者讲述这些历史时用到的素材，有大量当时在东北的传教士、医生等留下的回忆录，也有大量官方文件（日本两千人的调查团就留下了六千份调查报告），还亲身走访了大量遗址、博物馆以及历史的见证人。因此，这些历史不是数字，也不只是书摘，而是跃然于纸上的鲜活。《占后余波》（Occupation’s Aftermath）读来尤为令人感慨唏嘘，写到沈阳盟军战俘营，写到731部队，写到战败对东北日本人的影响，也写到中日友好墓园的坎坷。
但日俄离开之后的东北舞台，这本书反映出来的却较为空白，只能从受访者的口述中和转摘的新闻中窥见一些。我在阅读时想到的是，史料的不同，是不是可以表明不同政府对待历史的不同态度？日本、美国都保留了相当多的原始资料且可公开查阅，中国、俄罗斯在这方面似乎是要差一些。中国有五千年历史，却似乎一直只活在当下。作者在各地想要找当地文史资料都极困难，偶尔得见的一些活历史也往往处于“不合时宜”的生存状态。书中写到赛珍珠及其第一任丈夫，夫妇二人均对中国农村充满关怀，一者从文学角度，一者从社会学研究角度，都留下了对中国农村的珍贵记忆。梅英东的作品，我想也算这种关怀的传承，反而是中国人自身，很少去关注身边的历史与变迁。
东北在建国后的兴盛与日俄建设的基础不无关系，同时也有计划经济体制的原因。改革开放后东北的衰败，从站街女可见一斑，但不知道这种衰败是否足以解释东北今日旅游业、商业领域的乱象。以前关注稻作文化时，也留心过台湾的农业，于是记住了“工业东北，农业台湾”这样的布局，是说日本殖民者建设这两个殖民地有清晰思路，而非专事奴化、掠夺。但同样是被日本殖民了数十年，东北和台湾最近几十年的发展天差地别，其间异同该如何解读？亚洲四小龙均为前殖民地，这是偶然还是必然？如此等等问题，无法在本书找到答案。
因此本书只有不到一半的篇幅是在写荒地村，以及管中窥豹的农村变迁。所以我觉得，本书副标题其实也不那么得当。荒地村的历史很平淡，只有“1956年，荒地建村”的记载。相反，荒地村的“未来”在东福米业刘老板的描绘下，却是极令人振奋的一幅蓝图，这大概跟薄在大连建设的未来博物馆有异曲同工之处。如果说书中反映出了农村变迁，大概也就是城市化令农村变成空心，而也有建设者提出“不是要进城，是要建城”的思路而已。农村在城市化进程中面临的诸多问题，本书都未能涉及，更不用说提出解决思路。
这本书我先读的中译本，但读了几十页之后觉得译笔有点儿太卖弄，而且有些地方看着词不达意也许有误译，最终还是找了英文本来读。读完英文本也回头又对照看了一下中文本，发现果然译本处理有些不如人意的地方。
翻译错了的我举几个例子。最简单的如将第9章的Target百货翻译成“射箭靶”（好像没有哪里不对），第11章将thirteen hundred years翻译成三百年，第16章将关家姐弟说成兄妹，第13章近结尾处将作者与司机的对话翻译得像是司机的独白一样，等等。书中出现“大中华区”、“华中城市西安”等表达，也仿佛未经锤炼。（“大中华区”一词是中国政府反对的表述。）也有些句子翻译得不伦不类，比如：
第9章：But then I read Mayor Dunlop’s looping words —expecting hearts to dot the i’s ……
译文：不过我还是仔细看了看顿洛普市长那些鬼画符一样的��，字母 i 上那个小点弄得跟画了颗心似的……
此处的 dot the i’s 应该来自于习语 dot the i’s and cross the t’s ，表示写字时一笔一划一丝不苟，我想怎么也不会是译者说的这个意思。
第17章结尾：In their glass a viewer leaning close to see a relic ……
译文：参观者俯下身往玻璃柜里看的时候……
这里说到的玻璃柜比人高，lean close to 应该是前倾靠近，不应该是俯身。
第13章，译文：住在里面的中国人孙先生终于说服他们，日本战败了。
说服？嗯，原文是convince。
第13章：“I had better not go,” a general had told him, ……
译文：“我最好不去，”一位将领对他说，……
这里是在讨论溥仪为何没有回皇陵祭祖。语序就不说了，然而前面那句话我觉得应该是虚拟语气，表示“要是我的话我就不去”的意思。
第13章：he served as a special guide, leading a one-off tour of his former palace,……
译文：作为特别导游，在他过去的宫殿里做了一次参观。
“做了一次参观”这种动词名词化语病，在译文里其实不胜枚举，可能也是现在翻译体的通病了。one-off 指“一次性”，这里有“最后一次”的含义，译文并未体现出，更未体现出原文的 leading 之意。我觉得可能这样说更像中文一点：
作为特别导游，他带着大家最后一次参观了他从前的皇宫……
读了英文本之后再读译本，我想动手改的地方还蛮多的，文字洁癖使然，这里就不展开吐槽了。
但还有另一种类型的错误，倒不是说翻译有问题，只能说是译者可能不够尽责，就是作者明显写错了的地方。比如原书写到毛主席逝世，人们哭了几天，再到周总理和朱德逝世时就已经哭不出来了，然而中国人都知道，三人中毛是最后一个逝世的。合格的译者恐怕应该就此向作者求证本意？再，书中写到集约化农业时，说中国只有不到5%的鸡即两千只左右是散养的，那么全中国只有四万多只鸡？译者也应该做点查证。
对照来看，中译本删除的地方极少，已经算很良心了。我看到的删节有关于长春围城的，有关于薄熙来案的，还有关于八九的一些少量内容，而整段删除的我只瞄到这么一处：（原文见第四章，未仔细比对，不知道是否还有更多）
“All museums tell stories; China’s tell political ones. Often, as at these ruins, the museum or historic site is posted as a “patriotic education base.” Such shrines—interpreted by the local propaganda department—present historical events as leading, inexorably, to the Communist Party’s victory in the Chinese civil war. In Beijing’s National Museum of China, the display concerning the nineteenth-century Taiping Rebellion against the Manchu dynasty depicts it as a pre-Marxist version of a peasant uprising without mentioning that its murderous leader believed he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ. In Tibet, museums seem to exist only to assert to visitors that the territory “had long been a part of China.”
试译如下：
所有的博物馆都在讲故事，中国的讲的是政治故事。像这样的废墟，往往都会在博物馆或历史遗址上张贴着“爱国主义教育基地”。按照本地宣传部门的解读，这样的神龛展现的历史事件，表明了共产党在国共内战中的胜利是大势所趋。在北京，中国国家博物馆呈现的十九世纪的太平天国运动是对满清王朝的反抗，被解读为前马克思主义时代的农民起义，但对其嗜杀成性的领袖相信自己是耶稣亲弟弟的事情只字不提。在西藏，博物馆仿佛只为了向参观者证明此地“自古以来就是中国的一部分”而存在。
书中关于“爱国主义教育基地”的吐槽比比皆是，而这段算是提纲挈领。这一段具体是哪儿犯忌讳呢？其实说不出个所以然，因为这种尺度的句子书中还有不少，别的却大都安然无恙。
译者对文字雕琢不够用心，译者和编辑的粗心（大部分翻译错误，编辑认真点的话也都能排除），加上出版审查带来的挥刀自宫，都让本书可读性有所下降。所以，有条件的还是尽量读英文版吧。
初见这本书是看到有朋友新书到手秀朋友圈，但这本中文名叫做《东北游记》的书并没有引起我找来一读的欲望：就是外国记者在东北转悠一圈的所见所闻，顺便来点怀古呗？去年关于东北的负面报道特别多，于是对东北的历史和现状有了一些兴趣，希望了解作为共和国长子的东北何以至此。所以，我带着问题，找到这本书，想通过书中描写的历史，看看能否找到东北变成今天这个样子的合理性，以及有没有可能窥见这片土地的未来。读完之后，好像找到了，但也似乎问题更多了。
先大略介绍一下这本书吧。英文名《In Manchuria：A Village Called Wasteland And the Transformation Of Rural China》，我宁愿翻译成《满洲以里：荒地村与中国农村的变迁》而非《东北游记》。作者是跟彼得·海斯勒（何伟）一起作为美国和平队志愿者在中国支教过的迈克尔·迈尔（梅英东），此前还写过一本《再会老北京》，风评也很不错。梅英东在北京支教认识了一个东北姑娘，跟人结婚后跑到姑娘老家吉林市的荒地村住了两年，顺便借着东北便捷的铁路网四处访古流窜，追寻这片土地的历史，也观察这片土地的现状。所以，这不是走马观花堆积素材的“东北游记”，而是深入满洲以里得来的“有机”历史。
所以还是值得一读的。
历史是本书最有血有肉的部分，或者说是我最关注、也受启发最多的部分。所以，全书点题的在我看来是这句话：“在东北，一个人能感受和触摸多少过去，多少历史。”对东北历史的追寻虽然可以上至新石器时代的昂昂溪遗址，但真正对今天构成有机的，还是应该从大清龙兴说起。后金建国到入关建立清王朝的历史我们耳熟能详（拜那么多充斥屏幕的辫子戏所赐），“闯关东”也曾经是影视热门，但对清末到新中国，还是有很多历史细节我们的了解并不多。比如说，历史书从未讲过，东北在清末已经全面成为俄国殖民地。沙俄东进吞并西伯利亚之后并未止步，一方面跨过百令海峡进入阿拉斯加，与英法的扩张势头迎面相遇后才停下脚步；另一方面翻过外兴安岭直捣满清龙兴之地，直到与同样在寻求扩张且已吞并朝鲜半岛的日本撞在一起才刹住车。正是因此，日俄战争才会在东北爆发，而清廷只能关起门来，保持“中立”。苏联对东北的野心与沙俄一脉相承，日本投降后，苏军接管东北，将大量工业设施拆运回国，并继续主导东北直到中苏交恶。所以，东北在20世纪里，有一大半的时间都不是中国人在统治。
而俄国和日本先后统治东北的半个多世纪，在梅英东笔下十分有声有色。俄国人修了中东铁路，并从无到有建设出国际化大都市哈尔滨；中国政府取消了哈尔滨建城百周年的纪念活动，因为不希望殖民者的功绩被铭记，但俄国人留下的印记仍然比比皆是。日本对东北的建设更加用心，很多城市规划和基建到今天都仍然受用无尽，他们的移民规划也表明了扎根的决心；当时在国际上即有论调“不是征服，是发展”，可见日本在东北带来的进步也是有很多人承认的。作者讲述这些历史时用到的素材，有大量当时在东北的传教士、医生等留下的回忆录，也有大量官方文件（日本两千人的调查团就留下了六千份调查报告），还亲身走访了大量遗址、博物馆以及历史的见证人。因此，这些历史不是数字，也不只是书摘，而是跃然于纸上的鲜活。《占后余波》（Occupation’s Aftermath）读来尤为令人感慨唏嘘，写到沈阳盟军战俘营，写到731部队，写到战败对东北日本人的影响，也写到中日友好墓园的坎坷。
但日俄离开之后的东北舞台，这本书反映出来的却较为空白，只能从受访者的口述中和转摘的新闻中窥见一些。我在阅读时想到的是，史料的不同，是不是可以表明不同政府对待历史的不同态度？日本、美国都保留了相当多的原始资料且可公开查阅，中国、俄罗斯在这方面似乎是要差一些。中国有五千年历史，却似乎一直只活在当下。作者在各地想要找当地文史资料都极困难，偶尔得见的一些活历史也往往处于“不合时宜”的生存状态。书中写到赛珍珠及其第一任丈夫，夫妇二人均对中国农村充满关怀，一者从文学角度，一者从社会学研究角度，都留下了对中国农村的珍贵记忆。梅英东的作品，我想也算这种关怀的传承，反而是中国人自身，很少去关注身边的历史与变迁。
东北在建国后的兴盛与日俄建设的基础不无关系，同时也有计划经济体制的原因。改革开放后东北的衰败，从站街女可见一斑，但不知道这种衰败是否足以解释东北今日旅游业、商业领域的乱象。以前关注稻作文化时，也留心过台湾的农业，于是记住了“工业东北，农业台湾”这样的布局，是说日本殖民者建设这两个殖民地有清晰思路，而非专事奴化、掠夺。但同样是被日本殖民了数十年，东北和台湾最近几十年的发展天差地别，其间异同该如何解读？亚洲四小龙均为前殖民地，这是偶然还是必然？如此等等问题，无法在本书找到答案。
因此本书只有不到一半的篇幅是在写荒地村，以及管中窥豹的农村变迁。所以我觉得，本书副标题其实也不那么得当。荒地村的历史很平淡，只有“1956年，荒地建村”的记载。相反，荒地村的“未来”在东福米业刘老板的描绘下，却是极令人振奋的一幅蓝图，这大概跟薄在大连建设的未来博物馆有异曲同工之处。如果说书中反映出了农村变迁，大概也就是城市化令农村变成空心，而也有建设者提出“不是要进城，是要建城”的思路而已。农村在城市化进程中面临的诸多问题，本书都未能涉及，更不用说提出解决思路。
这本书我先读的中译本，但读了几十页之后觉得译笔有点儿太卖弄，而且有些地方看着词不达意也许有误译，最终还是找了英文本来读。读完英文本也回头又对照看了一下中文本，发现果然译本处理有些不如人意的地方。
翻译错了的我举几个例子。最简单的如将第9章的Target百货翻译成“射箭靶”（好像没有哪里不对），第11章将thirteen hundred years翻译成三百年，第16章将关家姐弟说成兄妹，第13章近结尾处将作者与司机的对话翻译得像是司机的独白一样，等等。书中出现“大中华区”、“华中城市西安”等表达，也仿佛未经锤炼。（“大中华区”一词是中国政府反对的表述。）也有些句子翻译得不伦不类，比如：
第9章：But then I read Mayor Dunlop’s looping words —expecting hearts to dot the i’s ……
译文：不过我还是仔细看了看顿洛普市长那些鬼画符一样的��，字母 i 上那个小点弄得跟画了颗心似的……
此处的 dot the i’s 应该来自于习语 dot the i’s and cross the t’s ，表示写字时一笔一划一丝不苟，我想怎么也不会是译者说的这个意思。
第17章结尾：In their glass a viewer leaning close to see a relic ……
译文：参观者俯下身往玻璃柜里看的时候……
这里说到的玻璃柜比人高，lean close to 应该是前倾靠近，不应该是俯身。
第13章，译文：住在里面的中国人孙先生终于说服他们，日本战败了。
说服？嗯，原文是convince。
第13章：“I had better not go,” a general had told him, ……
译文：“我最好不去，”一位将领对他说，……
这里是在讨论溥仪为何没有回皇陵祭祖。语序就不说了，然而前面那句话我觉得应该是虚拟语气，表示“要是我的话我就不去”的意思。
第13章：he served as a special guide, leading a one-off tour of his former palace,……
译文：作为特别导游，在他过去的宫殿里做了一次参观。
“做了一次参观”这种动词名词化语病，在译文里其实不胜枚举，可能也是现在翻译体的通病了。one-off 指“一次性”，这里有“最后一次”的含义，译文并未体现出，更未体现出原文的 leading 之意。我觉得可能这样说更像中文一点：
作为特别导游，他带着大家最后一次参观了他从前的皇宫……
读了英文本之后再读译本，我想动手改的地方还蛮多的，文字洁癖使然，这里就不展开吐槽了。
但还有另一种类型的错误，倒不是说翻译有问题，只能说是译者可能不够尽责，就是作者明显写错了的地方。比如原书写到毛主席逝世，人们哭了几天，再到周总理和朱德逝世时就已经哭不出来了，然而中国人都知道，三人中毛是最后一个逝世的。合格的译者恐怕应该就此向作者求证本意？再，书中写到集约化农业时，说中国只有不到5%的鸡即两千只左右是散养的，那么全中国只有四万多只鸡？译者也应该做点查证。
对照来看，中译本删除的地方极少，已经算很良心了。我看到的删节有关于长春围城的，有关于薄熙来案的，还有关于八九的一些少量内容，而整段删除的我只瞄到这么一处：（原文见第四章，未仔细比对，不知道是否还有更多）
“All museums tell stories; China’s tell political ones. Often, as at these ruins, the museum or historic site is posted as a “patriotic education base.” Such shrines—interpreted by the local propaganda department—present historical events as leading, inexorably, to the Communist Party’s victory in the Chinese civil war. In Beijing’s National Museum of China, the display concerning the nineteenth-century Taiping Rebellion against the Manchu dynasty depicts it as a pre-Marxist version of a peasant uprising without mentioning that its murderous leader believed he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ. In Tibet, museums seem to exist only to assert to visitors that the territory “had long been a part of China.”
试译如下：
所有的博物馆都在讲故事，中国的讲的是政治故事。像这样的废墟，往往都会在博物馆或历史遗址上张贴着“爱国主义教育基地”。按照本地宣传部门的解读，这样的神龛展现的历史事件，表明了共产党在国共内战中的胜利是大势所趋。在北京，中国国家博物馆呈现的十九世纪的太平天国运动是对满清王朝的反抗，被解读为前马克思主义时代的农民起义，但对其嗜杀成性的领袖相信自己是耶稣亲弟弟的事情只字不提。在西藏，博物馆仿佛只为了向参观者证明此地“自古以来就是中国的一部分”而存在。
书中关于“爱国主义教育基地”的吐槽比比皆是，而这段算是提纲挈领。这一段具体是哪儿犯忌讳呢？其实说不出个所以然，因为这种尺度的句子书中还有不少，别的却大都安然无恙。
译者对文字雕琢不够用心，译者和编辑的粗心（大部分翻译错误，编辑认真点的话也都能排除），加上出版审查带来的挥刀自宫，都让本书可读性有所下降。所以，有条件的还是尽量读英文版吧。
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2017
Author Mr. Meyer was a reporter in China before. He first came to China in 1990s with Peace Corps. It's very interesting to note that he was a classmate of Peter Hessler. They learned Chinese in a college in Sichuan, then sent to different schools to teach English. It's said that Hessler was the best Chinese learner in class, and Meyer was the second. After teachers days, they both went to Beijing and became journalists. This is Meyer's second book about China. The first one is about old alleys in Beijing.
'In Manchuria' is another great journal on contemporary China. Manchuria is the old name of China's Northeast. It's the hometown of Manchu which was the founding tribe of Qing Dynasty, China's last dynasty. Its location makes it a strategic place in modern history. Bordering Korea and Russia, everyone wants to take control. Russia could use it to reach the Pacific, getting its first ever harbor that wouldn't freeze in the winter. Japan wanted to use it as a base to invade whole China. Manchuria is a fertile land, so it could also relieve Japan's burden on its excessive population. Japan can export resources back to homeland as well.
In short, Manchuria has become a troubled land since 19th century. Meyer visited many places in the region. He weaves history and anecdotes perfectly into his travelogue. He gives detailed information on the past, present, and future of this land. He introduces each country's influence here.
Meyer's wife is from the village he stayed. She studied English in China and went to Berkeley studying law. She was based in Hong Kong during Meyer's three years stay in her hometown. They had their first child in the end and it wrapped up Meyer's journey.
In addition to history, Meyer gives lively depiction on local people. He lived with his wife's relatives. He taught English in primary school there. It was a small village. A foreigner's presence was 'well-known' to everyone. He showed us traditional rural lives. The personas are very colorful. I learn how people from Northeast think or behave.
Finally, a main theme runs through all chapters. Traditionally, individual farmer takes care of his own farmland. However, aging population in rural areas makes it unsustainable. Private companies are taking over their lands. These companies employ high tech agricultural methods to enhance output. It also relieve China's heavy burden to feed 1.3 billion people. Furthermore, the firms promise to provide necessary measures for old farmers livelihood. For example, the firms build new apartment and encourage them to move here, leaving the old farm houses. Thus, old ways of living are disappearing.
In Manchuria not only captures the characteristics of China's rural people but also introduces readers to this lesser known area in China. It's a nice book to know more about this beautiful country.
'In Manchuria' is another great journal on contemporary China. Manchuria is the old name of China's Northeast. It's the hometown of Manchu which was the founding tribe of Qing Dynasty, China's last dynasty. Its location makes it a strategic place in modern history. Bordering Korea and Russia, everyone wants to take control. Russia could use it to reach the Pacific, getting its first ever harbor that wouldn't freeze in the winter. Japan wanted to use it as a base to invade whole China. Manchuria is a fertile land, so it could also relieve Japan's burden on its excessive population. Japan can export resources back to homeland as well.
In short, Manchuria has become a troubled land since 19th century. Meyer visited many places in the region. He weaves history and anecdotes perfectly into his travelogue. He gives detailed information on the past, present, and future of this land. He introduces each country's influence here.
Meyer's wife is from the village he stayed. She studied English in China and went to Berkeley studying law. She was based in Hong Kong during Meyer's three years stay in her hometown. They had their first child in the end and it wrapped up Meyer's journey.
In addition to history, Meyer gives lively depiction on local people. He lived with his wife's relatives. He taught English in primary school there. It was a small village. A foreigner's presence was 'well-known' to everyone. He showed us traditional rural lives. The personas are very colorful. I learn how people from Northeast think or behave.
Finally, a main theme runs through all chapters. Traditionally, individual farmer takes care of his own farmland. However, aging population in rural areas makes it unsustainable. Private companies are taking over their lands. These companies employ high tech agricultural methods to enhance output. It also relieve China's heavy burden to feed 1.3 billion people. Furthermore, the firms promise to provide necessary measures for old farmers livelihood. For example, the firms build new apartment and encourage them to move here, leaving the old farm houses. Thus, old ways of living are disappearing.
In Manchuria not only captures the characteristics of China's rural people but also introduces readers to this lesser known area in China. It's a nice book to know more about this beautiful country.
July 8, 2015
Modern China From A Different Perspective Meyer’s book is a fascinating read for anyone interested in China. While most books concentrate on the large urban areas and their fast paced, congested pace of life, Meyer takes a different approach. He moves to the small village where his wife grew up in Northeastern China, and spends three years roaming around the area. Meyer interviews locals, learning their way of life and the historical events they have witnessed.Meyer is very talented in his ability to present this history in a relatable, interesting manner. He also shows how the rural areas of China are experiencing change, in that large agricultural companies are taking over the small family farms.I would highly recommend this book to people interested in China and how it is changing.
March 16, 2015
I adored Meyer's previous book about the fall of the hutongs in Beijing, China but I felt this piece to be more disjointed. In attempting to show what has happened to the small farmer and advent of big agribusiness into the Manchurian way of life, he mixes three narratives. One is his personal life and the time spent living among the Manchurian natives in a small village, another is the vast history of Manchuria, the conquests, and its peculiar place in the thinking of the rest of China, and another is the push of the agribusiness into the famers' lives. I don't feel that he did justice to the overall narrative as it felt piecemeal and not cohesive. However, it is an interesting history lesson and window into a sliver of a unique part and period of China.
July 25, 2015
Terrific book. The characters in it are wonderful, including the author. I would have enjoyed an even larger cast and more day-to-day action. Certainly you have to think of Great Plains by Ian Frazier and the Peter Hessler books on China when you read this. A great tradition the author follows nicely. I'm anxious to go back and read Meyer's book on the hutongs as well.
March 23, 2015
I love this book. I learned so much about a region of the world I barely knew existed. Honesty compels me to admit that I know the author, which is why I picked up this book. But instead of being a slog of oblagation, it was truly a joy to read
October 10, 2015
Very interesting book about the changing countryside of China.
June 2, 2015
I really enjoyed his other books, not this one. As another reviewer noted, it was "plodding." The writing was flat and it never got anywhere. There was nothing tying the story line together.
March 13, 2017
very enjoyable. just didn't hold my interest as much as I like. it seemed to be more about the author then it was about Manchuria or those who live there
September 17, 2017
Michael Meyer has provided an approach to travel writing with which I was previously less acquainted. While my travel writer of choice, was, and is, Robert D Kaplan, Meyer provides a style and narrative in contrast, in the sense that a greater portion of the novel is personal recollection of interactions with people, but not just any people, people who form the human and personal accounts of China's transformation.
Having previously lived in Jilin Province, and having personally explored the cities described in this book, namely Harbin, Changchun and Shenyang, Meyer brings the places to life in the form of a journey through history, worthy of any previous travel writing I have encountered.
The transformation of rural China of the subtitle, is largely the corporatization of rural China. Meyer takes us through a journey, from the Qing Dynasty, to subordination in the Japanese puppet state of Manchuguo, to collectivization in the Mao era, to the abolition of the latter and the introduction of the household contract responsibility system in 1984, and eventually the abolition of all agricultural taxes in 2006.
The people described in the book are faced with the dilemma of the conglomerate of East Fortune Rice who were effectively buying up the land, and redeveloping the town, a development with mixed views. As Meyer describes, this may offer the chance for the urbanisation of the village, the chance to live in 2 bedroom apartments with central heating, rather than the Kang, but perhaps some people are content with the life they have.
Meyer provides an insight into Chinese culture one is unlikely to gain from scholarly history or current affairs books because he intimately interacts with the ordinary people themselves, therefore, the book is educational, and educational in a warm and personal way.
Definitely recommended to those with an interest in China, and particularly those with an interest in China's much overlooked Northeast. The Northeast is a charming, unique place of beautiful forests, and lively people, and is well worth a visit, or even living for an extended period, as I have done. For those considering the Northeast, Meyer's book is a very good prelude.
Having previously lived in Jilin Province, and having personally explored the cities described in this book, namely Harbin, Changchun and Shenyang, Meyer brings the places to life in the form of a journey through history, worthy of any previous travel writing I have encountered.
The transformation of rural China of the subtitle, is largely the corporatization of rural China. Meyer takes us through a journey, from the Qing Dynasty, to subordination in the Japanese puppet state of Manchuguo, to collectivization in the Mao era, to the abolition of the latter and the introduction of the household contract responsibility system in 1984, and eventually the abolition of all agricultural taxes in 2006.
The people described in the book are faced with the dilemma of the conglomerate of East Fortune Rice who were effectively buying up the land, and redeveloping the town, a development with mixed views. As Meyer describes, this may offer the chance for the urbanisation of the village, the chance to live in 2 bedroom apartments with central heating, rather than the Kang, but perhaps some people are content with the life they have.
Meyer provides an insight into Chinese culture one is unlikely to gain from scholarly history or current affairs books because he intimately interacts with the ordinary people themselves, therefore, the book is educational, and educational in a warm and personal way.
Definitely recommended to those with an interest in China, and particularly those with an interest in China's much overlooked Northeast. The Northeast is a charming, unique place of beautiful forests, and lively people, and is well worth a visit, or even living for an extended period, as I have done. For those considering the Northeast, Meyer's book is a very good prelude.
May 26, 2020
This was a riveting book, written about the northeastern part of China known as Manchuria, an area which is not usually written about as much as more southern parts. Manchuria was, however, prominent in the pre-WWII and WWII days, due to the Japanese invasion of China which occurred in that part of the country. I have a special interest in this due to my son's having spent two years very near the village written about in this book; also, several of the things about the culture I observed during my three-week visit there in 2014.
Meyer has tremendous first-hand knowledge, both from his personal experiences and from being married to a Chinese woman who grew up in Wasteland, the village that is the focus of the book. He weaves his personal story with the intricate history of the area. The Japanese influence there caused much bitterness among the older people; the societal changes currently being imposed upon them are causing them much frustration.
This book is full of insight into the specific people with whom Meyer interacted. I could not read too much at once because it was so deep and intertwined. I gave it a 4 only because the book at times got so complex that it was difficult to follow. However, In Manchuria is well worth the reader's time and will give much knowledge about a lesser known area of China that has its own individual history. And Meyer weaves a great story about the people with whom he lived.
Meyer has tremendous first-hand knowledge, both from his personal experiences and from being married to a Chinese woman who grew up in Wasteland, the village that is the focus of the book. He weaves his personal story with the intricate history of the area. The Japanese influence there caused much bitterness among the older people; the societal changes currently being imposed upon them are causing them much frustration.
This book is full of insight into the specific people with whom Meyer interacted. I could not read too much at once because it was so deep and intertwined. I gave it a 4 only because the book at times got so complex that it was difficult to follow. However, In Manchuria is well worth the reader's time and will give much knowledge about a lesser known area of China that has its own individual history. And Meyer weaves a great story about the people with whom he lived.
August 10, 2022
I was friendly with two Manchuria women each in different US cities. One was arrested for spying we think as the FBI stormed her cleaners where loads of military men got their stuff cleaned. She was very beautiful and dated them too. I was sorry to see her go because she was very funny.
The other was a doctor who’s mom had been big in the Communist party but when that went out she had no job or apartment and her mom suggested she move to US. She was trying to learn English.
This book drew me because of these two women who still remember going into the country and on treks with their grandparents for the summer.
It is written as a Chinese person living in the worst part of Manchuria between the country and a city. Full of trash and signs that speak of domination. Individualism is to be born or found moving away. I love history but Mr. Meyers history on the Qing Dynasty is sparse and not truly accurate. If that does not matter and you want to dap your toe into this area then you may enjoy it.
The other was a doctor who’s mom had been big in the Communist party but when that went out she had no job or apartment and her mom suggested she move to US. She was trying to learn English.
This book drew me because of these two women who still remember going into the country and on treks with their grandparents for the summer.
It is written as a Chinese person living in the worst part of Manchuria between the country and a city. Full of trash and signs that speak of domination. Individualism is to be born or found moving away. I love history but Mr. Meyers history on the Qing Dynasty is sparse and not truly accurate. If that does not matter and you want to dap your toe into this area then you may enjoy it.
November 17, 2017
The more I read about China, the more eager I am to learn about this nation, rich in history and culture. Michael Meyer, becomes an expat living in rural China after a stint in Peace Corps, and enjoys teaching there. He meets his Chinese wife and decides to rent some land in a small village called Wasteland - the home of his wife's family.
What follows is a charming and interesting story of Meyer's personal experiences in an area of China rarely written about, the people, and it's history. I especially enjoyed his interviews with the locals and sharing of their past, from the Japanese occupation to Mao's cultural revolution. Also noteworthy is the rapid changes that are occurring even in so remote an area. Meyer talks about the frustration of the villagers who are asked to give up their homes and land for the sake of a rice company, and move into high rise apartments. Fans of Peter Hessler would enjoy this book.
What follows is a charming and interesting story of Meyer's personal experiences in an area of China rarely written about, the people, and it's history. I especially enjoyed his interviews with the locals and sharing of their past, from the Japanese occupation to Mao's cultural revolution. Also noteworthy is the rapid changes that are occurring even in so remote an area. Meyer talks about the frustration of the villagers who are asked to give up their homes and land for the sake of a rice company, and move into high rise apartments. Fans of Peter Hessler would enjoy this book.
August 10, 2020
While reading his wonderful experiences in a foreign country makes me miss my hometown which is a small village in Northeastern China near the village the writer mentioned in this book. I had a lot of my childhood memories brought back in my mind when I read all kinds of activities people did during the freezing winter; they sat on Kang with sunflowers and sipping a cup of hot tea; they sang the folk songs I know. I miss my family and my hometown.
Besides the writer's adventures in China, his wife who is a Chinese also had her exciting exploration in America. Her experiences remind me of my own immigration experience in Canada. For the first year in 2017, I started to learn from the basics to live a normal life in Canada. I did say "the first one, please" sometimes because we tried to avoid the embarrassment of having no idea what people are offering.
Besides the writer's adventures in China, his wife who is a Chinese also had her exciting exploration in America. Her experiences remind me of my own immigration experience in Canada. For the first year in 2017, I started to learn from the basics to live a normal life in Canada. I did say "the first one, please" sometimes because we tried to avoid the embarrassment of having no idea what people are offering.
July 1, 2022
The author is a strong writer and did a good job of keeping the reader engaged, but I didn't love this book. I had a difficult time classifying what the author was going for. Was it a travelogue? A memoir? A compilation of history? An ethnographical set of essays? I settled on a love letter. Meyer set out to write a love letter to Manchuria, and he accomplished his goal. For me, the book was at its strongest when he was breaking the fourth wall to compare his own lived experience with the deep culture and expectation of the complicated region. He lost me at points when plumbing the historical depths of the area, which surprised me being the history lover I am. That said, I did appreciate the book and learned a good deal, but I would have enjoyed it more had the scope been trimmed.
November 12, 2017
As a native Manchurian (people from Manchuria), I find this book really fun to read. There are a lot of interesting subtle observations of Manchuria people from a foreigner's perspective and some even made me homesick. This is a book I would recommend if someone wants to know the roots of modern Manchuria people and culture.
One thing I do not like about this book is the lengthy details of historical backstory. Though they are crucial to introducing the historical background to people unfamiliar with Manchuria, yet I feel that the narrative is too extensive and takes over the main storyline.
One thing I do not like about this book is the lengthy details of historical backstory. Though they are crucial to introducing the historical background to people unfamiliar with Manchuria, yet I feel that the narrative is too extensive and takes over the main storyline.
February 21, 2022
超好的一本书。现在一些网上洋鬼子掌握了财富密码尬吹时候；总得有几个真正的外国友人说点真话的不是。作者写的家乡的，凡我知道的看到的，没有不一样不真实。我没看到，没有一样不亲切。作者写的东北，不太好的地方，留了点面子——不像奈保尔之于印度。写东北好的地方，余有荣焉。三舅和三姨，就是东北人。东北也有思考的12周岁的学生；为了生存10元跳3只舞的摸哪都行的下岗女工。东北人为抗美援朝而自豪，也没羞没臊把比尔盖茨的蜡像与武财神供在一起…… 作者有时眼光特别毒辣的：比如说东北人民打着中朝友谊的旗号：开个破气船，开到鸭绿江口拿着破望远镜眺望新义州，沾沾自喜，指手划脚，幸灾乐祸。东北人们为为毛主席竖立了世界最大的铜像，在他老人家的俯视，工人文化宫被被人改成了阿米利加舞厅，“10元3只舞，摸哪都行”；区政府还要抽5元钱管理费。 中国新华书店里双语读物里《美国总统情书精选50封》，最后一篇是克林顿和莱文斯基莱：“亲爱的帅哥，我感觉自己被抛弃，被利用，无足轻重。”；克：“我也是，莫妮卡。我也是。”我要是美国人我也觉得尬死了。
September 22, 2022
一位住在東北滿州的美國作者用四季及天氣變化細説滿州歷史，風情，文化…
Excellent book about a westerner who experiences the love, the nature, the past, the ghost, the spirit, the people of the Northeastern China...
Beautiful book!
目錄
第 一 章 冬至
第 二 章 回報
第 三 章 家世
第 四 章 廢墟與遺跡
第 五 章 驚蟄
第 六 章 大雨
第 七 章 朝聖的歷程
第 八 章 前往滿州車站！
第 九 章 時間迴廊．空間支線
第 十 章 夏至
第十一章 三姨的民謠
第十二章 魁儡滿洲國
第十三章 占領之餘波盪漾
第十四章 大暑
第十五章 工人村與戰火斷橋
第十六章 立秋
第十七章 大連的展示櫃
第十八章 霜降
第十九章 大雪
Excellent book about a westerner who experiences the love, the nature, the past, the ghost, the spirit, the people of the Northeastern China...
Beautiful book!
目錄
第 一 章 冬至
第 二 章 回報
第 三 章 家世
第 四 章 廢墟與遺跡
第 五 章 驚蟄
第 六 章 大雨
第 七 章 朝聖的歷程
第 八 章 前往滿州車站！
第 九 章 時間迴廊．空間支線
第 十 章 夏至
第十一章 三姨的民謠
第十二章 魁儡滿洲國
第十三章 占領之餘波盪漾
第十四章 大暑
第十五章 工人村與戰火斷橋
第十六章 立秋
第十七章 大連的展示櫃
第十八章 霜降
第十九章 大雪
May 12, 2024
This is an example of a work by a Westerner who focused more on the personal and collective histories of the people and the place, and did not have an inkling of entitlement in terms of narrating the important elements of a story--honest, raw, along with its growth and decline. Meyer wanted to assimilate himself in the rural conditions of this usually overlooked place in China, but holds such a rich history of preservation, resistance, and appreciation.
June 24, 2020
An impressive picture of DongBei, I've been to Jilin for several times, I like the people there, the natural beauty there, and most important, the excellent ski resort makes me want to go back every winter. But the history about Qing Dynaty & the anti-japanese war is a little bit boring, it's too long and noting new.
September 5, 2018
Fantastic and insightful look into the history and places of cities, peoples, politics, and changes shaping China's lesser known 'dongbei' northeast. Heard of Manchuria, but always wondered what it was and is--now you can know.
December 27, 2018
A fun piece that is occasionally difficult to follow. The local history and environment of Manchuria is fascinating, and is described with rich and vivid language. The author's personal experiences are also fascinating, yet at times repetitive or lengthy.
June 24, 2019
I read this book while I was living in the dongbei last summer and it added such depth and meaning to the region. Meyer brings a seemingly desolate area to life. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to learn more about everyday life in rural China.
July 12, 2019
A brilliant overview of the complex history, culture, and development of modern day northern China, in Manchuria is a fun and expertly narrated story of this relatively neglected yet fascinating part of the world.
March 22, 2017
This is a fascinating account of living in today's Manchuria with thoughtful sections about the history of this part of north west China over the last century. It is part travelogue, part social science, part philosophy and is written in an absorbing way with some lovely language.
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