Foreign Mommy in Shenzhen
A few weeks ago I read Foreign Babes in Beijing. If you haven't heard of it, it is the memoir by an American woman, Rachel DeWoskin, who spent the early-to-mid 1990s living in Beijing. In addition to everything else she did here, she was the star of a CCTV television series from which the title of her book comes. I haven't seen it, but the premise of the show was two American college students stumble about China and find love in their own ways. Perhaps Newhousenewjob saw it?
Her memoir was interesting, particularly since it is about her experiences in the country where I live, China, that are so far removed from my own. At the time she moved here, DeWoskin was a recent college graduate, someone who had spent her childhood vacationing in and around China and studied Chinese formally in college. Her social concerns also had a lot more to do with getting dates and going to great parties than finding a church or a dentist. Very far removed, indeed.
The China where she lived was also very different, and in the middle of such incredible change. For instance, at the time DeWoskin lived here, foreigners were restricted to living in Foreign-approved housing. She could not afford the outrageous rents charged at that time, so she lived illegally in a regular Chinese apartment. Interestingly, our apartment is in the original foreign-approved housing development for this part of Shenzhen. Not too many foreigners live in this building now. Of course, today there are no such restrictions. She also writes of Friendship Stores, department stores once off-limits to Chinese. Living here today I cannot imagine that only 15 years ago there was such a South African-like environment.
She writes of Beijing as a happening city, full of creative and passionate people, men and women, Chinese and foreign. I hate to say that this, too, is distinct from my own view of China, because I don't want to dismiss people here as unintersting. They aren't. But as I've blogged before, Shenzhen isn't where Henry Miller would be today. Shenzhen is a city of money-makers, not poets.
So, it was as interesting as any other memoir I've read of China by a foreigner so far. Well, perhaps not as interesting as Maugham. But just as any memoir, it is very much tied the the time. Not terribly long ago, and yet very distant from here.
Her memoir was interesting, particularly since it is about her experiences in the country where I live, China, that are so far removed from my own. At the time she moved here, DeWoskin was a recent college graduate, someone who had spent her childhood vacationing in and around China and studied Chinese formally in college. Her social concerns also had a lot more to do with getting dates and going to great parties than finding a church or a dentist. Very far removed, indeed.
The China where she lived was also very different, and in the middle of such incredible change. For instance, at the time DeWoskin lived here, foreigners were restricted to living in Foreign-approved housing. She could not afford the outrageous rents charged at that time, so she lived illegally in a regular Chinese apartment. Interestingly, our apartment is in the original foreign-approved housing development for this part of Shenzhen. Not too many foreigners live in this building now. Of course, today there are no such restrictions. She also writes of Friendship Stores, department stores once off-limits to Chinese. Living here today I cannot imagine that only 15 years ago there was such a South African-like environment.
She writes of Beijing as a happening city, full of creative and passionate people, men and women, Chinese and foreign. I hate to say that this, too, is distinct from my own view of China, because I don't want to dismiss people here as unintersting. They aren't. But as I've blogged before, Shenzhen isn't where Henry Miller would be today. Shenzhen is a city of money-makers, not poets.
So, it was as interesting as any other memoir I've read of China by a foreigner so far. Well, perhaps not as interesting as Maugham. But just as any memoir, it is very much tied the the time. Not terribly long ago, and yet very distant from here.
Comments
The thing everyone was glued to when I was there was 'Beijing Ren zai Niu Yue', about a Chinese guy in New York. You had to watch it just to be able to join in conversations, as it was so popular.