A fascinating read that delves into the changing society and state of China. It takes you into the relationship btwn Chinese State and society. A must-read for anyone with an interest in China, as the book portrays how the China of today really is and escapes the commonplace writing by authors trying to predict or put words in the mouth of Chinese people. Here, Ian Johnson, simply and elegantly provides fascinating accounts of Chinese common people (laobaixing) in their struggle against the State.

This book was interesting because I've been to China, right before the Olympics when they were tearing down all kinds of stuff right in front of tourists. I thought at first he was writing about some random issues there, but have since run into Chinatown protesters against Falun Gong repression. Very specific issues which the mainstream media usually wouldn't pick up....

An absolutely amazing book that gives 3 stories about current life in China from a sympathetic yet clear-eyed view. Extremely well-written and interesting.

We were assigned to read this book in one of my political science classes so I didn't have high hopes for it. I was, however, pleasantly suprised. The stories were captivating and even heartbreaking knowing that not everyone in this world is granted the same freedom that we are privaledged to. Its worth reading, even if you don't have a grade depending on it.

An interesting and at times slow-moving book with three stories about 'grassroots' campaigns protesting some part of the Chinese Communist Party's governing of China. The stories are about taxation of peasant farmers, loss of heritage buildings in central Beijing, and the suppression of Falun Gong in the 1990s and 2000s.
The book was a fairly easy read, and was well-researched by an on-the-ground journalist. The final postscript offered some more recent insights into the rise of the internet in China (which enabled greater access to communication and organisation platforms for those protesting the Government), but was then used to brutally crack down on dissent under the current leadership of Xi Jinping. I'd have liked more discussion of the present-day situation, but I can understand that the book is based on the author's first-hand experiences which are now a few decades old.

Mildly interesting, horribly written.

This book is divided into 3 parts. Many people have commented, and I agree, that the third chapter titled, "Turning the Wheel," was worth the read, even if you had to wade through some laborious pages before then. It takes a look at Falun Gong, something we'd definitely heard about in the West, and it was most interesting to get a glimpse from someone on the ground. This part of the book was excellent.

The first part, titled "The Peasant Champion," is quite interesting and follows the journey of Mr. Ma as he advocates for peasants wrongfully taxed. Descriptions of the Chinese countryside, his meetings with those interviewed, and the story itself I found of interest.

The middle of the book, the 2nd chapter titled , "Dream of a Vanished Capital," was a bit to wade through. The writing was less interesting, and the story less captivating - to me. I wondered for a bit it I'd continue reading.

Overall, a decent read, and I do appreciate a deeper look into China, her citizens, the culture of an abusive government.

This book has 3 sections on three subjects, one of which is Falongong. It is really excellent.

This book contains three stories of people in China. I only liked two of the tree stories... However, it is an eye opener to what really happens in countries behind closed doors.

This book was on Peter Hessler's "recommended reading on China" list at the back of the edition of River Town that I read. The book is three separate stories of Chinese people trying to use the country's nascent legal system to combat corruption and abuse, and how the system is just failing them.

In the first story, Shaanxi farmers band together to combat the "fees" that corrupt officials impose on them. Their lawyer gets jailed for 5 years. In the second story, residents of Beijing's hutongs try to sue to stop their demolition. They get ignored. In the third story, the daughter of a Falungong member who gets beaten to death tries to obtain her mother's death certificate. She is given the runaround. For a while, international news coverage keeps her from going to prison, but eventually she is sent to prison. Ironically, despite not being a Falungong member in the beginning and opposed to the demonstrations, she basically starts taking up Falungong teachings.

4* because the prose was a bit prosaic and the second story went a bit long about Beijing architecture and not about the legal aspects of the story, which are really dealt with in the first and last few pages of the chapter.

The best chapter by far is the Falungong chapter. I have to say that I have no liking for either side in this chapter. I think the Falungong is going the way of the Moonies and propping up right-wing causes in the US (e.g. through the Epoch Times) the way the Moonies did in Japan. But at the time of their outlawing, none of this had yet happened. And certainly even if it had, none of it would have justified the awful tactics that the Chinese government used against them, especially just the ordinary believers. The most eye-opening part of the chapter, though, isn't the legal case, but how pressure gets put on down the line to get local officials to harshly put down the protestors. The local officials aren't just threatened with career disruptions, but each official down the line would be fined by the person above them for each protestor who came from their area. Yikes.

Recently, I read another book that was pretty positive about China's economy - The New China Playbook. In the introduction, the author comments that her American friends think that Chinese people live in fear for their lives and livelihood everyday, which she says is patently untrue (and I believe her). But this book shows that even if they don't, it takes very little to put them in a situation where they might have to.

good stories about China's grassroots.

Love his books