2024.12.28 何伟《江城》Peter Hessler’s “River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze”: 读这一本书，如同面对镜子观察自己，一开始是有点伤自尊的，因为何伟对小县城的人性微妙评价得一针见血。比方说，小县城里的人对外国人的好奇和抗拒，以及面对外国人对历史或者政治上的批评的沉默，都与我学生时代的记忆遥相呼应。何伟笔下那低垂的头和沉默不语的学生，也是曾经的我。我看到豆瓣上有些读者认为何伟的语调高高在上，甚至写得有些冒犯。但我不这么认为。我认为他写得十分克制，而且十分写实，把中国的百姓的复杂的心理写得面面俱到。如果说在第一部里还能看到他与涪陵的隔阂，那么在第二部里就能读出他对这个小小江城的理解和喜爱。除了写出了小城居民的性情外，他还描写了他去新疆的见闻和他对中国男女两性关系的理解，都令我印象深刻。我认为每一个中国人都应该读一读这本书，看看从一个外国人的角度，是如何看待我们的。我们接受的意识形态的教育，不应该僵化我们的思想，而更应该鼓足勇气来接受别人的评价和改进自己。
Reading this book feels like looking at myself in a mirror. At first, it’s a bit humbling because Hessler’s accurate observations about human nature in small Chinese towns hit close to home. For example, the mixture of curiosity and resistance toward foreigners, as well as the silence in response to the critiques of history or politics from foreigners, resonate deeply with my own memories from my old student days in China. The bowed heads and silent students Hessler describes were once a reflection of me.

I’ve noticed some readers on Douban (a Chinese version of Goodreads) feel that Hessler’s tone is condescending or even offensive at times, but I disagree. I find his writing to be restrained, realistic, and remarkably thorough in capturing the complexities of the psychology of ordinary Chinese people. If there is a sense of distance in the first part of the book, the second part reveals his growing understanding and affection for the small riverside city he writes about. Beyond portraying the character of small-town residents, Hessler also shares his experiences in Xinjiang and his insights on gender dynamics in China, which impressed me a lot.

I believe every Chinese person should read this book to see how we are perceived from a foreigner’s perspective. The ideological education we receive since we were born should not rigidify our thinking but instead encourage us to face critiques with courage and strive for self-improvement.