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Book Review of The River at the Centre of the World

The River at the Centre of the World
rxkicker avatar reviewed Interesting trip up the river and back in time on + 71 more book reviews


Winchester decides to go _up_ the Yangtzee. Accounts of some of the disagreements between Winchester & his guide get a little tedious, but that's the only thing I remember not liking about this book. Interesting structure: they start at the mouth of the river, in totally modern setting. As they go upriver, the villages become more rural, and more and more primitive.
I'm glad I read this before a trip to China. The history (not heavy-handed) made the trip even more interesting. (Chairman Mao was a superb swimmer? Who knew.) This was published ~1996, so much of it may no longer be accurate. The Three Gorges Dam has changed the river considerably, we hear.
Consider following this book with _The Man Who Loved China_.