Sounds of the River: A Young Man's University Days in Beijing

Excellent choice for college freshmen

As part of my university's first year program, we reviewed Sounds of the River as an option for our common read. I could not put it down. It is a quick, easy read. Da Chen shares his experiences as a first-generation, low-income college student in the context of Beijing in the 1970s and 80s. Students will be able to connect with his transition experiences and will hopefully glean the message of hard academic work can lead to great success.

realistic and dramatic

I enjoyed this sequel of his first book Color Of the Mountain. He exposed the struggle and hard life that ordinary Chinese had to endure to survive in the seventies and eighties. Only the smart people managed to navigate the system, not the honest and good people.

A College Kid in Beijing

This is the second volume of a 3-part memoir (the first was 'Colors of the Mountain'), the story of a young Chinese sent from his South China village to study English at the university of Beijing. A personal story with unexpected turns, a village boy striving to excel in an unfamiliar setting and an unfamiliar field. To the American reader China seems distant and exotic, even 'inscrutable.' Even if this was ever true, it is rapidly changing, and Da Chen's tale illustrates the transition. His life is changing, from classical Buddhism, herbal remedies (one of which might have saved his life), night pots and classical Chinese flute music, to the world of university life, dress fashions, cigarettes, rock music and above all, dreams of that far-away land called 'America.' The story takes place in the early 1980s, with memories of the disastrous 'cultural revolution' still fresh, and while communist party members of 'cadres' are still powerful, they can also be bribed. It is also a time of social ferment, in a society where enterprising individuals have always stood out. Friendships and networking matter enormously, as does one's extended family, even that one uncle in Taiwan. Men under 28 may not legally marry, but mothers prowl to locate the best mates for their sons, and at least in villages, marriage brokers are also in business. If there is one (slightly) jarring aspect here, it is the way Da Chen tends to dramatize his writing, also to embellish it with emotional and flowery phrases. The story by itself is good enough! But the book reads well, though it may not feel as spontaneous as other prevalent American prose: that may be the style of Chinese writing. The author should be commended for building a bridge linking his culture and ours, impressing his reader that even as China is rapidly absorbing Western culture and technology, it still remains Chinese to the core, and is likely to remain so.

Great Sequel to Colors of the Mountain

If you have read Da Chen's Colors of the Mountain, then you will enjoy this memoir. I can imagine that the story would be less memorable if I had not read his first memoir. Da Chen writes beautifully - as though he is an artist. His memory of his life's events will grab you and his language will ensure that you continue to enjoy the book. This book is more than just the story of a young man in college - it is a story of survival and love of family!

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