About the Author

Ma Jian was born in 1953 in Qingdao, China. He currently lives in London.

Reviews

“Honest, raw, insightful. . . . The Chinese equivalent of On the Road.” –Time

“[Ma’s] powers of description make every page buzz with life. . . . Someone who could rank among the great travel writers.” –The New York Times Book Review

“A Sino-beatnik travelogue, [and] a fascinating search for self.” –Mother Jones

“Red Dust is a tour de force, a powerfully picaresque cross between the sort of travel book any Western author would give his eye-teeth to write, and a disturbing confession.” –The Independent (UK)

“Ma captures the feel of wandering off China’s beaten track, which is to say most of the country, far from the tour buses and souvenir stands.” –Los Angeles Times

Although billed as a travelog, this perceptive memoir represents a spiritual as much as a geographical journey. In the early 1980s, Jian, a writer, poet, painter, and photographer, became dispirited with his work and personal life in Beijing and set out on a three-year voyage across some of China's most remote areas in an attempt to learn about himself by learning more about his homeland. On the journey through China to Tibet, he visited mountains, deserts, lakes, Buddhist monasteries, a leprosy camp, overpopulated cities, and small villages, encountering unusual as well as straightforward characters along the way. This book, which has not been published in China, is an attempt to portray post-Mao China as seen through the eyes of a wandering man. And the one-man viewpoint interwoven throughout is certainly an important part of its appeal. Clearly not a conventional travel book for tourists contemplating a trip to China, this insightful and heartfelt rendition of China's far-flung landscapes is recommended for all libraries, especially those with specialized collections on China and Asia. Melinda Stivers Leach, Precision Editorial Svcs., Wondervu, CO Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

"Honest, raw, insightful. . . . The Chinese equivalent of On the Road." -Time

"[Ma's] powers of description make every page buzz with life. . . . Someone who could rank among the great travel writers." -The New York Times Book Review

"A Sino-beatnik travelogue, [and] a fascinating search for self." -Mother Jones

"Red Dust is a tour de force, a powerfully picaresque cross between the sort of travel book any Western author would give his eye-teeth to write, and a disturbing confession." -The Independent (UK)

"Ma captures the feel of wandering off China's beaten track, which is to say most of the country, far from the tour buses and souvenir stands." -Los Angeles Times