Country Driving: A Chinese Road Trip by Peter Hessler - Book Report/Review Example

Country Driving: A Chinese Road Trip The book Country Driving was written by a long time correspondent to the New Yorker who is based in Beijing, China. The book was written by author Peter Hessler. It talks of the differences in the way and manner in which China’s people are while on the road as compared to the American people and the economic changes that the country has undergone. This was because the Chinese people had only decided to purchase more cars than the United States. This was not made any easier with the fact that the roads were either, unfinished, uncharted, or new. Over the next several years, Hessler made a point of travelling all over China making important notes on how the improvement in the automobile industry and roads had led to the transformation of China as a country (Hessler 38). This transformation can be seen today in the various advances that China has on development of roads and infrastructure. During his travels, he documents people who have been the most significant in reshaping China. This was during its most critical periods. These people included farmers, migrant workers, and entrepreneurs. This paper will review some of the changes that have happened that helped in the reshaping of China, and how it is viewed as a nation in these modern times. The most important fact that the author wanted to bring to the attention of the reader was the growth of China as a nation over the recent past (Hessler 47). There has been no other nation that can match the way China has grown and developed economically or otherwise over the years. The manner in which China has changed astonishes many people to this very day. It has grown to have one of the strongest economies in the world. This has seen many third world countries, and even some of the first world countries to look up to China for support and guidance. The alarming rate at which China has risen in the world has been astonishing to many nations. This is because some time back, it was considered to be among the not so rich countries. In these modern times, it is being considered to be the new China. The progress it has made enables it to have one of the strongest economies the world has ever witnessed. As the global financial crisis looms over many countries, China seems to be unaffected by all of it. This gets to show of the steps it has taken to ensure economic crises that may be causing havoc in many economies prevent China from being affected (Hessler 50). Hessler has been the observer of the new China and in the book, talks of the many things that make China stand firm in the face of threatening situations such as economic crises. Over the past 15 years or more, he has observed the change with awe as he witnessed the birth of the new China. In his descriptions of the new China, one can easily assume that everyone in China is always on the move. This, according to him, is very strange since nobody seems to understand the rules. Here, they believe that asking for forgiveness is better than asking for permission. Many accidents were reported at the time everyone in China seemed to own a car. Nobody understood the rules that governed the roads. The ever growing factory and industrial areas ensured that there was work available and that the people provided the necessary labour (Hessler, 59). There seemed to be a sudden boom in globalization that shocked many people that resided in China and witnessed its transformation. The people present in China have also been captured in the book. The author describes a family of peasants who try to make it as middle class entrepreneurs. The growth of the new China would help to explain the burning desire that a family of peasants would suddenly have to be more than just mere peasants. Everybody wanted to be somebody, and this led to the emergence of entrepreneurs among the Chinese community. He, Hessler, was witness to all these, and he wanted the whole world to know about it. The dilapidated state of China is also described in the book (Hessler 20). As seen earlier, China was not considered among the rich countries in the world. However, the growth of factories, companies, entrepreneurs and the hunger to be among the richest countries enabled China be recognised by even the once considered super-power nations. Such development in exceptionally poor families was happening all over China. This economic development could be attributed to the improvement of the living conditions of the Chinese villages that existed. The middle-class entrepreneurs encouraged others to invest in the same activities. These income generating activities enabled people to have a general perspective of where they would have wanted to be as a people. The spread across the country and soon everyone found something they could do. The economic ventures they entered into provided a place for them to start, develop, and grow (Hessler 26). This should be the appropriate attitude everyone must adopt instead of relying wholly on the government, and the authorities present in their respective countries. The insight that the author provides about China enables people to see a time and people that are long gone, and will never be seen again. The difference between the two periods of time between the old China and the new China is the reason for this. People can only hear about the old China from books and history, but the new China is visible for everyone to see, and witness its success (Hessler 30). The old China is very ancient and fascinating. The author brings it out very well for the reader to analyse and attest the recent rise in China’s superiority. The challenges that it has gone through can also be seen, and how the people decided to embrace these challenges and eventually, overcome them. The growth of firms and individuals is also witnessed by the author. Here, the micro-economic growth of China can be seen as everyone wants to be self-reliant. This encourages the reader to want to see the path that China took in order to get to where they are today. The many people who became aggressive in trying to capitalise on the increasing number of tourists by making hotels to serve them more boosted the local people. This is where entrepreneurship began to grow among the people. Everyone should be able to identify the economic growth of China. This can help other nations realise that they are not a long way from making their own economies grow (Appleby 1). This, in turn, could help improve the living conditions of their own people. The importance of having people analyse the steady and sudden rise in the Chinese economy comes with benefits that may rise from it. People may get the realisation that any economy can grow if the right conditions are put in place by the authorities in charge. That is, the government, and themselves as individuals. This can help them better their lives, and as they improve their living standards, the government can find it easier to help them by boosting the little they have to have a much bigger investment (Appleby 1). In the long run, these different economies can find some space to grow, and the people will be better off, eventually. Improvement of economies around the world can be aided with help and assistance from the Chinese economists. They could identify where the problem lies with the other economies, and offer possible and valid solutions to them. Although the problem may not be solved entirely, a few tips could be borrowed from China so as to know how they managed to grow ever so steadily. Tips that, eventually, made them one of the countries that had the strongest economies ever seen in modern times (Appleby 1). The economic revolution in China was not witnessed by many. However, the few that got to see the growth of China, from a country that is documented as having the highest population in the world, to a super power, will agree that anything is possible. In conclusion, many economies can make a change for the best if the people responsible borrow a leaf from China. This can enable them to engage in activities that may prevent financial crises that affect the global market. People across cultures can get the determination needed from such stories, and decide to depend on themselves to have a better life. This independence can lead to the growth of the local market and ensure that the money produced in that country stays among the people (Appleby 1). Production of goods locally and the provision of services can ensure that money is earned locally, and employment created. The exploitation of such chances can guarantee that the economy of any country is stable, and there would be no need to seek outside help in the form of donor aid. Such economies are then, guaranteed to survive, and this should be the key factor for the growth and development of every nation. Works cited Appleby, S. Country Driving – A Chinese Road Trip by Peter Hessler. London: Canongate Publishers, 2010. < http://www.bookgeeks.co.uk/2010/03/04/simon-as-review-country-driving-a-chinese-road-trip-by-peter-hessler/> Hessler, P. Country Driving – A Chinese Road Trip. New York: Free Press, 2001. Print. Hessler, P. Oracle Bones: A Journey through Time in China. London: HarperCollins Publishers, 2007. Print. Read More