Expatriates in China love to lament all of the difficulties from their daily life. It has practically become a sport. However, compared to 25 years ago, things are a breeze. When the country was just beginning to welcome Westerners back into society any minor task could turn into an ordeal. Accounts from the past remind us of just how easy China has become to navigate.

In Iron and Silk (1987) Mark Saltzman shares his experiences in Changsha, Hunan from the early 1980s. He says he first become obsessed with China as a kid, eventually majoring in Chinese literature at Yale, and mastering wushu (martial arts). His sheer love of the culture gives a new perspective to even the longest-term China-hand. At the same time his words are lyrical and expressive, conveying his feelings elegantly.

There have been some questions about how he portrays his experiences. While he mentions a couple of foreign friends who were also in Hunan, as the story progresses the reader gets the clear impression that he is out there virtually on his own. In truth he was in a building with more than half a dozen Americans. He never actually says he was alone, but the other foreigners disappear from the book quickly, which may simply be a reflection of how his life progressed in China.

Whatever the details may be, his experience was clearly remarkable. During his time in China the nationally famous martial artist Pan Qifu takes Saltzman under his wing teaching him a new level of expertise. As he meticulously goes through the rituals, the level of dedication required to become a wushu master becomes clear. It is this same level of discipline that enables Saltzman to excel in other areas of his life abroad, language in particular.

Since Iron and Silk was first published two decades ago there have been a slew of similar books that similarly chronicle the trials and travails of being a foreigner in China. However this is one of the earliest, and hence most definitive, accounts. Things have changed so much since Saltzman lived in Hunan that his stories make it clear modern difficulties are barely a shadow of what they once were. Reliving the early days of reform through his eyes is an excellent way to regain that perspective. CE