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Foreign Babes in Beijing - Rachel DeWoskin
A 23-year old Columbia grad heads off to Beijing to try her luck in life. By some odd twist of fate, she ends up being one of the lead actresses of a primetime Chinese soap opera. This book details her life as a "foreign babe" -- which isn't always as glamorous as the cover would like us to think.
Rachel DeWoskin's interest and knowledge of Chinese culture prior to arrive in Beijing really helped her define her experience, which would not have been the case if she were just a regular girl from the American midwest who thinks that going to China is going to be a mythical & magical ride. But, even with all these, there were aspects of Beijing life that weren't all sunshine and rainbows. As an Asian-American myself, I could imagine how much easier her China experience would have been compared to mine -- being a white American female kinda helps sometimes. Her salary is higher than her other colleagues merely because she's white, she gets additional attention because she's white, heck, even the role was offered to her (a person with no acting experience) because's white. Sure, this is unfair, but the author realizes this as well. This is the point of the book, in essence: even in the modernity that is racing across China (most especially Beijing), the Chinese people are still struggling in redefining the roles of women, foreigners and Chinese alike.
DeWoskin starts off well, but in the end, I think she was starting to get preachy. I would have liked to read more about her own personal experiences in China, but instead, we got vignettes about Anna, Kate, the boyfriend, and the painter. I didn't mind the female anecdotes, but the chapters on the males were a bit heavy-handed. Otherwise, still an okay read. I personally get a kick in reading non-Asian accounts of life & culture in Asia.
Rachel DeWoskin's interest and knowledge of Chinese culture prior to arrive in Beijing really helped her define her experience, which would not have been the case if she were just a regular girl from the American midwest who thinks that going to China is going to be a mythical & magical ride. But, even with all these, there were aspects of Beijing life that weren't all sunshine and rainbows. As an Asian-American myself, I could imagine how much easier her China experience would have been compared to mine -- being a white American female kinda helps sometimes. Her salary is higher than her other colleagues merely because she's white, she gets additional attention because she's white, heck, even the role was offered to her (a person with no acting experience) because's white. Sure, this is unfair, but the author realizes this as well. This is the point of the book, in essence: even in the modernity that is racing across China (most especially Beijing), the Chinese people are still struggling in redefining the roles of women, foreigners and Chinese alike.
DeWoskin starts off well, but in the end, I think she was starting to get preachy. I would have liked to read more about her own personal experiences in China, but instead, we got vignettes about Anna, Kate, the boyfriend, and the painter. I didn't mind the female anecdotes, but the chapters on the males were a bit heavy-handed. Otherwise, still an okay read. I personally get a kick in reading non-Asian accounts of life & culture in Asia.
