Adrift in China

Review by Philip Blazdell

Adrift in China

Myers, with a nice mixture of poignant and quirkily amusing prose, documents his experiences. This is an ambitious book and one that Myers himself seems somewhat astonished to have written. He states that this book is 'about a journey in China. One that started in 1990 and finished eight years later in a daze on a Changjian motorbike and sidecar in London. I didn't think it would take that long – honest. If I had thought it would, I doubt I would have started. What began as an innocent year abroad to learn another language slipped unnoticed, like a tributary of the Yellow River, inevitable and lazy, into something bigger and more demanding.'

But Myers has produced a book which on one level is a humorous account of endless drinking sessions, disgruntled North Korean students, hellish working conditions, frustrating situations and the sheer mind-numbing frustration of living and working in China which stands shoulder-shoulder with comic writers such as Bill Bryson and Peter Moore (actually, Moore's writing would benefit greatly from reading Myers book) whilst on another level it is a detailed, and somewhat thrilling, portrait of a country in transition. Myers seems to slide easily from being a bemused student, to whom everything is new and ultimately exciting, to a booze-sozzled company man whose one desire is to out-drink his co-workers and not wake up with a hung-over.

Much of the humour of this book (and there are many parts which caused me to laugh out loud) revolves around the mind-bending quantities of alcohol that the author is forced to drink. On one memorable occasion he thinks that he will survive a cooperate drinking session when he sees thimble-like cups on the table only to learn that these are to be replaced with bucket size vessels.

The book is essentially divided into three sections. The early student days (long days of monotony and learning 'useful' expressions by rote; the cooperate days – travelling around China selling Coke or Beer (what a dream job!) and finally, a hare-brained motorbike trip from Beijing to London. Each section stands alone but it is the section dealing with doing business in China which is the most rewarding and amusing. This section alone makes the book an excellent primer for those of us who attempt to earn our livings in China and Myers makes many observations that even today, ten years after Myers first visited China, are still valid.

Overall this is a well-written, amusing and thoughtful book. The author has managed to capture a country in transition and provide a valuable insight into its people, its culture and its strange and bizarre business practises. This book should be on anyone who is interested in China's list.

• Adrift in China by Simon Myers