Thinking of teaching in China?
I wasn’t either!
Regardless, not only did life take me there, but also my expected one-year teaching stint turned into a nearly decade-long stay, for reasons which all lie within the pages of this highly accessible travelogue.

Whether you’re planning to teach, do business with, make friends with or marry a Chinese person, this book gives useful insights into their language, culture, cities, customs, food, education system and business practices. Why? Because I knew NOTHING about these things before going – therefore, you learn it all with me, as I did, discovery by discovery.

Thirteen years in the making, and very personally written, this is an average Australian’s reaction to street-level life in contemporary China – the good and the bad, the beautiful and the not-so-beautiful, the euphoric and the what-the-hell-was-that, all laced with a dry, somewhat absurdist sense of humour.

Very importantly, I didn’t go straight to Shanghai or Beijing - I travelled extensively, and saw the real China, not just the westernised metropolises. Places like Nanjing, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Luoyang, Yangshuo, Chimahu, Wuhan, Xuancheng and Yulin gave me a more rounded view of a country that’s very hard to generalise about, and, of course, this knowledge goes straight to you, the reader.

Reviews

Asheg's romp through China as a stunned yet charmed English teacher jangles the senses and seduces thes palate, funny and fascinating.Jen Jewel Brown.- Editor, research, and co-author of "Michael: My Brother, lost boys of INXS.

This autobiographical tale made me laugh, cry and learn. Relevant to unfolding politica questions, this engaging narrative offers something the mainstream media simply can't. An exciting contribution to the emerging field of autofiction in English. - Dr Amelia Walker, Lecture in creative writing, University of South Australia.

328pp

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