Peter Hessler champions 'average people'

• Source: Global Times
• [21:06 July 26 2009]
• Comments

“I believe that this particular moment in Chinese history has been driven primarily by the average people,” says Peter Hessler.

By Wang Weilan

Whether teacher, correspondent or writer, Peter Hessler has left his own unique mark upon China.

As a teacher, he taught English language and literature to Chinese students, most of whom became English teachers and taught English in the remote countryside after graduation.

As a correspondent, he wrote dozens of stories for different US newspapers and magazines informing readers across the Atlantic about China.

As a writer, he published River Town and Oracle Bones, two books which have heavily influenced foreign readers, but have also proven popular with well-educated Chinese hungry for a savvy foreign perspective on their country.

Having made his impact upon China, Hessler would be the first to admit the country has also shaped him. Through China, Hessler is now an acclaimed writer and it was in China that he met his Chinese-American wife, former Wall Street Journal correspondent and Factory Girls author Leslie T. Chang.

“From my first experience in China, I learned what it’s like to be different from everybody else. I learned to be patient. That’s the only way to learn Chinese in a place like that,” he said.

“And I didn’t take myself so seriously. It’s important to have a sense of humor in such situations.

“I was also changed by my students, who were from poor backgrounds and appreciated the opportunity to study English at a college. They worked hard. It helped me try to make the most of my time in China.”

The Hesslers have moved to a small town in Colorado, USA, where Hessler is now finishing Country Driving, the last in his trilogy of books, scheduled for publication January next year. The trilogy spans a decade of commitment to China. The couple is reportedly thinking of moving to the Middle East to start a new writing challenge.