Scaling the Dragon

In this book, the authors portray the delights and problems of two Americans living in Contemporary China, a country where people who once ate rats to stay alive now buy color televisions and electronic pianos, a country with thriving "communist" economy that encourages street entrepreneurs, advertising, income taxes and incentive programs. The turmoil of the recent past and the frenetic changes of the present are background for a story about cultural conflict, friendship, suspicion and unexpected disillusionment. Moulton and Robinson share their joys and anguish, their frustration and dawning understanding as they fall in love with this alien culture. They adjust to the ordinary-the sounds of chickens being slaughtered in the restaurant as they eat, and learning the martial art of boarding a Chinese bus. They survive the frightening-being surrounded by street punks in an area closed to foreigners and undergoing hours of interrogation by Public Security Police about student demonstrations. They study the Chinese art of indirectness and cultivate a network of "connections." They are taught the power of jealousy and the value of a Chinese secret, something to be used as a gift or bribe and even counterfeited when the genuine article is not available. Their moral values are challenged as they learn how Chinese bear responsibility not only for their own actions but for those of family, friends, and colleagues; how interfering in the personal lives of others is not only condoned but expected; how truth is bent to accommodate social control, "face" and personal advantage. Plots and conflicts surround them as they confront bizarre explanations, mysterious denials and unexpected confidences.Moulton, Janice is the author of 'Scaling the Dragon' with ISBN 9780940121294 and ISBN 0940121298.