Chinese Lessons, by John Pomfret, is perhaps the biggest collection of information compiled by one man about the personal lives and histories of modern, individual Chinese people. The true stories told in this book give a beautiful and tragic illustration of what life in China has been like in the past, what it is like now, and what it may be like in the future. Told by one with years of experience with China and many close friends there, it is truly an authoritative and exceedingly informative source on China.

The time period most heavily focused on in the book is the rule of Mao ZeDong. Many of his ideas and campaigns that brought so much excitement and sorrow to so many people are given more depth and a very human touch that is easy for people everywhere to relate to even if they have never had any experiences similar to those mentioned in the book. By the time the book is finished, readers who knew nothing of China prior to reading it may almost believe they have been there.

Overview of Chinese Lessons

Chinese Lessons tells the stories of a number of Pomfret’s classmates as he went to school at Nanjing University in China. He details the story of “Book Idiot Zhou,” who wanted to abandon the peasant life but couldn’t seem to get out for such a long time due to programs and ideals put into action by Mao, so he was forced to make the best of his situation. He ended up using his own industry to grow enough to trade for high-quality bricks and roof tiles so as to make his home one of the best, no matter where he was forced to live.