Chapter 8: Mao Slept Here

he is seen releasing the owl - cultural faux pax

pg 195: no one knows where England is; when he describes the animals there a man says 'Cows and sheep. That's why he looks like that. So big.'

pg 197: gets to sleep in Mao's hotel room; he is extra-conscious; the hotel, as an unpopular tourist site, was nearly empty; later he feels staying in Mao's room was 'sacrilege' and a 'too-big sarcophagus'

he visits Mao's childhood home; I find that, even though I know very little Chinese history, I am engaged, awed by Mao; though I'm unclear on some things, like the Great Leap Forward (I later looked it up)

*engaging, thought-provoking - that, more than mere lyricality or exotic topics, is what makes reading pleasurable - Yes, art poses questions rather than answers them

compares scenes to scenes in his other travels (Stalin's home in Russia to Mao's home), reflects on the Chinese need to label - Three Antis, Five Tests, Four Pests

pg 204: in another shoddy hotel: '...the elaborate patterns on the curtains turned out to be whorls of grime.' Funny

pg 207: talks to young woman about misnomers: West=demons, China=too many small people

pg 209: brave camper: 'The endless shrilling of the cicadas became the sound of the stars turning across the sky.' Beautiful