{"product_id":"in-manchuria-a-village-called-wasteland-and-the-transformation-of-rural-china","title":"In Manchuria: A Village Called Wasteland and the Transformation of Rural China","description":"\u003cp\u003eA compelling and insightful exploration of contemporary China, \"In Manchuria: A Village Called Wasteland and the Transformation of Rural China\" by Michael J. Meyer is presented here as a quality trade paperback edition. In the tradition of celebrated travelogues such as \u003ci\u003eIn Patagonia\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eGreat Plains\u003c\/i\u003e, Meyer's work offers a scintillating combination of memoir, contemporary reporting, and meticulous historical research, presenting a unique and intimate profile of China's legendary northeast territory.\n\nFor three years, Meyer immersed himself in the rice-farming community of Wasteland, the ancestral home of his wife's family. Their personal saga beautifully mirrors the tremendous change most of rural China is undergoing, vividly illustrating the impact of a privately held rice company that has introduced organic farming, built new roads, and constructed high-rise apartments, enticing farmers to exchange their land rights for modern living. Once a commune, Wasteland has transformed into a company town—a significant phenomenon across China that Meyer documents for the first time. Indeed, not since Pearl Buck wrote \u003ci\u003eThe Good Earth\u003c\/i\u003e has anyone brought rural China to life with such depth and immediacy as Meyer has here.\n\nAmplifying the story of family and Wasteland, Meyer takes the reader on a captivating journey across Manchuria's past, a history that illuminates much about contemporary China—from the dramatic fall of the last emperor to the Japanese occupation and the eventual Communist victory. Through vivid local characters and compelling narrative, Meyer illuminates the remnants of the imperial Willow Palisade, the legacy of Russian and Japanese colonial cities and railways, and the poignant story of a POW camp into which a young American sergeant parachuted to free survivors of the Bataan Death March. \"In Manchuria\" is a rich, original, and essential chronicle of contemporary China and its people. This copy is in Good condition, reflecting typical wear for a paperback of its age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Meyer, Michael J.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bloomsbury Press\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eYear:\u003c\/b\u003e 2015\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eBinding:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eCondition:\u003c\/b\u003e Good\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781632860569\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Wombats Book Nook","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52619597545755,"sku":"SCAN-13-BB29DDFA","price":14.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1033\/6269\/1355\/files\/57_90051545-99c0-4331-89a6-446949ff4986.jpg?v=1784355371","url":"https:\/\/wombatsbooknook.com.au\/products\/in-manchuria-a-village-called-wasteland-and-the-transformation-of-rural-china","provider":"Wombats Book Nook","version":"1.0","type":"link"}