Journalist and NPR correspondent, Rob Schmitz, has written a fascinating
firsthand tale of life on a busy road called the Street of Eternal
Happiness in Shanghai, China. He, his wife and children live there and
have befriended many people on the street. Schmitz tells the story of
Uncle Feng, who cooks and sells scallion pancakes to passersby on the
street. Feng's wife, Auntie Fu, is constantly making poor investments
in get-rich-quick schemes and drags Rob to sales meetings. Uncle and
Auntie bicker constantly and have 2 TVs in their bedroom so they can
each watch their own shows.
Schmitz also gives us a portrait of
the lives of other business owners and residents on the street. CK owns
a cafe called Your Sandwich and sells accordions on the side. Zhao
owns a flower shop and spends her spare time trying to find wives for
her sons, Big Sun and Little Sun. Mayor Chen's home was seized and
destroyed by the government and he pored over law books by the hour,
looking for ways to petition for compensation and resettlement.
Rob
Schmitz also takes the reader along on visits to a secret Buddhist monastery, a rural wedding, and a service at an underground Christian
church. The book is a blend of these personal tales and interesting
historical details about the history of China. It is a book that almost
anyone who wonders about China and what really goes on there, would find telling.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for my honest review.
