Book review: China Bound: John Swire & Sons and Its World, 1816–1980

Abstract

and ultimately, as Evans stresses throughout the book, their attempts to live an ethical life within the constraints of a complex life in dilapidated and overcrowded hutongs with little privacy and impenetrable networks of tensions, intrigues, and conflicts (p. 60). Evans, positioned as researcher, traverses between a friend, listener, and someone who, unintendedly and unavoidably, brings social capital, and offers a break from the hard and monotonous lives of her interlocutors – her awkwardness when dealing with the unspoken manoeuvres of reciprocity are particularly relatable to any ethnographic researcher. The book begins with an introduction, in which the author lays out the spatial and historical background of Dashalar, situating the area within the recent history of Beijing’s attempts to transform it from an overcrowded slum area to a protected cultural area in the 1980s, and a ‘designer project’ in 2011. Following the introduction are six chapters, each of which features the story of a family living in (or just moved out of) Dashalar. The book ends with an ‘interlude’ by the author through which she provides an academic reading of the events. Major themes in all of these stories, except for the story of Jia Yong in Chapter 7, are memories of pain, adversity, and frustration, as well as the driving forces of filial piety, care for the family, and ethical living. In Chapter 2, we find old Mrs Gao, whose vivid stories of eating radish peel and foraging wild plants during the famine in the 1960s reveal her sense of self: a resilient survivor of hardship. Chapter 3 features Zhao Yong and his constant struggle to overcome the harm inflicted on him and his family by the Red Guards. The colourful Hua Meiling in Chapter 4 shows the struggle of a badly treated woman in her attempts to be recognized as a virtuous woman – despite all the ‘bad things’ she has done, she is an intrinsically ‘good person’. The unspeakable suffering of migrant workers Li and Zhang in Chapter 5 is perhaps the most shocking of all. The chapter lays bare a deep-rooted contempt for rural migrants as well as a corrupt and violent system of governance in the urban areas of Beijing. This tale of relentless bullying, abuse, and discrimination endured by the couple, their resilience and their love for their children is as touching as it is painful to read. Chapter 6 is about a couple whose financial situation is slightly better than the others because of disability benefits and a talent for calligraphy which they produce and sell – both of which have an immediate positive impact on their relationships and standard of living. The final chapter ends with the story of Jia Yong who, through his entrepreneurial and positive character, manages to acquire recognition and relative wealth. This book is instrumental in reminding us of the real, yet often unseen dangers and suffering that come with precarity exacerbated by governmental neglect, and it is a valuable read for anyone interested in China’s urban transformation and its effects on urban populations, subalternity and precarity.