Most of the stories I came across continued to exoticize China and focus on the absurdities of Chinese culture (from a Western perspective) without ever taking the time to stop and consider the oftentimes problematic motivations many foreigners have for moving abroad, particularly to Asia, and that included myself. I met some of the most ambitious, compassionate, curious, thoughtful, and supportive people in the world while working in Hunan – men and women without whom this novel never would have come about – but I felt a discrepancy between what I was reading on the subject and the experience as I was living it. I wouldn’t have devoted so much energy to this story unless I loved China and looked back on my time there fondly. In the year and a half since the publication of this novel, readers have consistently asked me one question: Are foreigners in China really that bad? The answer, of course, is no.
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