New apartment...new book. I still have to finish the hunter-gatherer section in The Omnivore's Dilemma, but it's starting to get tedious. I'll save the last 2 chapters for times when Oracle Bones starts to drag a little.
Chapter 1 begins with an account of the Chinese reaction to the alleged bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia by NATO forces. The anti-American imperialist sentiments expressed after the events dovetails into a discussion of the Uighur population in Xinjiang (north of Tibet). The diverse people of Xinjiang have swapped occupations over the years, being controlled by Turks and the Chinese. Their culture, language and political affiliation have changed over the years to reflect it's changing occupation, much different than the continuity revered by the Chinese. That's the consequence of being a pawn surrounded by larger powers (China, USSR).
Overall, I'm enjoying Hessler's writing style so far. At first it seemed too anecdotal and unfocused, but its now apparent that each chapter has a central topic that the anecdotes help to flesh out. This chapter served to highlight the cultural diversity that exists in a particular region of China.
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