China By Train: Witnessing History, People and Western Myth

China by Train is a travel memoir, historical study and political inquiry that asks whether the China seen by one curious traveller matches the country described by western politicians and media. Across four journeys, nearly thirty thousand kilometres and more than a hundred museums and cultural sites, Matthew Squire discovers a civilisation of extraordinary depth, kindness and complexity.

Moving by high-speed train, bus, metro and taxi, Squire travels through more than twenty towns and cities, tracing China's story from its earliest known bone flute to the technological powerhouse of today. Along the way, he explores ancient dynasties, philosophy, war, empire, propaganda and East-West relations, while meeting people whose warmth and generosity challenge the labels so often placed upon them. The result is part social observation, part historical study and part personal journey, but it also turns its scrutiny back on the West, asking whether its own record on human rights, military intervention and broken promises can withstand the judgement it so readily applies to others.

Warm, rigorous and deeply human, this is a book for anyone who suspects the truth about China may be far more interesting than we have been led to believe. It may change the way you think about China.