CHINA NOTES 1981

CHINA NOTES 1981-1982
"I will never forget the moment on October 1,1981 when I finally handed my passport over to the Chinese immigration officer. It was so absolutely unremarkable for a momentous occasion. No questions were asked. Not a word or a glance was exchanged. I was directed to the Chinese side of the tracks, by a simple sign "TO CHINA." So, to China I went, alone."
The sign had wooed me into the country with its familiarity which was happily not to be the case again in the near future. I crossed the border and stepped back in time, totally unprepared but ready to embrace the uniqueness of my situation. My diary is true to the conversations and experiences I had and my book dedication captures how profoundly those exchanges affected me ".To the people of China who bravely welcomed me into their lives and allowed me the great privilege of sharing the momentous transition taking place in the country after the Cultural Revolution."