Response to pages 100-150

Anna Levy

Pages 100-150

My favorite section of 10 pages from this reading was pages 125-135.  It starts off by talking about the Wu River.  Peter explains the river as its physical appearance but what really stood out to me was the way he talked about the other rivers in comparison.  He explained how each river had a different culture, which made me think deeper.  I thought outside of just the river itself and the fisherman who was not catching any fish and thought about the surround areas and people.  He states” All rivers have distinct personalities, intangible traits that go beyond width and length and swiftness,” I found it interesting how different the two rivers are in Fuling.  As for the people that hang around the Wu, I characterize them as relax and thankful because they did not sell their fish, they ate and enjoyed it themselves.

Moving along to the death of Deng Xiaoping, I was not surprised that many people were very upset, especially after I found out that Deng Xiaoping was from Sichuan.  I saw a strong attribute of culture when Peter talked about the different smiles that Chinese people have.  He explained how Anne had hidden her sadness through a distinct smile.  From that, I took away that in Chinese culture you have to be strong even when you’re upset.  People do not show sadness that is equivalent to how they actually feel.   I also enjoyed the fact that Deng Xiaoping was a hard worker in the coalmines just like a normal person.  I feel like in the US, people who are elected from high position jobs in the government do not talk about their childhood or young adult years as much.  I definitely think that because Ding Xiaoping grew up where many of Peter’s students did, they had much more respect for him as a person.