Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation, or How He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid

by J. Maarten Troost

book data

466 ratings, 3.83 average rating, 189 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		23%
4		44%
3		24%
2		6%
1		0%

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published

July 8th 2008 by Broadway

binding

Hardcover, 382 pages

isbn

076792200X (isbn13: 9780767922005)

description

Maarten Troost has charmed and entertained thousands of readers with his tales of wandering among the remote islands of the South Pacific. When the tr

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06/09/08

Allison rated it:

bookshelves: nonfiction, summer-2008, travel-nonfiction

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: travelers, cynicists

I am still in the process of reading this book, but I can definitely provide a recommendation as to the character of Troost's writing. In 2003, I went to northern China (Beijing, Datong, and later, Chengdu) to pursue a career in English Education. I had no idea what China would be like, and wow, "culture shock" doesn't seem like a strong enough phrase.

Troost captures the essence of China in a hilarious and yet well-informed way. The people I met during my travels in China ...more

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08/16/08

Michael Kneeland rated it:

Read in August, 2008

I picked up this book because a friend of mine from Barnes and Noble had mentioned how funny the author's previous two books, Sex Lives of Cannibals and Getting Stoned with Savages are. And since Lost on Planet China was in hardcover on the Barnes and Noble shelves--and since booksellers can borrow any hardcover book in the store (but, alas, no paperbacks)--I checked it out.

To be sure, I also had a tinge of interest of China somewhere in the back of my mind, seeing as how I know next...more I picked up this book because a friend of mine from Barnes and Noble had mentioned how funny the author's previous two books, Sex Lives of Cannibals and Getting Stoned with Savages are. And since Lost on Planet China was in hardcover on the Barnes and Noble shelves--and since booksellers can borrow any hardcover book in the store (but, alas, no paperbacks)--I checked it out.

To be sure, I also had a tinge of interest of China somewhere in the back of my mind, seeing as how I know next to absolutely nothing about the country. I mean, really: I knew there is a big wall, they eat rice, its overcrowded, some people where those pointy hats--but that's about it. Moreover, the author, J. Maarten Troost, is something like myself, a liberal-minded family man, so I had a feeling I could trust and gain insight from his observations. And if he was as funny as my friend claimed, all the better.

First of all, he's definitely funny. No, that's an understatement. He's frickin' funny. I was laughing out loud from the first page, where he explains how his trip to China originated out of the blue when he absentmindedly began telling people that his next book was about the overpopulous country, only later to realize that he had not even begun planning any type of trip, or even thought about it. Also, he describes hilarious moments when he does things like this:

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2611299306_eb5073e8e7.jpg?v=0/>" width="400" height="300" alt="Troost and Mao"/>

As funny as he is, however, Troost also does a fantastic job of pointing out how...unfortunate...many aspects of modern China are, such as the inescapable smog (which we've all seen on NBC's coverage of the Summer Olympics), and the billboards that line once holy Buddhist cities such as Lhasa. This paints a painfully real image of the impact of globalization on remarkable traditions and cultures, and leaves us wondering things like, "Do Tibetans actually need Big Macs in their lives?"

Another intriguing aspect of Planet China is Troost's observation of the country's totalitarian state. It seems to be Orwell's 1984 with live squid. There is no free press, there is propaganda EVERYWHERE (including countless oversized portraits of Mao hung up in every square, despite the fact he ranks up there with other downright evil dictators like Hitler and Stalin), and a large percentage of the country is living like drones: go to work in the factory, come home, eat, sleep, repeat. There are, of course, many Western touches, like the aforementioned ubiquitous McDonald's, and even Japanese touches like Karaoke bars all over the place (despite the fact that the majority of Chinese still hold a nasty grudge against the Japanese for the Nanjing Massacre, and rightly so, especially since the Japanese haven't so much as offered an apology). But these examples of "outside-ness" seem to be petty allowances made by Hu Jintao's police state, which otherwise keeps the people simultaneously afraid of the government and cocksure that China is the next big thing.

After finishing Planet China, I am quite sure that China is going to be making a huge impact globally in the next few decades--much more so than it already has, what with controlling such an immense percentage of the factory-labor industry (despite the fact they make toys with lead, those factories in China still continue to ship products all over the world, including to the U.S., to a major extent). The Chinese economy is improving hand-over-fist (exemplified by the countless Ferrari and Lamborghini dealerships all over the country), and an increasingly humongous amount of all world trade is conducted in the major cities (Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, etc.). Troost's book did not inspire me to travel to China in the slightest (except for Tibet, which I'd love to go and see, if only to weep over the lost culture in person), but it most certainly did open my eyes to how and why China will be the next big thing.

Goose step by goose step.

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02/21/09

Jennie rated it:

Absolute RIOT!!!! After authors grueling description of Beijing's pollution, you have to ask yourself, how in the Hell did they pull off the Olympics in that cesspool?!?

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08/22/08

Bonnie Gayle rated it:

bookshelves: library-books, non-fiction, reviewed

Read in August, 2008

I made it to page 150, but I kept finding myself thinking about the book that was next on my to read stack, WHILE I was reading this book. Never a good sign.

There's a lot of good information contained in this book, which I was looking for, since I don't know much at all about China. A couple examples: 1/3 of the air polution in California has actually drifted over 6,000 miles across the ocean from China. Also, the Great Wall of China is actually several shorter walls, which will all...more

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08/31/08

Barbara rated it:

(review of isbn 1433248646)

bookshelves: audiobook

Read in September, 2008

Prior to listening to this, all I knew about contemporary China came from bits of newspaper articles, especially surrounding the Olympics. This book covers Troost's extensive travels there as an absolute novice in all things China. He is at times very funny and certainly informative, particularly for someone like me who knew next to nothing about the subject. He also left me very worried about the way China is growing and the effect it will have on the rest of the world, obviously not a new t...more

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06/20/09

Babs rated it:

Read in June, 2009

I've read Troost's two previous travel essay books - Sex Lives of Cannibals and Getting Stoned with Savages, both of which I enjoyed. So, I was very happy to see another Troost book and on China. This book was not quite as entertaining as the other two - perhaps because Troost is now married with two small children. :^) Or maybe, because as Troost claims, Planet China is a bit scary! Or it might be that in this book Troost is a visitor whereas in his other two books he lived "on location...more

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05/02/09

Lygia Bischoff rated it:

Read in April, 2009

Did this for work. It was a fun read.

Lost on Planet China
Author - J. Maarten Troost
Reader – Simon Vance

Audio book Book
ISBN # 9871433248641 ISBN # 9870767922005
Bib # 1167945 Bib # 1165017

Troost states that in this book he “dodged deadly drivers in Shanghai, ate yak in Tibet, deciphered restaurant menus (offering local favorites such as Cattle Penis with Garlic), and visited with Chairman Mao (still dead, very orange).” T...more

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01/24/09

Becki rated it:

Read in January, 2009

I didn't really find the author as funny as the majority of readers seem to, and I think the book would have been more enjoyable (and shorter) without his running monologue. That might just be me, though. The book seemed to drag on, too, and the ending was disappointing.

That aside, much of this book is very valuable. I have never seen such good insights into Chinese culture. I was especially interested in the Chinese concept of what makes a successful country - namely, making million...more

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07/18/08

Liz rated it:

Read in July, 2008

DEPRESSING but very very funny! China apparently is enclosed in a shroud of pollution that occasionally blows across the Pacific and adds to the smog in L.A. The Chinese people, according to Troost, "invented a lot of things, but the handkerchief is not one of them". They don't know how to stand in line, but Troost experiences little flashes of comraderie here & there. Doesn't really make me want to visit! That said, I love the way he writes -- he cracks me up.

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01/23/09

Carol rated it:

bookshelves: asia, travel

Read in January, 2009

Refreshing look at China, so many people travel to China, visit the main sights and return with stories of how far China has come, what a wonderful place it is and yes, how they really could live there. Troost's view is honest, funny and from the heart. I think it may have more meaning for people who have actually experienced some of the things he has and/or who live vicariously though family members who have resided there for a couple of years :)

If you are living the life of an X-P...more Refreshing look at China, so many people travel to China, visit the main sights and return with stories of how far China has come, what a wonderful place it is and yes, how they really could live there. Troost's view is honest, funny and from the heart. I think it may have more meaning for people who have actually experienced some of the things he has and/or who live vicariously though family members who have resided there for a couple of years :)

If you are living the life of an X-Pat in one of the larger cities, with a community of people from your own country, it can be a wonderful experience. However if you're stuck in a smaller city (Is 5 million actually smaller?) with few people from back home to form the support group you really need, it can be a different story. Learning the language is like climbing Mt. Everest backwards, and while some of the locals can be friendly, for the most part it's a lonely existence, heavy smog, horrible toilets, and eating weird food is only a minor part of the living in this country. There are, of course, the good experiences, good people and the beauty of the country but, as Troost points out. It's not a place to raise a family or to breath.

I do think he could have done a little more reading before he left. For example, he kind of shrugged off the adoption of "the Lost Daughters of China". he talked about it but I don't believe he really "Got it." One thing he did get, that I didn't see there but my family continually complains about it the constant spitting. How did I miss that?

the things we take for granted, shopping, banking, driving, parking your car, staying warm and or cool, finding a church, a school, food that isn't tainted, getting utilities set up, paying for them and actually depending on them is not for the "faint of heart" Everything takes much longer, is confusing, and may or may not get done. And when it does get done, it may not last.

My family live in a beautiful house, one they could never afford back home but as they say, "it's made with bailing wire and spit." Mushrooms grow on the ceiling and only one of the showers in the four bathrooms in the house is usable, kind of.

too many stories, too many observations, you need to go see it yourself or read his this book!

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10/14/08

William rated it:

bookshelves: 2008

I am still hoping that Troost recovers the form he showed in his first work, The Sex Lives of Cannibals, but I must wait longer. He does show some of the same comic, insightful flashes I have come to expect -- but he does not sustain it throughout the book. In any case, this disjointed travelogue of China does entertain enough to be recommended even if it does disappoint those who know the author is capable of better work.

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05/29/09

Kimbo rated it:

bookshelves: travel-memoir

Read in January, 2008

This is my first Troost book, and it was worth it. At times I really did laugh out loud at his descriptions because they were, for the most part, accurate. I just went to Beijing for the first time last year, and yes, the pollution is noticeably bad, but not unlike other polluted places I have been to (like LA).

Now, before anyone goes around flaming me for saying the book was pretty accurate, I am a Chinese-American who was born and raised in the States. I have been to Hong Kong and...more

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11/12/08

Caris rated it:

Read in November, 2008

Okay. I finished this one yesterday. I don't like Troost as much as I did in Sex Lives of Cannibals. First off, I don't like that he left his family, including two small children, to go travel China for months. Book deal or no, he's likely to regret that choice. He didn't like China from the beginning, with its overcrowding and pollution - which he mentions exactly fourteen million times (I counted). I also didn't like his historical references. He gave history, but I had no idea how much was tr...more

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04/10/09

Sandee rated it:

Read in April, 2009

After reading the "Last Chinese Chef" this is a nice extension of reading about China from a different perspective as Maarten takes a scouting trip for a possible relocation of his family.

A little over half done and the baffled, amazed, fish out of water schtick is getting a little old. He does touch on the food-is-meant-for-sharing theme that was integral to the "Last Chinese Chef" but we've heard about his experiences with menus and food translations a bit too...more

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05/23/09

Brittany rated it:

Read in May, 2009

This was one of those books where I found myself telling everyone around me all of the new things I had just read. I've read and thoroughly enjoyed Troost's previous books, and this one lived up to his other two for me. It was funny and informative, and Troost traveled through so many parts of China that I felt like I had experienced a good survey of the country by the end of the book. I am so thankful that I read this, because not only was it a fun and interesting read but it has saved me from ...more

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05/03/09

Rachel Ourada rated it:

bookshelves: 2009, travel-literature

Read in June, 2009

I read about a quarter or a third of this book before I went to China, and then finished the rest of this book in the two weeks after my return, and for the most part I found Troost to be spot on. It is true that babies do not wear diapers and the people don't line up, but I did feel that Troost over-exaggerated a bit on the pollution part. Yes, of course China is polluted and the air is gross, but from reading his descriptions one would think you would be able to physically see particles of pol...more

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01/02/09

Grillables rated it:

bookshelves: travel

Read in January, 2009

I was disappointed in this, after reading Troost's entertaining first book The Sex Lives of Cannibals a few years ago. While some of the humor found in his first book can also be found here, this one is much more negative - filled with endless comments about the pollution, the crowding, and The Weird Food (a particular pet peeve of mine). A few interesting comments about China being the new America (Cocky? Check. Brash? Check. Communist? Well, there are some differences), but there's a surprisin...more

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03/30/09

Chloe rated it:

Read in April, 2009

China. A country of many wonders. Except I'm not thinking of the Great Wall of China, and that's not what Maarten Troost really experienced (except on one occasion) either. From eating live squid, to being trapped in a typhoon on some small island, Troost really saw it all and more.
Seeing China through Troost’s eyes certainly would make someone not want to go to China, yet it also makes one want to have the same interesting adventures and experiences, just to believe that these ...more

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02/01/09

PastAllReason rated it:

bookshelves: read-2009, travel

Read in February, 2009

I'm really only sorry that I've run out of Troost's books to read. Troost's books are not conventional travel books, but reflect his cosmopolitan and educational background. His books have been part travelogue, and part socio-economical observations of the places he has lived and/or visited. His extended stay in China offered new to me insights of the country, its diversity, its drive to succeed, and yes, just how polluted it is. Still, I think it is only partly tongue in cheek that has him ...more

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01/16/09

Aleta rated it:

Read in February, 2009

Turned out to be very good travel memior. It was laugh out loud funny in some parts, and now I have so much insight into China that I never had before. It was apparent that he did some research and gave great insight into the Chineese culture that, as an outsider, was very satasfying. Something that I noticed is that he is a little bit cinincal in his observations of culture, in general. For instance, I live in Sacramento, CA, where the author currently (or at least the time that I read the book...more

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