Brian Johnston was 22 when he travelled to China. In 'Boxing with Shadows' he recreates the incredible two-and-a-half years he spent there.
Johnston skilfully evokes contemporary China and the Chinese; his delightful account is peppered with his encounters with the unexpected, including a TV crew, a snake and China's top rock star.
He also takes us on a personal journey, revealing the growing sense of loneliness and bewilderment he experienced, and relating how he came to fall in love with this mysterious country.
'Boxing with Shadows' is a rich, delightful and rewarding book. It is also unique in its treatment of ethnic minority groups in China, and in giving a perspective on Chinese politics and society after the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.
