Country Driving

A seven-thousand-mile road trip across China's evolving landscape reveals the human stories behind the country's explosive economic transformation. Peter Hessler navigates newly built highways and forgotten rural routes in a rented Jeep, documenting how rapid modernization collides with ancient traditions in villages, factory towns, and burgeoning cities. His journey becomes a masterclass in observational storytelling, capturing everything from entrepreneurial farmers to migrant workers with profound empathy and sharp insight into China's complex social fabric.

What distinguishes this travel narrative is its deep immersion into communities most outsiders never see—Hessler doesn't just drive through China, he lives within its changes, renting a home in a village transformed by a new highway and tracking families through years of upheaval. Readers who crave understanding over mere sightseeing will find themselves transported into the daily realities of ordinary Chinese citizens navigating extraordinary change. The result is a portrait of a nation in motion that feels both epic in scope and intimately personal, forever altering how you perceive modern China.