One gets a taste of his curiosity, sense of adventure with which Seth lives. My reading this book restored my faith in humanity. There are poignant personal encounters when locals invite him with food, warmth and stories of government atrocities. The hand-drawn map on the book was immensely useful for understanding the places he mentioned. It is a sneak-peek into life in post-Cultural revolution communist China of 1980s portraits of Mao. This book would force you ask yourself why you travel.