Yellow River Odyssey

This is an enjoyable book by Bill Porter, better known by his pen name "Red Pine", describing his early 1990s journey along the length of the Yellow River, beginning from where it enters the sea in Shandong to its source in Qinghai. As the pre-eminent translator of classical Chinese in the disciplines of poetry, Buddhism and philosophy, he brings a vital and fascinating perspective to his travels. I particularly enjoy how he makes it a point to seek out less well-known, but still highly significant historical sites, of which even many Chinese are unaware.The China he depicts in the book has largely vanished, but for anyone who spent much time in China in the 1990s, it will result in knowing nods of the head. He writes in an uncomplicated, easy-going style--who knows, he may just be a Western incarnation of Xu Xiake (徐霞客). The accompanying photos are spectacular, and evoked fond memories of my own journeys to many of the same places during the same period. His story ends rather abruptly, but the book was well worth the wait.

This is well written and quite interesting. Porter knows Chinese history and though I've been to China 4 times, after reading about his journey to the source of the yellow river, I want to go again. Will have to pass this book on to my wife and see if works as well on her.

very nice -a good read wish there was a index

The style of Bill Porter is unsurpassed. This is my second book of his that I have read. His knowledge of the history of China makes all his books educational.

I feel like I'm right there with him. He's a favorite writer

In 1991 Bill Porter traveled from Shanghai to Qingdao, Kaifeng, Luoyang, Yan'an, Inner Mongolia, the Gobi Desert, Lanzhou, Xining and the source of the Yellow River. On the way he visited Confucian temples, Taoist mountains, Buddhist monasteries, Communist redoubts, and shares his impressions. He writes with humor and insight, and the journey moves forward at a good pace.Porter is also known as Red Pine, a translator of ancient poetry and religious texts, in addition to writing these travel memoirs. In this series he uses an earlier method of Chinese transliteration that makes it difficult to recognize names now familiar in Pinyin. This is a minor distraction, and checking the internet has also helped me to visualize the places that I haven't already visited.If your interests lie in travel to China and the culture of the region, this series is worthwhile. I've seen much in eight trips, except the northeast (Shandong, Henan, Shanxi), and plan to visit this area soon. For my purposes Bill Porter is an excellent guide. There is almost no practical information here, but for descriptions of historical and religious sites it is a great cultural resource.

I enjoyed this book. I’d read Bill’s other two books about his travels in China, so I ordered a copy as soon as I came across an excerpt of this latest work in Tricycle magazine.I always find his travels interesting, in part because his working knowledge of language and culture (twenty years in Taiwan and Hong Kong) must give him advantages and perspectives that are not available to other tourists, in part because of the unassuming way he manages to give me a better understanding of the immense vistas of culture and history that are China. The prose never over-embroiders, self-promotes, or seeks to make some kind of social/ political/ spiritual point, but always remains matter-of-fact and grounded in everyday experience.My one disappointment was that this is not a contemporary account, but is already almost a historical document, in that it covers two months of early 1991, probably an aeon ago in terms of the China of today. However, for all I know, a 1991 journey may well be much more interesting than one made today.I do admire the energy and determination that kept him going, aged 47, through two months of gruelling buses, trains, taxis, jeeps, and every other form of transport that can be imagined. Not only did he reach an arduous and challenging destination, but he made many a detour to significant sites.So, thank you Bill.

This is a fascinating travelogue of a journey up the Yellow River in China, from mouth to source (over 3100 miles). Along the way, the author opens door after door to peer into history and legends -- populated by kings, invaders, communities, temples, monuments and museums. It is a riveting account. The book is especially gripping when the author "returns" to the river, after wandering off occasionally to see some hidden treasures of history. But even the off-track musings are enjoyable, and the author reminds himself before long that it is time to return to the Yellow River and to the focus of the book. Several related chapters, together with the accompanying black and white pictures, are well-written and presented. We are all keyed up as the author searches for the Source of the river (last chapter). It is quite a page turner. En route, the many amusing stories of lodges,people, food and drink lighten the weight of history. Altogether a must read for river/history/China buffs.

Being a fan of Road to Heaven and Zen Baggage by Bill Porter I wanted to like this book more.The problem is that the narrative seems to be an almost bullet-point itinerary from the 90s that Bill found in his storage trunk and decided to bulk up with some historical details.Maybe due to the trip being so long ago, and not published for so long, the story seems a little cold and there is almost no real interactions with the people he meets. Apart from a few moments I felt no connection or knew anything about the people.The pictures were a nice addition and its an okay read but this could have been much better... He has a new book coming out soon and I'm hoping it will be a little warmer with a little more heart.