I’m getting lots of book recommendations from the China hands I meet and will be sharing them here. For starters, an intriguing one from contributor Frank Kehl:

Arthur Miller’s “Salesman” in Beijing, circa 1984, is a great read by a great writer; a subtle observation of general Chinese culture, post-Cultural Revolution culture, Chinese Western-style actors’ culture; and a guide for authentic cross cultural exchange that is neither know-it-all arrogant nor laissez-faire cultural relativist. It’s Miller’s daily journal of the trials and tribulations of mounting the play in China. Miller knows the artistic vision, the conflicts, the dramas of “Salesman,” he knows how it needs to be staged and acted. His close friend and translator, Ying Ruocheng — it was he who played the prison warden in “The Last Emperor” –knows the strengths and weaknesses of his Beijing Fine Arts Troupe. He knows they tend toward melodrama and broadness. They come to learn under Miller’s direction and Ying’s urgings, what their characters are really about.

And the audience? As I said last night, they made it a hit. The Chinese, who at the time hardly had an inkling of what life insurance — or the American Dream — was about, apparently were gripped by the dynamic between the family members, especially between father and sons.