James Fallows at the Bookworm tonight

May 27
James Fallows at the Bookworm
Free.
7.30pm. The Bookworm (6586 9507)

Although best known as a correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly, journalist James Fallows has also served as a speech writer for Jimmy Carter and as editor of the US News and World Report. Among a host of other accolades, he's also won the American Book Award for nonfiction. We got in touch with the prolific author earlier today and began by asking him what he plans to talk about tonight.

The Beijinger: What will you be talking about tonight at the Bookworm?

James Fallows: What I've been up two these last two years in China for the Atlantic, and what I have underway in magazine - and book - terms over the next year-plus. Also, what has been surprising to me about the U.S. reaction to coverage from China, mine and other people's. And, possible bonus round, US politics.

The Beijinger: What brought you to China in the first place?

JF: The literal answer is: the International Esperanto League. In 1986, my wife and I first came to China, with our two elementary-school age children, for the Esperantists' big world conference in Beijing. We had been in Japan for several months and had been trying to figure out the right way to get a look at China. An academic friend of my wife's (she was in linguistics) happened to be head of the U.S. Esperanto League. (It is worth a glance at their site www.esperanto-usa.org). He invited us to the conference, with the catch that we had to learn Esperanto. It was a deal. We spent a few weeks in Japan learning enough Esperanto to avoid embarrassment – and then spent nearly three weeks in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guilin, and Guangzhou. It was a different time – I remember the semi-embarrassed comments in Shanghai about the impending development of – gasp – a stock exchange. And it had its perils: my wife got Hepatitis A from swimming in the pool at the Friendship Hotel in Beijing and was sick for the next six months. But obviously we were intrigued.

I came back three or four times in the late 1980s and early 90s. But a couple of years ago, we decided that we wanted to come back for a more sustained haul. Partly it was a "push" factor: since late 2001 I had been doing almost exclusively war-and-terrorism coverage for the Atlantic. But mainly it was "pull": We knew a little bit about China and wanted to know a lot more. So we came to Shanghai in July of 2006 and plan to be here until roughly July 2009.

The Beijinger: As someone who has spent time living in other major
capitals in the Asian region (Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai) how do you find life in Beijing compared to that of other cities, both as a regular resident and as a journalist?

JF: Hmmm. Let me put it this way. One of my theories of life is that there's a kind of interestingness/comfort trade-off continuum. Kuala Lumpur was by far the most comfortable and pleasant place my family has lived in Asia. But it was not intrinsically the most interesting. In some other places, you get more intensity and stimulation and less comfort. (The main awkward data point for my theory: Stanford and Silicon Valley.) The trade-off was sort of what I was getting at in this blog post. I don't think any sane person will claim that the Beijing of this moment is a notably comfortable place to live. I mean: the construction, the traffic, etc. I am looking at the East Third Ring Road as I type. But it really is an interesting place. It's certainly more "Chinese" than Shanghai; there are lots of layers to it. So we're glad to be here.

On the "as a journalist" front, I'll simply say: I find that the farther away I am from the capital, the less complicated it is to meet people and do interviews. That may be way I've spent so much time in Shenzhen (and Gansu and Hunan etc).

The Beijinger: In your view, is Beijing ready?

JF: As a Beijinger I say, We are ready! As an outsider I say: Here's hoping!

The Beijinger: From what I can gather from your blog and the biography
on the Atlantic website,
you have a keen and ongoing interest in computing, aviation and politics. Has your time in China, meant that "China" has now been added to this list of passions that will last a life time?

JF: I've reached the stage where having a "lifetime interest" doesn't necessarily extend that far into the future! But, yes, China is and should be a continuing interest for the world in general, and it certainly will be for my wife and me.

Links and Sources
James Fallows' Blog
Atlantic Monthly: Articles by James Fallows
Wikipedia: James Fallows
Minnesota Technology Magazine: Image of James Fallows