Many Lithuanians consider China to be as exotic as the Moon. Only the Moon is much easier to describe. Vaiva Grainytė is the first Lithuanian astronaut to disembark in China. “Beijing diaries” is a unique book. It takes a different approach to this foreign land – China: it’s not a tourist’s gaze, not a glimpse through a digital camera lens, not a glance from around the corner. It speaks from experience – of living, travelling, enjoying, and suffering through. The book is very observant and, in a way, ruthless. No swooning at the sight of cobalt lines on the china, no capitulation to the heat or depravity, no attempts to seem better, show things better than they are. Accurate and captivating authenticity.

Kęstutis Navakas

“Beijing diaries” is a little too modest a title for this book. It’s not just about Beijing. Perhaps it’s not at all about Beijing or China, and more about transformations, gentle (and not so gentle) clashes of civilizations, and quiet struggles with inner dragons and Chinese hieroglyphs. Even readers harbouring disdain for exotic lands will enjoy this book as an existential adventure, a reflection on China’s horrific dazzle and oppressive gigantomania. Plenty of paradoxes and contrasts to tickle the reader’s nerve, Beijing’s nooks and crannies teeming with life, physical and spiritual overload in the mountains of southern provinces. Reels of Chinese cinema film, spinning… Does this book contain more of V. Grainytė or of Beijing? It depends on your vantage point. One thing is clear – “Beijing diaries” make China even larger, expanding our understanding of it.

Donatas Petrošius

Read an excerpt translated into English here.

Format / pages: paperback / 254 pages
ISBN: 978-5-415-02251-9
Publisher: Vaga, Vilnius
Year: 2012