BOOK REVIEW: China High: My Fast Times In The 010, A Beijing Memoir by ZZ

China High: My Fast Times In The 010, A Beijing Memoir By ZZ St. Martin's Press $24.95

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BOOK REVIEW: China High: My Fast Times In The 010, A Beijing Memoir by ZZ

POSTED: Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 9:49 PM

China High: My Fast Times In The 010, A Beijing Memoir
By ZZ
St. Martin's Press
$24.95

Fired from the high-powered American law firm that brought him back to China, pseudonymous author ZZ spends most of his time in Sanlitun, a squalid yet trendy Beijing club and caf' district that seems like the jumping off point for nothing but Bright Lights, Big City-style hedonism. There's the endless party nights, the long list of women at the ready, as well as ZZ's Patrick Bateman-esque attention to fashion and his eight-pack. Further contributing to his escapist tendencies is his immigration status. This is his second stint as a FOB (fresh off the boat) ' he moved to the U.S. as an adolescent but left shortly after obtaining a law degree. But through the haze of da ma, or big numb (marijuana or hashish) that he rolls into what he deems Zigarettes, we're given a first hand account of an emerging and ever changing China.

Early on, ZZ sets up most of his past through stories told to nameless, white foreigner, fresh to the Sanlitun scene. This faceless listener is a ready double for ZZ, as the novel presents a complex struggle for identity, on par with Colson Whitehead's Sag Harbor. The new set of ideals acquired in the U.S. causes him to question not only China, but himself. He tells us, 'Thanks to nature and nurture, even I have trouble figuring out my own nationality sometimes.' While his outsider status is an asset ' merely speaking English is regarded as a get out jail free card ' he also is aware of how much he clashes with Chinese cultural differences. But in this latter regard, he sees himself as a force for change. Everything from his high-charged illegal motorcycle to his casual hash habit are bold declarative statements calling for a loosening of outdated strictures. And as proof that he's not simply there to enjoy China's hedonistic side, there's the innovations he bring to the country. He starts a law firm that prosecutes a state-sponsored company, a rare and unpopular task. In addition, ZZ starts a food delivery business called Foodiez that not only offers unprecedented standards of service, but also seeks to alter the way Beijingers' value their free-time. These fledgling enterprises, however, are secondary to the author's simple enjoyment of life.

While ZZ's appreciation of differences between cultures builds with the memoir's progression, the catharsis doesn't come until he's thrown in prison for his habit. Apparently, those Zigarette's stuffed with opium-looking hashish actually had opium in them. And ' oops, his American Visa expires. So he's sent off to jail, with the possibility of a lengthy stay in forced rehab. Imprisonment proves a humbling foil for revisiting past assessments. He reconsiders relationships perhaps tainted by his escapist persona and his inability to devote to anything requiring effort ' with so many names in his Nokia there was never a need to exert himself.

With the clarity of feverish self-discovery, ZZ's evocative prose tightens immensely. Our vicarious thrill-ride through China comes to its highest point while ZZ dissects the very basis of freedom, an endeavor requisite for forward thinking nations everywhere. 'It's as if I'm a FOB again,' he says on seeing the world anew.

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