China's Great Train

by Abrahm Lustgarten

Book Overview

"A great yarn . . . [Lustgarten] also accomplishes something more valuable: He provides insight into the seat-of-the-pants nature of many of China's massive schemes."-- The Washington Post Book World When the "sky train" to Tibet opened in 2006, the Chinese government fulfilled a fifty-year plan first envisioned by Mao Zedong. As China grew into an economic power, the railway had become an imperative, a critical component of China's breakneck expansion...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805090185
• ISBN13: 9780805090185
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Insight into China and Tibet

As a recent visitor to China where I took several trains I look for books about this fascinating country. This book is really a mix of the political history of Tibet and China and the building of the train line. The author gets into the background through the lives of some Tibetan people, by far the best way to help understand the impact on ordinary people. But he doesn't get lost in the details. The other half of the book, the actual building is also interesting, both the political pressure of an impossible building schedule and problems with unproven construction solutions especially of building on permafrost. A quick, easy and interesting read.

Fantastic!

What a an enlightening read. Brilliant imagery and a wealth of knowledge. This is not one to be missed.