Mr. China: A Memoir
Mr. China tells the rollicking story of a young man who goes to China with the misguided notion that he will help bring the Chinese into the modern world, only to be schooled by the most resourceful and creative operators he would ever meet. Part memoir, part parable, Mr. China is one man's coming-of-age story where he learns to respect and admire the nation he sought to conquer.
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Tim Clissold has lived and worked in China for more than twenty years and has traveled to most parts of the country. After graduating with degrees in physics and theoretical physics from Cambridge University, and working in London, Australia, and Hong Kong, he developed a fascination with China. He spent two years studying Mandarin in Beijing before cofounding a private equity group that invested more than $400 million there. He has since spent time at Goldman Sachs recovering distressed assets and, more recently, started a business that invests in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in China through the UN's Clean Development Mechanism. Mr. China was his first book. It has been translated into twelve languages and was an Economist magazine Book of the Year.
"One would be hard-pressed to find a serious Western investor in China who isn't aware of Clissold's eye-opening account."--Forbes
"A compelling account, related with sly humor and hard-earned wisdom."--Library Journal
"An adventure tale. Clissold is a wonderful and compassionate narrator (with) a deep respect for the culture, language, and history."--USA Today
"Lots of Western businessmen have China war stories, but only Tim Clissold has written . . . this funny book."--Newsweek
"One of the wittiest, most compelling accounts of anything I've read in a long time. A terrific book."--Tucker Carlson, co-host of CNN's Crossfire
"Hugely entertaining...Clissold loves China...but he also views it with clarity and no small amount of humor."--Washington Post
"Present at the creation of China's economic miracle, Clissold's memoir is an instant classic. Sharply observed, funny as hell. Indispensible."--Time magazine
