Apologies to My Censor: The High and Low Adventures of a Foreigner in China - Softcover

Moxley, Mitch

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062124439 ISBN 13: 9780062124432

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2013

Synopsis

The story of a young man's outrageous adventures in China and his search for identity in the most unexpected of places.

Mitch Moxley came to Beijing in the spring of 2007 to take a job as a writer and editor for China Daily, the country's only English-language national newspaper. The Chinese economy was booming, the Olympics were on the horizon, and Beijing was being transformed into a world-class city overnight. Moxley planned to stay only through the Olympics and then head back to Canada.

But that was six years ago. In that time, Moxley fed a goat to a lion, watched a lingerie-wearing bear ride a bicycle, and crisscrossed the country writing stories. He also appeared as one of Cosmopolitan's one hundred most eligible bachelors in China, acted in a state-funded Chinese movie, and was paid to pose as a fake businessman.

During Moxley's journey of self-exploration, his comic adventures and misadventures in China gave way to the creation of his alter ego—Mi Gao, or Tall Rice. A funny and honest look at expat life, Apologies to My Censor also depicts the ways a country can touch and inspire you.

About this title

About the Author:

Mitch Moxley spent six years as a freelance writer in Beijing. He writes about culture, travel, and current affairs for publications including The Atlantic, the New York Times, the Globe and Mail, and others. Mitch went to China in 2007 to work at the state-owned China Daily. 

From Publishers Weekly:

In this witty memoir, Moxley recounts his coming-of-age years in the strange, gritty, and wonderful environment that is 21st century China. Before arriving there in 2007, Moxley was restless, bored, and depressed about his career prospects. While searching an online job board, the young Canadian journalist came across a writer/editor position for the only English-language newspaper in the country. Planning to stay for only a year, Moxley dove into the intoxicating, high-octane environment of emerging China. Commerce was booming in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics and, although his new job wasn't what he expected, Moxley reveled in the heavy drinking and rigorous nightlife typical of expats in China. He took Chinese lessons, established himself as a freelance writer, appeared on a Chinese dating show, and even became one of China's hottest bachelors, as ranked by Cosmopolitan. While the country's idiosyncrasies began to seduce Moxley, misgivings about his untethered life started to bubble up. You stop noticing the unusual things around you—in fact, the unusual things are simply not unusual anymore. And then you're left wondering: Why am I still here? Moxley's tale is a nostalgic travelogue; one purchase is never far from his mind: A plane ticket. One way. To New York. (July)

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0062124439
• ISBN 13: 9780062124432
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 300