Young Professional's Interview | A Book for the Masses

"We met twice to settle things, and four months later my book was published. The process was extremely quick."

Swedish freelance writer Catarina Lilliehöök wrote a book, in Chinese, for the Chinese people to help them understand Westerners. The feedback was far above her expectations and now she is writing a book in Swedish about China. "To live in China in the 21st century is a mind-blowing experience," she says.

Catarina Lilliehöök, a Swedish freelance writer, did some­thing most ordinary "China hands" only dream about. She wrote a book in Chinese. "Blond hair blue eyes looking at China" is a story depicting a foreigner's life in China, it tells of cultural differences, odd experiences and humorous misunderstandings, For the local reader, it offers a chance to better understand the strange laowai (foreigner), or simply put, it's a window to the West.

According to Catarina, a big part of the key to understanding China and the Chinese culture rests in the language. "So much of the culture, history, mentality and the mindset of the people stems from the language, the characters, and the idioms. The language relates back to the history in almost everything they say, It is unique and totally fascinating."

What brought you to China?

"Five years ago I was working in Sweden as a freelance writer and felt everyday life becoming a bit predictable. My professional life was satisfactory, but I needed to try something new, something completely different. Both me and my husband have always had an interest in Asia so we decided to move to China. His transfer couldn't be organized immediately and I was too impa­tient to wait, so I went on my own. I started studying Chinese in Beijing, and a year later my husband came."

Was life in China what you had expected?

Actually, we lived in a nice modern apart­ment with all the facilities and comforts in a high-rise building, but I soon felt that this was not right. We decided to challenge ourselves by living with the Chinese out in a hutong (alley). We found a beautiful, tra­ditional style, courtyard house, just near the Drum Tower. This was an amazing experi­ence in many ways.

"Even though I had already been in Beijing for more than a year and a half, it was only now that I felt I had really moved to China. It was like stepping back in time. The alleys are very narrow and do not offer much privacy. We did have our own kitchen and bathroom in our courtyard which the majority of the people in the hutong did not.

"It was a big thing to the locals to have two foreigners living in their hutong. It was hard to get used to how they always stared, but most of them were very friendly and I spent a lot of time talking to them. Life there was very interesting and I particularly enjoyed sitting in the courtyard just watch­ing the curved rooftops against a moonlit sky, or being out in the hutong chatting to the old men and women, the peddlers, the children or the shoemaker."

What did you learn about China during your time in the alleys?

"A lot. As far as trying to understand China, the two years I spent in the hutongs were the most rewarding. But it was also hard, living in a courtyard you are on your own. When things broke, or if I didn't understand how to clean the oil burner, there was no front desk to call for help. I had to figure every­thing out myself. I tried to create my own network of people who could help me, but naturally a lot of things were different from the West.

"The Chinese can sometimes be very direct, and at other times very subtle. A lot of the workers spoke dialects that were hard to understand. I slowly learned how to deal with the people and the language at a more hands-on level."

Why did you decide to write a book, and in Chinese?

"I had always planned to take the step from journalist to writer. The idea actually came from my private teacher with whom I shared a lot of stories of my life in China. She used to come to the courtyard and drink tea and we discussed cultural differences.

"I told her about the things I encountered here, the odd situations I ended up in, and when I pointed out things I found strange she would laugh and say: "You're right, that is funny. But I'm so used to it that if you hadn't pointed it out I would never have thought of it!

"One day she said: "You should write a book for the Chinese people to help them understand Westerners." She said that if I did that she would try to help me get it published. And that was exactly what happened.

"I started writing in English and then we translated together. However, her English level was low and translating was a very slow process. I realized it was better if I wrote directly in Chinese and then she helped me to edit. I wrote about half the book in Chinese and in a way it was easier because if you write in Chinese you think in Chinese. Since the book is aimed for a local audience, 1 felt it was important to get the real "Chinese touch."

Can you describe the process of getting your book published in China?

"My teacher came to my home and we started looking through The Yellow Pages under 'publishing houses'. One of the largest com­panies, Wenlian Chubanshe, was interested and made up its mind quickly. We met twice to settle things, and four months later my book was published. The process was extremely quick. In Sweden it would take about one and a half years to get a book out on the shelves.

"I don't know in general, but at least in my case the difficult part of the process was not the publishing itself, but rather things like logistics, marketing and distribution. This is simply some of the areas where you will get abruptly reminded you are still in a develop­ing country. The efficiency can be painfully low. It has to do with the sheer size of the country, naturally, but also the bureaucracy and lack of infrastructure. The book can be sold out in Shanghai but at the same time they have thousands of books in storage in Beijing... "

How do the Chinese market your book?

"Ah, another interesting area! Marketing is a rather new concept in China and as far as I can tell, the publishing houses here publish books, full stop. Most of the marketing I had to deal with myself. Luckily I've received very good media attention with lots of inter­views in newspapers and magazines as well as invitations to appear on radio and television.

What is the feedback on your book from the Chinese readers?

"I have had some fantastic feedback, far above my own expectations. Some of the most frequently heard comments are that it is realistic, humorous and an eye opener. It describes a lot of situations in daily life where I, or maybe another Westerner, end up in some kind of situation that we find strange or funny, or just very nice, but the point it that it is different from what we would experience in our own countries.

"My aim is to help the Chinese readers gain a better understand­ing of the West and of Western ways of thinking. The book is not about who is right and who is wrong, but rather to point out the cultural differences and talk about them, explain why, from our point of view, something is different. I am very honest and I think it is appreciated."

Who are your readers?

"The readers are very varied! I have talked to teachers, professors, white collar workers, students and ayis (maids) who all have read my book. I think people like students and white collar workers are interested because it can help them when they deal with Westerners, for instance, in work situations, or if they wish to become more international.

"People, such as my ayi, or the workers in the hutongs prob­ably like it because most of them have very little direct contact with Westerners and simply have no idea about our real lives or how we think. My ayi told me all her friends have lined up to read it."

What has happened in your professional life since the book was published?

"Well, quite a lot actually. I have been asked to give lectures and also been invited to freelance for several Chinese newspapers. I now write regularly for major newspapers in both Shanghai and Beijing. In Shanghai, I have my own column in two newspapers.

"The Swedish publishing company Natur och Kultur has asked me to write a book in Swedish about China. The book will be pub­lished in early 2006 and has kept me busy for most of this year. It is much broader than the Chinese book. Apart from cultural differenc­es it also gets into a variety of topics such as healthcare, education, work, business, economic development and exciting travels. To live in China in the 21st century is a mindblowing experience. I consider myself very lucky to get the chance to put it all down on paper."