China Sketchbook

In his eighth collection of poetry, China Sketchbook, Chip Dameron reflects on his experiences in traveling across China, from Beijing to Lhasa, Xian to Hong Kong. He offers revealing portraits of modern China—a young dancer at an opera school, Tibetan orphans, an elderly man and his caged bird—and explores the implications of its political positions on outspoken Nobel laureates, Tibetan protesters, and Hong Kong entrepreneurs. Dameron pays tribute to the country’s rich literary heritage in contemplating such poets as Li Bai, Du Fu, Li Qingzhao, and Tao Qian. The collection is enhanced by striking photographs from Vai Si and Chris Song and a cover painting by Sou Vai Keng.