In the last few decades, China has undergone drastic changes, from a secluded Communist state to an active participant in the global economy. At the same time, the West's fascination with China has ascended to new heights. Leilei Chen's Re-Orienting China: Travel Writing and Cross-Cultural Understanding guides us through six rarely studies writers on post-1949 China: Jan Wong, Jock T. Wilson, Peter Hessler, Leslie T. Chang, Hill Gates, and Yi-Fu Tuan. Beginning with a defense of travel writing against the charge of imperialism, Chen explores the potential for cross-cultural travel to both transform the self and effect social and political change. At moments personal and intimate, Re-Orienting China guides us towards cross-cultural relationships that are critical in today's globalized world.

Leilei Chen teaches English and Writing Studies at the University of Alberta and has published on Asian American studies, Victorian studies, Canadian literature, and travel writing. She recently translated Steven Grosby's Nationalism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford UP) for Yilin Publisher, China. Before moving to Canada, Chen was a professor of English at Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.

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