William Langewiesche in China: ‘No Pushing! No Swearing! No Irony!’

Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 03.13.08 | 3:14 PM ET

Yet another high-profile U.S. writer has journeyed to China to take the country’s pulse in advance of the Beijing Olympics, this time in a 2,900-word piece in Vanity Fair. Langewiesche’s take:

Yes, China is booming. And, yes, China’s cities are big and modern. But also, yes, China has serious problems—pollution, rural poverty, water shortages, the suppression of civil liberties, corruption, and the abysmal condition of its universities and schools. The problems are understandable, and hardly a state secret. I suppose people tidy up their houses before parties, too. But the Chinese would appear in a better light if they were not quite so nervous in advance.

The story begins with a nice riff on flying China Air, with Langewiesche lamenting that “there is no longer any need to applaud just because the airplane has safely arrived.”

Also in the latest issue of Vanity Fair, though unfortunately not available online: Charlie LeDuff joins legendary photographer and filmmaker Robert Frank for a trip to China. Frank directed the 1959 film Pull My Daisy, which was written and narrated by Jack Kerouac.