Arranged by letter of the alphabet, with at least one entry per letter, these short pieces capture the variety of daily life in contemporary China. Writing about traditions that endure in rural areas as well as the absurdities of bureaucracy experienced by an American teacher and traveler in the 1980s, the essays cover such topics as dumpling making, bound feet, Chinglish, night soil, and banking. A new afterword reacts to recent changes in China.