{"product_id":"the-river-at-the-center-of-the-world-a-journey-up-the-yangtze-and-back-in-chinese-time-9780312423377","title":"The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA stunning tour of China, its people, and its history. Chosen as one of the best travel books of 1996 by the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRising in the mountains of the Tibetan border, the Yangtze River, the symbolic heart of China pierces 3,900 miles of rugged country before debouching into the oily swells of the East China Sea. Connecting China's heartland cities with the volatile coastal giant, Shanghai, it has also historically connected China to the outside world through its nearly one thousand miles of navigable waters. To travel those waters is to travel back in history, to sense the soul of China, and Simon Winchester takes us along with him as he encounters the essence of China--its history and politics, its geography and climate as well as engage in its culture, and its people in remote and almost inaccessible places. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe River at the Center of the World \u003c\/i\u003e is travel writing at its best: lively, informative, and thoroughly enchanting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSimon Winchester\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Professor and the Madman, The Map That Changed the World, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eKrakatoa\u003c\/i\u003e, among many other titles. He lives in Massachusetts, New York City, and the Western Isles of Scotland.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"St. Martins Press-3PL","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50674773229842,"sku":"9780312423377","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_3d4767a8-c148-488c-9d32-85c8edc8129f.jpg?v=1733865356","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-river-at-the-center-of-the-world-a-journey-up-the-yangtze-and-back-in-chinese-time-9780312423377","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}