Reading Leslie T. Chang’s Factory Girls and searching for new info on her husband, Peter Hessler, I’ve come across this very honest blog post:

“To understand how Hessler has stolen my thunder, it’s necessary to understand one of the most essential benefits of choosing to live in China. That is you get to wrap yourself in the plush, velvety illusion that you’re the first one to experience all of the crazy aspects of China life. One of the greatest consolations of frequenting squatty potties and buses that drive blindly around mountain corners is that it makes a great story. As much as I know that other Americans have been here and done this, I succumb to the sweet-scented myth just like any other… .”