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Pearl River Drama: Dating in China - A Memoir

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Librarian Notes: this is an Alternate Cover Edition ASIN B00RQQIA26.

Sex, drugs, and Mandarin lessons.

Dating in China: A Memoir.

When one nerdy, young American moved from California to China in the autumn of 2008, he had no idea what was coming. He knew there would be an adventure and it would have its challenges, but he didn’t know it could get that bad.

From the deserts of Black Rock City, Nevada, to the towering metropolis of Hong Kong, this memoir takes our humble writer all across the globe in search of love. Well, maybe not always searching for love, but in search for something.

It starts on a psychedelic trip in Burning Man, and continues in the “overnight city” of Shenzhen. That’s in the Pearl River Delta, among the densest megacities on Earth. In breakup after breakup, one lonely expat struggles to understand the Chinese mystique. Featuring an ensemble cast of international girls, he had many experiences and leaned a few lessons along the way. The story continues to further exotic locations: Beijing, Canton, Bangkok, Manila, Ohio, the ruins of Cambodia, and Seattle.

Once or twice, he may have even found love. And lost it. Hearts were broken. Minds were mended. All in a haze of sexual exploration, online dating, and travel.

This is his story. Complete with travel photos, and quotations from “Seinfeld” and Mo Yan.

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 2, 2015

1 person is currently reading
44 people want to read

About the author

Ray Hecht

19 books433 followers
Ray Hecht was raised in America, from the Midwest to the West Coast, on a starchy diet of movies and comics and science fiction paperbacks. Mostly writing about such states as California and Ohio, and such provinces as Guangdong. Lived in Shenzhen, China since 2008, that Special Economic Zone & Hong Kong-bordering chaotic city of the future, occasionally partaking in freelance journalism for various local publications. Ray now lives in Taiwan.

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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Jocelyn Eikenburg.
26 reviews11 followers
July 14, 2017
Reinventing yourself abroad is practically an expat tradition. Whenever I sit down with foreigners here in China, more often than not they have a story about how the Middle Kingdom unexpectedly transformed their lives, forging them into the fascinating person they are today.

Writer Ray Hecht, who hails from my home state of Ohio (he’s from Cincinnati and I’m from Cleveland), is no exception. But he has a different kind of story to share. After all, how many have you met who took the “go to China” plunge in a psychedelic haze in the Nevada desert (Burning Man)? Ray does have an easier time meeting Chinese and foreign women for dates, but he never turns into another “charisma man” (or worse, Chinabounder) because of it.

Even better, you can read all about his experiences in an honest and compelling new memoir titled Pearl River Drama: Dating in China.

From the girls he could have loved forever to the “just sex” moments to the one who stalked him (yikes!), Ray doesn’t shy away from letting you into his utterly imperfect love life. He’s refreshingly self-deprecating about it all and ultimately comes across as a genuinely nice foreign guy just looking for love in China. (Note that, besides graphic descriptions of sex, this story does include a lot of recreational drug use, so reader discretion is advised.)

Pearl River Drama: Dating in China is a fast and entertaining read.
Profile Image for Danielle's.
Author 1 book169 followers
July 9, 2017
The unpopular guys story of dating.

I enjoyed this book, however, it reads a little flat. This happened and then this happened. I would have liked a little colour, more personality and a quirky edge. It is a tell all therefore I'm glad we have never dated ;). It's juicy and offers an insight to the male mind. As someone who is female, and married to my high school sweetheart I now have a better understanding of the struggles of dating. It isn't easy, or straight forward and must be very frustrating. I wish this book had a happy end but as it is a memoir sadly for me Ray hasn't found his Mrs Right.

I would have liked to have known more about the traveling side, career aspect and money.

Overall I enjoyed this book. The artwork is interesting too. 4 stars out of 5.
Profile Image for Ming Wei.
Author 20 books288 followers
May 13, 2019
I really enjoyed this book, a honest, refreshing, real life story that many single males looking for love across the world will be able to relate to in their own lives, well written, very interesting, The writer provides a in-depth true story about his new-life adventure into China, as he searches for love, dating women, the writer is is very honest about his own experiences with dating, his weaknesses, his strengths, the good, the bad, the emotional baggage that comes from dating. The book contains many personal conversations and memories. The story never gets boring, I could image this story as some sort of TV program series. This author writing style is very good, and enjoyable. Well worth a read. Any negatives (not really) maybe more could have been included about the places in China that the author spent time in, other than mainly focusing on the search for love and relationships.
7 reviews1 follower
April 11, 2015
Ray’s book is an honest and engaging read about what it’s like meeting and dating women in China. The book is more than just about the upsides and downsides of the relationships an expat from the States has had with women in China over the years. It’s also a book about finding acceptance and dealing with rejection in the romantic sense.

The chapters detail in-depth conversations, memories and intimate relations with the women Ray has come across. It’s evident the author is not your typical Western expat who gets together with women in Asia just because of their physical looks, and this makes the book a compelling and refreshing read. He admits to brief encounters with some women and also ponders deeply about why the more serious ones did not work out in the end.

Loneliness, the need for love and the desire to be loved in return are constant themes echoing throughout this book. These feelings usually lead one to search for someone in life to keep them emotionally fulfilled on different levels. In Ray’s case, the search for The One happens across many spectrums: bars, social interest groups, mutual friends’ gatherings, online dating sites. His chase for love comes across as something that might never end but it is an exhilarating ride, never a dull moment and this makes the chapters relatable. After all, love and life are full of ups and downs, and aren’t we all always searching for the so-called “next best thing”.

The diversity of women Ray writes about makes the book all the more an interesting read. He shares encounters about women in China from all walks of life, women in China who exemplify both stereotypical and non-stereotypical cultural traits. Consequently, the book explores the notion of trust: when to trust and when to stop trusting in a complicated relationship with someone of a different race – and personality, not necessarily culture, might be a factor in coming to terms with this.

A worthy note: this book is sexually graphic at some parts and so it might not suit everyone’s literary palates. It would have been interesting to have read more about Ray’s travels in China and whether that changed his perception on relationships.
Profile Image for Pedro Barrento.
Author 5 books75 followers
March 27, 2015
This is an odd book. In some ways it is a male version of Sex and the City, or maybe Bridget Jones (to be honest I haven't read B.J. so maybe you should ignore this last reference). From what I could check almost all of it is a collection of the author's blog posts regarding his romantic / sexual adventures in China (with some occasional episodes happening outside China). It is well written and feels surprisingly varied. A difficult feat to achieve, given the monotony of the theme. Which only goes to confirm Ray Hecht's considerable writing skills.
Now let's be clear: this is not erotica, nor is the text centered on the actual sex. It's more a dissertation on dating, sex, drugs, dating sites, relationships, etc. All happening in a distant land and one that is culturally very different from the author's homeland of America.
The author classifies this book in the opening pages as a memoir. But I don't think that is a good description. You write a memoir when you're writing several decades after the events took place and you consider yourself to be a much wiser person. I wouldn't call it a memoir when you're musing about what happened three years ago. This is written shortly after the events took place. Your head may be cooler but you aren't really wiser.
I'm totally unsure about the intended readership of this book: men or women?
Anyway if reading a well written account of a 20 something american male's dating adventures in China is what you're looking for I don't think you'll find a better book on the subject than this one.
Profile Image for Susan Qin.
4 reviews5 followers
June 14, 2015
Even though the book is based on real life, it is absolutely not a journal by a just another expat living in South China. The book is well written by a professional writer- neither repetitive nor lack of important details, and more importantly, is quite insightful at some chapters I’d say. For example, when the author make the introductions about the cultural background, it says “The economic landscape is changing at a frantic pace and the culture cannot keep up. Whatever standards the previous generation may have adhered to, often times young Chinese people completely disregard those imprints”- this is very true.
I really appreciate the honesty, when the author tells the stories about how he grown up without much romantic experiences, the commitment issues explained at the very beginning, it may not that easy to “get laid” in China (bragging may exits) , confusions and excitements and all the other thoughts and feelings shared throughout the entire book. After all, it is not just about dating, it is about how the author lives and how he think about things happening (e.g. paragraphs about Israel) everyone else in his life.
The last dating story with Jennifer seems a bit longer and boring. To be honest, this story sounds like two teenagers watched too much porn- so many drama and very childish. If it is that important and cannot be eliminated, then make it shorter. Except for this not-so-good part and a few typos, this is still a book recommended.
Profile Image for Maria.
382 reviews
March 21, 2015
Ray delves into the intriguing world of dating abroad, from long-term girlfriends, to short flings. It seemed as though Ray was able to find a variety of women easily, from online (Plenty of Fish and OKCupid) to writing circles (where he meets the one who ‘truly’ broke his heart). However, his book also details many regrets that he experienced when dealing with some of these women, specifically ‘Carmen’ and ‘The Stalker’.

I did find it surprising to hear how some of the women approached dating, making me wonder how different dating abroad truly is. Ray’s explanation of each relationship is short however, to the point. In my eyes, if these women were mentioned in Ray’s book, then they must hold a special place in his heart, and memory for that fact.

I thoroughly enjoyed the ‘Seinfeld’ references throughout the novel as I am quite a big Seinfeld fan. However, I did find the constant use of vulgar language and sexual references a bit much for my liking. Although the book details Ray’s dating life abroad, it would have been nice to hear more about the places in which he visited, rather than just having those places mentioned in passing. Although Ray does mention that he is currently dating someone, it would be nice to know if he does truly find ‘the one’.
Profile Image for S..
Author 5 books82 followers
March 4, 2015
tightly-written vanity piece 3/5, author gives, as he promises, memoir of his dating experiences in South China/ Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Pearl River Delta area. lots of dating, lots of drugs, lots of one night stands, described in complete detail including many authorial photographs. Hecht has gone into the dating / one-night-stand world of Dongguan and returned back with the first person's view. try to get a copy on discount.
Profile Image for Travis Lee.
Author 22 books9 followers
February 27, 2015
Like it says on the tin, 'Pearl River Drama' does feature dating in China, but it's more than a stream of Chinese women. It charts Ray's life in China, from a chance encounter at the Burning Man festival to unsolicited text messages of the X-rated variety. Good writing, interesting stories. Ray holds nothing back, and if you've lived in China, this book will bring back some memories.
Profile Image for Will Albers.
252 reviews8 followers
June 7, 2016
I think I liked this better than South China Blues....perhaps it was the more deeply personal introspection, honesty and openness. Felt like I got to know the author a bit better and I could certainly relate to his thoughts and feelings though his personal experiences in China are far different than mine. But when it comes to men interacting with women, I can relate.
1 review1 follower
September 17, 2016
Dating in China was quite an exceptional book. Before I begin with this long review, I would heavily suggest enjoying this book with a good cup of coffee in an indie coffee shop. It will add to the sort of traveler's mood the book puts you in, though it isn’t quite necessarily to enjoy this lovely read.

The book is very structured with a very descriptive lead. Very livid and colorful descriptions, I always find myself drawn to a book that makes you feel as if you were actually there. That was the exact feeling I got with the way that the book was constructed: poetic, graphic, and genuine.

You can find it all here! From prestigious law students and trendy office workers to fellow travelers, writers, cheaters, tourists, and secret freaks in bed. This book has it all and will probably either leave you laughing hysterically, rolling your eyes at crazy chicks, or feeling deeply saddened/pissed off with what happens to the author. You will find yourself snickering about the gang bang pictures that were sent to the writer but you will also embrace discomfort when reading how the author witnessed a crush having sex with another man in his house. A book that erupts your feelings, in my opinion, is a book that will take you away every time. Very well done.

As someone in a dating profession, I have to say that this book is rather heartwarming for two reasons. The first reason is the social value and the goals that the author set out for himself in dating. As a seduction instructor, it was wonderful to hear that the author’s behaviors reflect many of the teachings that we teach our students. It was wonderful to hear how he was advancing- with traveling, with writing, with his passions- and really trying to build wonderful human connections with the women in his life. In general, women prefer a man who is up to himself with standards- not just with appearance and grooming, but also with their careers and the value of life experience (traveling, a social circle, passions for writing are all demonstrations of fun and a way to escape- which is what many women find attractive). Pearl River Drama is written from a personal vibe- not a guy who is actively looking to play women and view them as ways to advance, but as people who are worth getting to know, date, and have a fun time with. If they aren’t worth his life, he puts them aside to seek his bigger passion in life. Which makes the book more understanding of the male psyche- and not at all a ‘creepy white guy’ read.

The second reason I appreciated this book has to do with personal feelings around the idea of Asian Women with White Men (though there were a few relationships where Asian women weren’t the love interest). I have always had a slight reserved feeling about this type of relationship because the usual people that I know who go for this are usually creepy white weeaboo men who want to pursue Asian women because of the docile and anime stereotype that they absolutely adore. But, this book was not that at all. It was pretty genuine- where someone seemed to be interested in meeting and hanging with different girls depending on who they are. A white guy with standards, a career, and an interesting life seeking women for dating and a connection, not a lay count. The book didn’t exoicize Asian women at all, which I very much appreciated. It really opened my mind to have a brighter perspective regarding the WMAF interracial relationship group.

All in all, this is an amazing read. Recommended for everyone, particularly those who love tourist memoirs. Highly recommended for those who like curling up in coffee shops with a mocha latte and a good book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Bailey Hu.
4 reviews3 followers
January 4, 2016
I agree with some other reviews I've seen of this book: I was somewhat confused by the concept of the work itself. The title seems to suggest it's some kind of reveal-all, no-holds-barred, guilty pleasure of a book. I had mentally prepared myself for spicy details of clandestine encounters, or at least sudden brilliant insights into the nature of dating in the PRD. But this book is neither one. It does talk about many women that the author has dated, but every time it begins hinting at some kind of gripping story, the author shies away out of--modesty? But on the other hand, in the absence of those little details that make a story fascinating, there's not much substance either. What is it the author has learned after all these experiences? Not much, it seems. While his honesty about his own flaws is admirable, when even the author himself expresses ambivalence about his own growth it's even harder for a reader to stay engaged in stories that seem increasingly repetitive.

In its original form as a set of blog posts, I'm sure these stories would have been a lot more engaging. Even more so as conversation. When reading you can almost imagine the author as that friend of yours who always shows up late and hungover to brunch on Sundays, with a new story or two to tell after the crazy weekend they just had. In spoken form, you probably would be hanging off each word, and the reticence to reveal names or intimate details would be natural enough. But as a book, the content of Pearl River Drama just doesn't do it for me. I expected something with some kind of deeper meaning, or at least more interesting and scandalous details.

Actually, the book does become more serious, but only in the episode at very end of the book, in the description of the girl who's dramatically named "The Last One." Here we finally get the elements that make up a good story--the foreshadowing, the angst, the drama, the emotional engagement of the author. It draws you in and makes you feel for the people involved. As the book draws to a close, you can't help but wish the rest of memoir was written the same way.
Profile Image for Susan.
640 reviews39 followers
January 10, 2015
Ray Hecht writes an honest and compelling memoir of his first several years in southern China. The first part of his book centers on the chance encounter with someone who ends up hiring him to work in China. Once in China, Hecht becomes a fixture in the Shenzhen social scene even though he's a self-professed introvert. I really appreciated his honesty and his awareness of the stereotypical western expat men who end up in China. Hecht is very open minded and doesn't sell out when it comes to making a new life in China. In other words, he doesn't become a pompous bastard just because he's a foreigner. His dating stories make up the bulk of his memoir and he is open minded in that area, too. Dating both Chinese and foreigners, Hecht shows what it's like to feel lonely abroad. Some of these stories are hilarious while others are quite sad and even downright frightening. Although Hecht is still living in China and admits that his story hasn't ended yet, he seems at home in Shenzhen and settled into a fulfilling writing career. This book is graphic for those who are squeamish about sex and drugs.
Profile Image for Victoria Zieger.
1,733 reviews9 followers
August 19, 2017
Pearl River Drama has a strong voice that does remain consistent through the stories. I enjoyed the colloquial tone of this memoir as if the author were actually speaking directly to the reader and simply telling stories. However, a few critiques I have that keep me from giving it a higher rating were the typos and grammatical errors that distract attention from the story. Also, I don't feel as though there was enough of a flow from stories. Each story seemed a little abrupt for my liking. That being said, most of the stories that the author conveyed were funny and very honest which I believe is the start of writing good nonfiction pieces.
Profile Image for Rob.
140 reviews
June 11, 2016
This is a wistful blog of a book. What it lacks in rigour it makes up for in light-hearted rumination... PRD is a summer read that lets one vicariously experience a wide spectrum of South China hook-ups for the newly-minted on the way to world weary traveler... It's a thin effort but nevertheless good company, a guilty pleasure if you will. Ideally enjoyed over the cocktail hour to get in the spirit of the author's wandering eye for conquest...
Profile Image for Isham Cook.
Author 11 books43 followers
April 8, 2022
Meandering accounts of the author's dating and love affairs in China, shapeless narrative, lack of editing.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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