Letters from China

About the Book

This is a book of letters that Mark Harris wrote to his children during the time that he and his wife Luree taught English at two different universities in Shandong Province, China. In 1996 and 1997 they taught at Shandong Teachers University in Jinan. Again in 1999 and 2000 they taught at the Teachers College of Qingdao University in Qingdao. At both universities their students were preparing to become teachers of English in the Chinese public schools. Not knowing Mandarin, Mark and Luree were fortunate their students had studied English for six to seven years.

Being a good observer of Chinese behavior and culture, Mark vividly describes his activities at the universities where he taught English. He and his wife also had many opportunities to interact with people in speaking or entertaining at various schools or businesses, in traveling throughout the country or simply observing and relating to people on the street. He writes about common occurring events like waiting in a crowded line at the post office, riding in a small taxi or, when walking on the street, being engulfed by school children wanting to practice speaking English. Also, he describes attending a traditional Chinese wedding, visiting the birthplace of Confucius, taking a cruise down the Yangtze River and climbing the Great Wall of China. Being skillful in using his camera, Mark was able to disperse his excellent photographs throughout the book, adding to his writing.

About the Author

After having long teaching careers in the public schools of California, Mark and Luree Harris retired in 1996. Being motivated to continue with some service-type endeavor, they accepted an offer from Brigham Young University Kennedy Center for International Studies in Provo, Utah to teach English in China. They taught in Chinese universities for two years between 1996 and 2000.

For the past six years Mark and Luree have lived in Cameron Park, California near Sacramento. They have five children, fourteen grandchildren and one great grandchild. Mark has published two other books; A Distant Place, a compilation of Chinese student essays and The Missionary Journals of Edward Daniel Harris, a transcription of his father's diaries when he was a missionary to the Maoris of New Zealand some eighty-five years ago.

In the near future, Mark intends to publish several other books; The Two Hundred Best Jokes I've Heard, The Harris Solution to Rubik's Cube, My One Hundred Best Photographs and My First Seventy-Five Years and More. In addition, Luree has written short accounts on various aspects of Chinese culture and behavior and will soon publish these articles in a book entitled; My China Experience.