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Weijian Shan's Out of the Gobi is a powerful memoir and commentary that will be one of the most important books on China of our time, one with the potential to re-shape how Americans view China, and how the Chinese view life in America.

Shan, a former hard laborer who is now one of Asia's best-known financiers, is thoughtful, observant, eloquent, and brutally honest, making him well-positioned to tell the story of a life that is a microcosm of modern China, and of how, improbably, that life became intertwined with America. Out of the Gobi draws a vivid picture of the raw human energy and the will to succeed against all odds.

Shan only finished elementary school when Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution tore his country apart. He was a witness to the brutality and absurdity of Mao’s policies during one of the most tumultuous eras in China’s history. Exiled to the Gobi Desert at age 15 and denied schooling for 10 years, he endured untold hardships without ever giving up his dream for an education. Shan’s improbable journey, from the Gobi to the “People’s Republic of Berkeley” and far beyond, is a uniquely American success story – told with a splash of humor, deep insight and rich and engaging detail.

This powerful and personal perspective on China and America will inform Americans' view of China, humanizing the country, while providing a rare view of America from the prism of a keen foreign observer who lived the American dream.

著名學者及投資人單偉建由文革時期下放戈壁到游走中美的傳奇經歷這是一部回憶錄，也是歷史紀實。它記述了一段跌宕起伏的歷史以及在歷史浪潮和漩渦之中，作者令人難以置信、極其曲折的人生沉浮。他少年失學，陷入人生谷底，飽經饑寒交迫。逆境之中，他沒有沉淪，為了「有朝一日」而不屈不撓，歷經十載。風暴過後，歷史翻轉，他把握際遇，十年苦讀，成為美國頂尖學府教授。至此，作者認為人生才剛剛開始，歷史又要掀開新的篇章，機運還在前面。往者亦可鑒，來者尤可追，是本書的價值所在。

著名學者及投資人單偉建由文化大革命時期下放戈壁到游走中美、由赤腳醫生到常春藤大學教授的傳奇經歷。本書記錄了作者的親歷或耳聞目睹，這些故事折射出的是那個時代的特徵，包括了新中國歷史上最為天翻地覆、跌宕起伏的篇章。

《走出戈壁——我的中美故事》英文版在2019年出版，很快成為暢銷書，英美各大報刊好評如潮。英國《金融時報》將它評為2019年全球十大好書之一，認為給英語世界填補了一個通過個人親身經歷了解中國當代史的空白。

《走出戈壁》中文精装版，不是英文版的直譯，而是單偉建為中文讀者的再創作，增添了中文讀者更能體會和有興趣的內容，文字質樸，細膩，充滿細節和故事性。字裏行間充滿堅忍、樂觀和幽默，既引人入勝，又發人深省。