Forbidden Game: Golf and the Chinese Dream Paperback – July 15, 2014

It really gives you insight into how business operates in China. Having done some business in China how true many of the points made in the book. Law is there but only superficially. Government whether locally or nationally is always involved. Lots of drinking and entertainment involved and without connection nothing is done. Some claim to have connection but finding the right person is difficult to find. Some are there just to have drinks and being entertained. Nerve racking to do business in China but when one finds the way, returns are high.

Golf and the Chinese Dream is that rare combination of non-fiction that provides journalistic detailed account of China's society and illustrates it with real life heroes larger than golf. This is a book about golf, of course, but also about Chinese society and people, as they are tossed around by historical developments and break neck economic growth. I particularly enjoyed the author's easy flowing writing style and his humble approach to character depiction. There is no judgement or mockery of the country bumpkin who dreams of becoming a golfing professional, of the clueless American as he gets bullied to tears on his first golf construction assignment in Asia, or of the bricklayer rickshaw driver as he gets kicked out of his farmland. A sublte observer who seems to care deeply about his characters.

Overall a very good read. The chinese politics are highlighted well and described as best as possible.

I really enjoyed how the author uses golf as a lens that brings focus to many cultural, sociological, and political challenges facing modern day China. I have had the opportunity to do business in China and also to play golf in Kunming and I believe he is pretty spot on. There is so much more to China than meets the eye. It is a complex world and this will provide great insight into the challenges that a society with 1.3 billion people faces on many levels.

Speaking as someone with 20+ years on-the-ground China business experience, and as co-founder of the Gary Player Invitational in Shanghai, I can say with some authority that Dan Washburn's book is spot on. In it he recounts the tale of three unique individuals, caught up in the whirlwind of China's golf industry, with candor and empathy, having lived it with them. The story provides readers with a deep appreciation for the many contradictions and challenges facing real people at all levels of society in modern China. Honestly, I've never seen Dan hit a golf ball, but his book is a 350 yard drive.

I felt as if I were listening to Washburn's characters tell a gritty, personal tale of their struggles to play on, build, or live an ordinary life next to previously unimaginable places in modern China-----golf courses.No golfer, particularly one who has never visited today's China, will fail to be captivated by this detailed narrative.

The book is ostensibly about golf, but what it really explores is China and the lives of the individuals making their way there. As a long term China-resident I found the story to be captivating and one of the best looks at the reality of post-reform PRC. This is not just a book for golfers; it is a book for anyone with an interest in the region and a highly entertaining read.

accurate and well written , Dan understands his situations in Thailand and China and writes to the pointwith great understanding of cultural differences and exhibits solid technical knowledge of golf course construction.a fun book to play on audio , be sure to hit pause when he makes you chuckle at your own infirmities !

This book reveals more about the curious nature of modern China than the game of Golf. It is a fascinating insight into how the country is developing from (very recent) desperate poverty to becoming a more modern country. But in China, few things are as straightforward as they might seem.

Fantastic book, deep insight into the lives of different people associated with the golfing industry in China. You don't need to love golf to enjoy reading this book, as it covers a range of topics such as the development of China, inequalities and what buisness is like in the Middle Kingdom.

This book is much deeper than the title may imply. A lovely read that takes the reader on a journey through the rise of golf and its effect on three incredible real life characters. Thoroughly recommend!

Great read

Excellent .. Good read