Peter Hessler is an American writer and journalist, who has written three award-winning non-fiction books on China—River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (2001), Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present (2006), and Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory (2010). The books make up a trilogy, focusing primarily on the experience of the average Chinese—the farmers, migrants, factory workers and small entrepreneurs who have been most responsible for the nation's rise.

Photo credit: Darryl Kennedy