Beijing Love Story: An Interview With Hutong Heartthrobs Author Tammy Treichel

Beijing’s bibliography is rife with weighty history tomes, travel books and the grittier side of big city living. But long neglected has been the lovers’ lane, that alleyway promising us our own “Hutong Heartthrob.” 

Such is the title of a new relationship memoir by American/German expat and long-time Beijing resident Tammy Treichel. Born in Washington DC and sporting a PhD on Moby Dick, a chance encounter on the subway with Jackie – a migrant worker gunning to be an actor and hailing from near Xi’an – blossoms into an unexpected but lasting romance. 

It is through their connection, and from both perspectives, that Tammy explores Beijing life, human connection and what belonging means (to a place, a culture, with people). The Beijinger was lucky enough to catch up with Tammy recently to chat with her about Hutong Hearthrobs.

The old canard goes that after a year in China everybody is ready to write their “China book,” but after five they understand less than ever. So after a decade or more in China, what spurred you to write about your experiences now? And why through the lens of romance?
Actually, writing has always been in my blood (I had a morbid fascination with Grimm’s Fairy Tales as a child. It was the first book I ever started reading, and I was always scribbling down short stories, poems, and short plays well into adulthood). Upon coming to China over a decade ago, I already had the goal of writing a book about my experiences and kept a diary. However, I thought my personal story and experiences in China were not enough to make an engaging, publishable book. But when Jackie appeared on my life stage, that all changed. I knew right then and there that I had found my perfect angle. I would write about my experiences in China in tandem with Jackie, using our shared experiences and romance. When I did some research, I couldn’t find any directly competitive titles to my story idea, and the rest was publishing history.
 
Following on from that, how has your understanding of China and your own sense of your place here evolved? (In particular, your relationship to the city of Beijing.) 
Life in China is definitely not a “cakewalk,” and after the proverbial six-month “honeymoon phase” in China is over for you as an expat, you start seeing Beijing through “cold, clear eyes” (quoting a fellow American expat). There are definitely moments of disengagement and disenchantment (e.g., during Covid times) but upon returning to the U.S. for a visit after a long hiatus this year, I realized that American life has lost a lot of its luster for me. It is comparatively boring and inflation is high; public transportation in and between major cities is also still not that well developed, which can be quite a headache. The fresh, clean air, in the U.S., however, remains something I continue to long for. 

As a dual American-German citizen, I never completely “belonged” either in the U.S. or in Germany anyway, and I am saying this without any sadness or bitterness – it’s just a fact. Actually, I had some fun playing with my two identities. In China, I feel free to create and recreate myself as a laowai (foreigner), a feeling that I also address in Hutong Heartthrobs. It is actually quite liberating. I feel like I have “fully landed” in China after searching for myself after two to three decades.

Now that the book is out you’ve been taking it out to various events around Beijing. What has been the general reaction of other expats and locals?
The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, I am happy to report. People in the U.S. mostly buy my book because they are curious about the “expat experience” in China, it seems, whereas in China, people have had various reasons for buying my book. Some like romance and non-fiction, whereas one Chinese man was attracted by the title Hutong Heartthrobs as he himself is a hutong dweller, and he said he felt moved that a “foreigner” also appreciates hutong houses. Yet another young Chinese man in Beijing was on a blind date when he bought a copy of my book at an event; I trust it was an impulse buy. Perhaps he was hopeful about his romantic future?
 
I feel a lot of the stigma around the romance genre has lifted in recent years. How did you conceive of your audience? Have you been surprised by the actual readership?
Yes, interestingly, romance has become a more or less respectable, potentially lucrative genre over the years (think of Harlequin romances, Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel, David Nicholls, Nicholas Sparks...). Why it was looked down upon in the first place is beyond me. After all, some of the greatest pieces of literature have actually been love stories (Petrarch’s sonnets, the Cavalier poets, Shakespeare’s plays, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, etc.). 

To me, looking down on the romance genre has always been a non-sequitur. Still, some romance writers have unfairly paid the price. Erich Segal, who happens to be one of my favorite writers, comes to mind. He was ostracized by the academic community in the 1970s after publishing his “low brow” but very successful novel Love Story. Ironically, Love Story is what people remember Segal for today, not his research on Plautus (he taught Classics at Ivy League universities). Go figure –  “love” is a universal theme that perennially appeals to readers. You can’t argue with that. 

Strictly speaking, Hutong Heartthrobs is classified as an “autobiography (memoir)/biography” (the latter Jackie’s), but it’s definitely a love story between two people from very different backgrounds and cultures. You are supposed to write with a “target reader” in mind, and my target readership was initially young women in their 20s and 30s. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how positively both women and men from different countries have responded positively to the book. You never know who will pick up and appreciate your work, and I would say that is the greatest reward of being an author.
 
Of course, there are also a lot of thorny issues around interracial relationships, educational and economic disparities, cultural misunderstandings and the like. Also how historically uncommon WWAM (Western Woman, Asian Man) partnerships have been. How has your relationship flourished despite (or because) of these challenges? Any advice? 
That is a very good question. I think Jackie and I thrive on challenges, so these differences in our backgrounds have been an incredible stimulus not to lead sleepy, complacent lives and to make the best of ourselves and our relationship. Indeed, some people thrive on challenges and others wilt. Sometimes, I wish I had fewer challenges, but I know if that were the case, my life wouldn’t be quite as colorful and I would have a lot less to write about. 

Advice: Stay true to yourself always and stay focused on your goal(s). Keep an open mind. For those who are single and looking for human connection: Take public transport and go to a lot of events where you can meet people in a “natural setting.” (Disclaimer: I am not a dating coach! But I do think meeting people in a natural setting is a lot better than going on so-called “computer dates” like Harold’s mom put it in the movie Harold and Maude. Lots of shady characters in cyberspace and on dating websites, from what I’ve heard) 
 
In some ways, we are more divided than ever (as nations, along gender divisions). In other ways, humanity has made great strides. Your book can be read as a microcosm of bridging those divides through love. Are you hopeful for the future?
I try, I try. Ultimately, this book is about building bridges and reaching across the aisle, and that is one reason I stay away from discussing anything political in Hutong Heartthrobs. 

I try to convey hope and optimism, and not despair, in my book, but I do have my dark, private moments of doubt, especially after reading the news headlines every day. You need to keep going, no matter what. If you can make your reader feel a little bit better about this world, a little warmer, and [help them] sleep a bit more peacefully after reading several pages of your book at night, then I think my mission is accomplished. We all thrive on hope – it’s what keeps us going, isn’t it?

I witnessed firsthand how supportive Jackie (your partner) has been. Standing by your side at a recent Gulou Factory event and gently reminding you to finish signing your book for me. Of course, he is the other half of this story, and you took a lot of care to include his perspective. Can you tell me more about Jackie’s involvement and his thoughts on this project?
Jackie has been very supportive of this book project from the outset. If it weren’t for him, there would be no Hutong Heartthrobs. I interviewed him in Chinese for this book. He dictated his answers to me, sometimes using his handwritten notes, and I typed at the computer and then translated them into English. I had a Chinese native speaker with high English proficiency check to see whether my translation and understanding were correct. Then I incorporated Jackie’s story into mine. You can read more about his background in Chapter 3. As a critic has rightly pointed out, Jackie’s backstory contributes to the rather intriguing “semi-chronological” narrative flow in my book.
 
Your own parents dated across cultures and you grew up between countries. Can you speak to the influence of your parents and what family means to you, navigating multiple identities?
Well, my family on both sides (mother/father) have been quite “mobile,” I would say. That helped open their minds to different possibilities and people of different cultures, which is a great blessing. I remember my aunt in Germany not too long ago remarking proudly that we are now a “global family” (her son had married someone from South Africa).

I loved the idea of the “global family” so much that I dedicated Hutong Heartthrobs in part to her, but also to my German uncle, who initiated and was engaged in exchanges between Soviet and German psychiatrists during the Cold War, when this was still an avant-garde thing to do. I am really proud of him. Ultimately, however, home is where the heart is, and you can plant your heart and let it take root wherever you wish. Nowadays, geographically speaking, the possibilities are almost endless.
 
You told me you were originally working with a Chinese publisher but ended up going with Earnshaw Books. What was the publishing process like and are there still plans for a Chinese edition? 
Yes. I was fortunate to be referred to Earnshaw Books, a reputable publisher specializing in English-language books about East Asia and based in Hong Kong. It turned out we had the same vision for my manuscript and shared similar values, which is so important when you are working together on a large project.

The publishing process will look very different depending on whether you sign with a large publishing house, a smaller, independent one (as I did), or self-publish. I loved working with Earnshaw Books because of their dedicated and enthusiastic team of professionals and our close communication. Currently, I am on the lookout for the right Chinese publisher to produce a Chinese-language version for the Chinese mainland as there has been a lot of interest among locals in a potential Chinese edition.

What are you working on now? Any more books in the pipeline? And what’s next for you, Jackie and the cats?  
I am currently working on my next book, a romance novel. Well, it’s actually more chick-lit, I suppose, because of the comedic and soap operatic elements. The target reader is older, s/he is in her late 30s or 40s, but again, you might never know who would read it, so maybe it could also turn out to appeal to male readers and become “lad lit.” It also has to do with China, as that’s my current beat, but that’s all I’ll reveal for now... 

Jackie and I love living in our current hutong house and hope to stay with our three cats as long as possible. The house lizards, meanwhile, have moved on next door because they are scared of the cats, sigh...but we do see occasional weasels in the neighborhood. I think that bodes well for the future; after all, weasels are versatile, adaptable creatures. 

Be like the weasel, my friend.

Hutong Heartthrobs is available now in paperback and as an ebook from Earnshaw Books https://earnshawbooks.com/product/hutong-heartthrobs/

READ: Modernista Celebrates Thirteen Years in Beijing

Images courtesy of Tammy Treichel