Marian Cannon Schlesinger and Zhao Wuping, translator of her book San Bao and His Adventures in Peking, at Harvard University in October. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Cui has been living in Beijing for more than four decades, and he gets a sense of deja vu when reading the book, he says. His grandfather was born in the same year as Schlesinger, and his father was born one year after the book was first published.

"The old Beijing has left us like the setting sun, but I can see the shadows of my father and grandfather in this book," Cui says.

Cui thinks the book actually explores cultural exchanges.

"Schlesinger's view of Beijing is different from that of local people who might not find many things unusual the way she does," he says. "The value of culture is reflected in such experiences."

Wu Yue contributed to the story.