Colours of the Mountain - Hardcover

Chen, Da

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0434009601 ISBN 13: 9780434009602

Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd, 1999

Synopsis

Da Chen was born in 1962, in a town over 50 hours' train journey from Beijing. Here, he draws a vivid picture of his childhood, boyhood friendships, the beauty of the Chinese countryside and the madness of the cultural revolution.

About this title

Review:

Chinese-born Da Chen is a graduate from Columbia University's School of Law and now lives in New York. This unremarkable fact conceals an indictment of contemporary Chinese society and its repressive censorship of free speech. China is haemorrhaging talented young people, and the recent spate of memoirs by thirtysomething Chinese emigrants describing their childhood years testifies to this sad state of affairs. But this memoir is different in that it is profoundly uplifting, and Da's joyful sense of optimism provides its impetus. Da was born into a neglected farming community in southern China where his family were seen as pariahs. According to the crippling dicates of "political mumbojumbo" Da's siblings were denied a secondary education because his parents were deemed to have had too many children. But despite bullying teachers Da achieved his modest goal. The reader, entranced by his warm personality, cheers him through his arduous revision as he studies by oil-lamp and the gut- wrenching tension of his final exams. It must be remembered that while Western youths were cavorting in discos Da's barefoot older brother was ploughing the family's fields. This is a simple and moving tale for dedicated Sinophiles keen for a vivid portrayal of recent history as lived in a rural community. --Lilian Pizzichini

Book Description:

A unique modern memoir of growing up in rural China in the '60s and '70s, Colours of the Mountain is a powerful and moving story of supreme determination and extraordinary faith against the most impossible odds.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0434009601
• ISBN 13: 9780434009602
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336