Now and then amongst the donations that pour into the floating book shop comes a gem.
Living China: Modern Chinese Short Stories, published in the USA in 1936, contains more than 20 pieces on life prior to the communist revolution. They are more portraits than stories, compiled and edited by Edgar Snow, an American journalist known for books and articles on Communism in China. According to his bio at Wiki, he was both praised and condemned for his work, and accused of being a mouthpiece for Mao. It is disappointing that he may have been one of the west's "useful idiots," but his contribution to this collection is first rate. I've almost been tempted to study the language, as I'm astounded by the way it is written and baffled as to how anyone can translate it into English. Maybe in my next lifetime. Many of the characters in the book are impoverished. The treatment of women is deplorable. The Reds are increasing in size. Chang Kai Shek heads the conservative movement. The epic struggle is gaining speed. Those elements are mostly background. Humanity is at the forefront. I was particularly impressed by three pieces.
Suicide by Mao Tun, a male, conveys psychological depth in the tale of a young unmarried woman caught having sex, and the unfair derision it brings upon her.
The Conversion by Hsiao Chen (no bio data) is the story of a teenager enthralled by a Salvation Army parade and the organization itself, and the horror of her mother, who knows natives have been killed for converting, and the disgust of her older brother, who despises all things western.
Mutation by Chang T'Ien Yi, whom I believe is male, is existential musing told in flashback. Although it loses its objectivity to leftward bias at the end, it remains powerful. Its focus is a beautiful young woman, a former communist who has married a rich, unattractive man, and her reasons for having done so. Having witnessed yet another abject death, she muses: "...Why is life like this to us, bitter, dangerous, full of pain, always with death very near?" And: "...Given a few years of life, one throws them away for an ideal one will never see..." And: "Back there her individuality would cease to be a reality; she would again become but an atom in a movement that had its absolute in the masses of men..." The stories tilt left. I wonder how the authors viewed the revolution after the fact. Someone should do a reprint that includes an afterword on their thoughts. I also wonder if any survived long enough to see the country's turn toward free market principles and emergence as an economic giant. Although there are four listings of
Living China at Amazon, it is "currently unavailable," its sales rank 18 million+. Curious about its monetary value, I ran a search. Abe Books has three copies listed: $50, $150 & $279. My copy has no jacket and is in only fair condition. The corners I dog-eared broke off. Someone is going to get a great bargain from me. It looks like my review will be the first at Amazon. I will rate it four stars. I would go as high as four-and-a-half were it possible. Here's a pic of the capitalist bull in Shanghai:
RIP Billy Graham, 99, minister to many presidents, respected worldwide. The day after 9/11, his plane was the only one allowed in the air, as President Bush summoned him to the White House. If he were ever embroiled in a scandal, I never heard of it. He was a humble giant.
My thanks to the young woman who purchased a
Webster's Dictionary, to Ira, who bought travel guides on London and Rome; and to the middle aged who, as she always does, overpaid for her selection, this time Ken Follett's 1978 runaway best seller,
Eye of the Needle.
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