Critical Book Review on Red China Blues - Essay Example

number] Red China Blues: A Critical Book Review Published in 1997, the Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now is a must-read book for anyone who wishes to have a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, the government and its policies. It is an account of Jan Wong’s own struggle in understanding her ancestry and a commentary to changing societal, political and economic climate in China. Deeply affected by the shootings at Kent State University, Jan Wong had decided that the Western society was corrupt and was oppressive to women. She thought that Communism, particularly Maoism, was the answer to the society’s ills. She decided to move to China to study and renew her ties with her native land. This was in 1976 – the height of Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Leaving behind rock and roll, the Western society she described as “a hopeless mess of racism, exploitation and shopping malls” (Wong 6) she eagerly welcomed a new life in China. It was her chance to be re-educated, to cleanse herself of her bourgeois attitudes. She was ecstatic at working in the paddy fields, believing in “Mao’s dictum that physical labor was good for the soul” (Wong 23). But reality soon set in, and Wong realized that much of what she endured in her 6-year stay were but lies and propaganda. In this book, Wong writes with irony so that it allows the reader to understand what she felt in her early years in China and, what she feels now. All throughout the book, she discusses what is happening to the government and the Chinese at the time. Her descriptions of the country were excellent, her coverage of the Tiananmen massacre, surreal. She was a true believer of Mao’s endless class struggle, and in a deeply captivating narrative, she tells how the horrors proliferated by the Party has led her to the realization that the worker’s paradise is not real. Through the book, Wong attempts to share to the Western world what life is like in China, and why it is important to know the country’s unique history. In the latter part of the book, she talks about where she thinks China is going and theorizes how the new middle class may finally bring peace and prosperity to China. She sees the single-children phenomenon can bring about a new revolution because for the first time, these generations of Chinese are growing up more interested in themselves than their familial duty. Once called the Sleeping Giant, China has finally woken up to become a world leader. It has the biggest economy in the world, and is considered as one of the top-producing countries today. China’s long history of trade has served it well, allowing the smallest businesses to compete in global commerce. Yet, despite its success, there are very few resources for the layman recounting the story of China in modernity. Red China Blues presents a chock full of history essential for any student wishing to know how China has become the superpower that it is today. Note, however, that Red China Blues is not a history book. It is a memoir which is more than 20 years old. Despite its graphic description of many of Chinese life during the Cultural Revolution, there is no guarantee that the claims made by the author were truly authentic. Wong’s accounts of how Mao played off Deng Xiaoping against the Gang of Four cannot be corroborated, especially since the Chinese will never release sensitive government documents that could backup this claim. Moreover, her claims that Jiang Qing, Mao’s wife believed that university students should not be allowed to become an intelligentsia may be supported only by circumstantial evidence.. Moreover, Jan Wong’s credibility has been repeatedly questioned in Canada so her narratives should be approached with caution. When reading the book, it is important to keep in mind that much of this narrative is written in the point of view of someone who remembered the events but did not understand exactly what was happening at the time. Much of what Wong wrote about her life in the university has been distilled over the years, and was reviewed by someone who has changed her values. She called herself a “naïve” (Wong 12) youngster who believed in harmony and perfection from the new ideology that is Maoism. Living in comfort in Montreal, Wong had the luxury to think of a better world, and this new world proposed by Mao held her enthralled. She longed to be a part of that Revolution – one that had its roots in changing attitudes and cultures of the people. Over the years, she has realized how Mao’s principles have been abused and how it was manipulated to control the people. She witnessed the death and violence required to sustain the totalitarian regime. The “people’s paradise” that she dreamt of in her younger years have declined so much that the Cultural Revolution has become, for her, no more than a package of lies that people would agree to pretend to believe. She has become suspicious of dogma, and it is with this lens that she reviews her past and China’s transgressions against its people. It is possible that her interpretation of the events have changed because the lens she used to view them has changed. Her work has provided scholars an insight to China’s hidden past, but it is important to remember that her work is but a chronicle of her own experiences. It is by no means objective, and should not be used to gauge the Chinese government’s success or failure. It should not also be used to determine the next steps, which should be taken by the Chinese in their road to development. It is important to understand that her interpretations of the Chinese society and how it has changed is rooted in her own experience. Someone else who may have been in China at the time of the Revolution may have a different interpretation of the events. Her interviews provided “meat” to her narrative, but again, they have to be approached with caution, especially since these people were dissidents already – they really had a different view of the Revolution and its aftermath. Discussing in-depth some of the societal issues by the Chinese society – women being sold to marriage, the imprisonment of dissidents, and control of information – Wong has ventured into unchartered territory. The excellence of her story has revealed hidden dimensions of the world’s most populous nation. It may have awakened the world with its provocative words, but it will never wake up the Chinese. Since its publication, Wong’s work was never released in China - it was banned by the government for inciting rebellion. But such action should not be read as a confirmation to Wong’s claims. Chinese leaders control any information that could harm the government, and its decision not to allow Wong’s in China is no longer a surprise. If there’s anything on the book which will leave an indelible mark on the reader, it will be Wong’s account of the Tiananmen massacre and its aftermath. Before this book, knowledge of the event was centralized on the iconic footage of a lone man facing down an army of tanks. But Wong’s story showed that there really is no other word to describe what happened except for the word “massacre”. Standing on a balcony above Tiananmen Square, she described in detail how the People’s Army, those mandated by Mao to uphold the rights of the people open fired, leaving thousands of Chinese, most of them students, dead. Many were shot in the back as they tried to flee from the wrath of the People’s Army, while others were crushed to death by the tanks. Many of these protesters, according to Wong, did not expect such rally to end in violence. Some of those who died were merely voicing out their dismay of the government, others just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many may have died that night, but the carnage was far from over. Student leaders were arrested and executed. Government leaders sympathetic to the cause were placed on house arrest. Dissidents who heard about the crackdown escaped overseas. The Tiananmen Massacre was the final turning point in Jan Wong’s life. It opened her eyes to the harsh reality of totalitarianism. At this point, Wong has finally realized that communism has become decadent, and Deng’s quest for economic liberalization meant a transition to the Western fashion that Mao tried to prevent. There was widespread condemnation of the government’s hand in the massacre, but international organizations, particularly the United Nations, failed to bring the justice to those who deliberated the killings. People in the West have very vague knowledge of what truly occurred at the Tiananmen Square, even less so are their understanding of its implications. The opposition at Tiananmen took several weeks in the making, and as the protesters prolonged their rally, the more Chinese were inclined to openly oppose the government. Demonstrations were sprouting throughout China, it was spreading not only in the cities but also in the countryside. The government had to stop it, and they found no other way to do it but through violence. For Wong, this was not the kind of revolution that Mao wanted, and perhaps she was right. A thorough study of Mao’s teachings will reveal that the Chinese Communist Party has forgotten its roots. Even Mao’s centenary which was supposedly a commemorative event for his achievements, was perverted. In Wong’s words, “I watched a parade of Mao’s old enemies totter on stage. They had come not to praise Mao but to bury him in the dust heap of history…As Communist Party Chief Jiang Zemin droned on and on, I suddenly realized he was no longer talking about Mao. He was praising Deng. Our Great Architect…the true successor of Mao Zedong Thought. The final indignity came when he called on people to study Deng’s Selected Works” (Wong 394-395). China, one of the oldest countries in the world is wrapped in secrecy and mystery. It has seen the rise and fall of leaders periodically. It has seen the dispersion, consolidation and centralization of power over and over. Those called emperors emerged again, but this time they are now called Communists. The names have changed, but the cycle is still the same. Jan Wong’s work is an engaging memoir and a solid reminder of this cyle. It is a must-read, but caution should be applied in its reading. After all, it is a memoir, and should be regarded as a subjective piece of writing. Its claims must first be reviewed using historical accounts; nevertheless, it is well worth the time to read and contemplate. Works Cited Wong, Jan. Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now. New York: Random House, 1996. Print. Read More