|
Book Review: Return to the Middle Kingdom by Yuan-Tsung
Chen
I have always considered myself reasonably well read and
reasonably well versed in modern history. As soon as I started
to read Return To The Middle Kingdom, I realized just how
little I really knew about the birth of modern
China.
We all have seen pictures of the remnants of the great
Dynasties that ruled for thousands of years, the magnificent
wall that was erected to keep their enemies out, the fabulous
terracotta armies to protect the dead, and the priceless
ornaments and works of art.
We also think we know a little about today's China, we have all
seen the National Geographic style photos of downtrodden
workers wearing drab unisex outfits and peddling their rattley
bicycles through the smog laden cities. Having never been to
China I cannot comment on whether this is the way it is, or the
way it is portrayed by western eyes, though one thing is clear,
China has a less than stellar reputation in the areas of free
speech and human rights.
The question is, How did this Country move from one system to
another? Author Yuan-Tsung Chen has taken a very unique
approach, her book covers three generations of the Chen family,
and this was three generations that each in their own way
helped forge the country and the politics. By following the
Chen's the veil is lifted.
Most of us in the west have heard the names Mao Zedong, Chaing
Kaishek, and Zhou Enlai, but how many can explain the delicate,
and on occasion not so delicate interplay between them? Who
were these men, and what drove them?
Author Yuan-Tsung Chen explores almost 150 years of tumult, her
story begins with the Birth of Ah Chen, roughly translated
Grandfather Chen in 1830, a peasant farmer, carpenter, and even
on occasions barber, who became involved in the abortive
Taiping rebellion. This resulted in him becoming an indentured
laborer in order to make his hasty escape to Trinidad. As
famous as the following two generations he may not be, but it
is clear where the revolutionary gene comes from.
His son Eugene Chen became the first Chinese lawyer in
Trinidad, and although he became very successful the call of
his mother country was too strong, and in 1912 he journeyed to
Peking and into the murky waters of politics he went. Eugene
Chen's story is worthy of a book by itself, and indeed there is
at least one. Eugene rose to the lofty position of Foreign
Minister in Sun Yatsen's Kuomintang party and was a key figure
in trying to broker peace between both the internal and
external interested parties. In many ways China was in the
midst of a civil war, and at the same time its sovereignty was
being threatened by Europe on one front, Japan on another, and
Russia on the third. Interestingly enough it was Russia that
Eugene turned to for support, yet Eugene was far from enamored
with the Russian style of communism feeling that it could not
be made to work within the social structure of China.
The third generation of the Chen family is Jack, and it is Jack
that was the reason for Yuan-Tsung Chen to write this book. She
was his wife from 1958 until his death in 1995. Jack too was
political animal, and a highly successful one until Mao's
Cultural Revolution, a decade of intellectual purges
(1966-1975). Even with friends in high places, and a sometime
acquaintance with Mao himself the couple found themselves
staring down the gun barrel of the feared Red Guards.
Interrogated, humiliated, and finally exiled, political life in
China at least, was at an end for the Chen family.
This is an incredibly well researched and well written book.
Part biography, part history book, Return To The Middle Kingdom
sheds much light on a fascinating period of history. It also
explores everyday life, and lifestyles, something that few
straight history books do. The family sacrifices that all three
generations made for their country are almost unbelievable.
This book also gave me an understanding of maybe why China is
such an insular society today, and that reason has its roots in
the 1800's Opium War, China was being turned into another
India, a plaything for the Europeans to rape and pillage.
I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone that has an
interest in modern history. I will warn you though, this book
has so much detail within its 400 pages that it will take you a
while to read. As a reviewer I usually budget 3 days for a book
this size, it took three times that to read it! My wife was
beginning to think I had forgotten how to read.
You can order your copy from Amazon or through Yuan-Tsung
Chen's web site.
by Simon Barrett - 1st September 2008
Back
to Top
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With
the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is
also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net
and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com
Article Source:
http://www.creativewriter.me.uk
| 
BlinkList
Digg
Delicious
Facebook
Fark
Furl
Google Bookmarks
Livejournal
Ma.gnolia
Netvouz
Newsvine
Reddit
Spurl
Stumbleupon
Wists
Yahoo My Web
