In Woman from Shanghai, Xianhui Yang, one of China’s most celebrated and controversial writers, gives us a work of fact-based fiction ...
read full description
reviews
Sep 12, 2009
Ellen
rated it: 
Between 1957 and 1960, nearly three thousand Chinese citizens were sent to "reeducation" camps after being labeled as "Rightists" by the Communist party. The camps were located in the northwestern desert area of Gansu, a part of China that seems to figure rarely in Western fiction. These political prisoners endured brutal living conditions similar to the gulags of the Soviet Union - forced work, poor or little food, bad sanitation, primitive quarters and political harangues.
More...
Dec 19, 2009
Pbwritr
rated it: 
A collection of these stories from persons interviewed by the author who survived the hellish years of "re-education" at Jiahianghou labor camp 1957-1961. Three thousand were sent there; only about 500 survived. Nearly all died of starvation. Those sent were deemed "Rightists" by the Communists, even if they'd been devoted to the Party, based on an unwise statement or attitude, etc. Once again, another great book that delves into a time and place that helps reveal things
More...
Feb 20, 2010
Christopher
rated it: 
I'm having a hard time deciding how I feel about this book. It certainly talks candidly about the horror of certain aspects of the labor camp, but it still felt intensely (self?) censored. But probably more frustrating was the fact that this is a collection of short stories- I really wanted to put the experiences in the contact of an entire life.
I think I'd recommend "Brothers" as a better place to get a sense of the Labor Camps' impact on Chinese society and families for most
I think I'd recommend "Brothers" as a better place to get a sense of the Labor Camps' impact on Chinese society and families for most
Oct 28, 2011
Lynette
rated it: 
Truthfully, I only read the preface and first chapter or two. I'm not saying the book is bad, it just wasn't for me. The writing style was just not something I enjoyed following. However, I did learn about how there is a fine line between fiction and fact in some of the Chinese writing due to the lack of freedom of speech.
Nov 06, 2009
Betty
rated it: 
This book helped me learned more about the Chinese Cultural Revolution through each of the survivors' stories. One thing is that the title of this book that contains "Woman from Shanghai..." was very misleading. There was only one story out of the entire book that talked about the woman, and she happened to be the wife of a doctor or engineer that was imprisoned in the Jiashangbou camp, and it was narrated by his fellow imprisoned mate who met her when she came to the site to visit h
More...
Feb 02, 2010
Sara
rated it:
I found the writing very stilted and uninspired. I was initially drawn by the cover and then further intrigued by the description, but just couldn't get past writing which I didn't enjoy.
Feb 01, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
The writing is stark, but that only adds to the power of the stories. Unforgettable.
Feb 12, 2012
Jan 08, 2012
Jan 08, 2012
Dec 22, 2011
Nov 12, 2011
Nov 05, 2011
Oct 16, 2011
Sep 18, 2011
Sep 03, 2011
Aug 23, 2011
Nov 21, 2011
Aug 23, 2011
Jul 26, 2011
Jul 24, 2011
Jul 09, 2011
Jun 08, 2011
