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Sky Burial

by Xinran, Julia Lovell (Translator), Esther Tyldesley (Translator)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 1,888 ratings · 396 reviews

Inspired by a brief 1994 interview with an aged Chinese woman named Shu Wen, Beijing-born, London-based journalist Xinran (The Good Women of China) offers a delicately wrought account of Wen's 30-year search for her husband in Tibet, where he disappeared in 1958. After less than 100 days of marriage, Wen's husband, Kejun, a doctor in the People's Liberation Army, is posted...more

Paperback, 161 pages

Published 2005 by Vintage (first published January 1st 2004)

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Apr 23, 2012 Sylvia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

A beautiful story, beautifully written, and beautifully translated. Rasanya membaca buku ini membawa kita ke alam pegunungan Tibet, serta ikut merasakan kedinginan, kepanasan, dan berbagai musim di sana.

Ketika lembaran terakhir buku ini ditutup, cuma bisa menarik nafas dan mikir: "Kok bisa sih dia nulis cerita sebagus ini?" jadi pengen baca versi english nya, mungkinkah ceritanya akan lebih bagus? Tapi penerjemahannya sangat indah kok, sama sekali tidak mengecewakan.

Anyway, kisah ini dimulai de...more A beautiful story, beautifully written, and beautifully translated. Rasanya membaca buku ini membawa kita ke alam pegunungan Tibet, serta ikut merasakan kedinginan, kepanasan, dan berbagai musim di sana.

Ketika lembaran terakhir buku ini ditutup, cuma bisa menarik nafas dan mikir: "Kok bisa sih dia nulis cerita sebagus ini?" jadi pengen baca versi english nya, mungkinkah ceritanya akan lebih bagus? Tapi penerjemahannya sangat indah kok, sama sekali tidak mengecewakan.

Anyway, kisah ini dimulai dengan keinginan yang kuat dari Shu Wen untuk mencari suaminya yang baru beberapa minggu menikah dengannya. Kejun, sang suami yang berprofesi sebagai dokter, dikirim ke Tibet untuk membantu tentara pembebasan rakyat yang sedang bertempur. Sebagai warga yang baik tentu saja Kejun menerima penugasan itu.

Tapi kemudian Wen menerima kabar bahwa suaminya meninggal, dan tak ada informasi lain mengenai kematiannya, penyebabnya, dan dimana jasadnya. Wen pun bertekad mencari suaminya ke Tibet. Dengan profesinya sebagai dokter, mudah baginya untuk bisa pergi ke sana dengan pertimbangan keahliannya bisa membantu tentara yang terkena penyakit ketinggian.

Tapi ketika sampai di Tibet, Wen justru terpisah dari kesatuannya, dan berkelana dengan teman barunya. Di sini sempet mikir, kok bisa kesatuannya nggak nyariin dia? Secara dia kan perempuan, masa dibiarkan aja berkeliaran tanpa pengawalan? Apa separah itu keadaan di sana, sehingga menghilang sedikit dianggap mati dan tak perlu dicari?

Anyway, 'petualangan' Wen dalam mencari kekasih sejatinya tidak terhenti setahun-dua tahun, namun berlanjut hingga puluhan tahun. Karena tak mengerti bahasa lokal dan tak mengerti juga daerah yang dilaluinya, Wen jadi harus hidup selama bertahun-tahun dengan sebuah keluarga Nomadik. Di sini diceritakan bagaimana keluarga tersebut hidup tanpa bantuan dari tetangga (secara nomaden gt loh, mana sempet punya tetangga), gimana mereka menjalani praktek poliandri (Ha! ada juga ternyata kan perempuan yang punya suami banyak?), dan kehidupan religius mereka.

Survey yang dilakukan penulis sepertinya sangat mendalam mengenai orang Tibet, sehingga tanpa terasa sudah separo halaman lebih dan Kejun belum ketemu namun bacaan masih terasa asik. Akhirnya misteri kematian Kejun pun terjawab di bab-bab terakhir, dan sumpe deeh terharu banget bacanyaaa. Wen harus cukup puas melampiaskan kerinduan pada sang suami lewat diary Kejun. Dan mengetahui kisah akhirnya dari seorang pertapa tua. Disini baru dijelasin dengan detil tuh apa sih maksudnya pemakaman langit? Yang ternyata memang pemakaman tanpa dikubur yang melibatkan adegan sadis dari burung-burung pemakan bangkai.

Yang sempat bikin penasaran sebenernya justru kisah Zhuoma dan Tiananmen. Sepanjang akhir cerita setelah mereka bertemu Tiananmen, sebenernya ngarep kalo mereka akan nekad melanggar aturan dan kawin lari or something. Tapi ternyata mereka benar-benar religius dan tidak ada dalam benak mereka untuk melakukan hal yang dilarang agama. Luar biasa!

Thanks to Ncing yang udah minjemin buku ini. Kalo gak harus dibalikin pasti udah gw keep ;)(less)

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May 11, 2009 Harun Harahap rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: punya, fiksi, terjemahan

buku yang dah lama gw incerrrrrrrr..karena banyak direkomendasikan orang n rata2 reviewnya bagus..n akhirnya dipinjemin Farah..thanx ya far..*hugging tightly*

pas gw baca..gw ga kecewa..mang bagus banged ceritanya..

mengisahkan seorang penduduk Cina, Shu Wen, yang juga seorang dokter militer yang mencari Sang Suami, Kenju yang berprofesi sama dengan Wen, ke Tibet..dimana dia diberitakan telah tewas..

Di Tibet, dia bertemu dengan Zhuoma, perempuan Tibet yang bisa berbahasa Cina..karena sering mengun...more

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Nov 14, 2008 Endah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dahulu kala, di Tibet ada sebuah tradisi pemakaman yang sangat sakral. Orang-orang di sana menyebutnya pemakaman langit. Ritualnya dimulai dengan memandikan jenazah, kemudian mencukur habis seluruh rambut dan bulu di sekujur tubuh sampai bersih. Setelah dibalut kain putih, jenazah diletakkan dalam posisi duduk dengan kepala menunduk di atas lutut. Pada hari yang dianggap baik, jenazah digotong ke altar yang sudah disiapkan. Para lama dan orang-orang suci diundang untuk membacakan naskah-naskah s...more Dahulu kala, di Tibet ada sebuah tradisi pemakaman yang sangat sakral. Orang-orang di sana menyebutnya pemakaman langit. Ritualnya dimulai dengan memandikan jenazah, kemudian mencukur habis seluruh rambut dan bulu di sekujur tubuh sampai bersih. Setelah dibalut kain putih, jenazah diletakkan dalam posisi duduk dengan kepala menunduk di atas lutut. Pada hari yang dianggap baik, jenazah digotong ke altar yang sudah disiapkan. Para lama dan orang-orang suci diundang untuk membacakan naskah-naskah suci sebagai upaya pembebasan dosa bagi roh si mati.

Upacara ini biasanya dipimpin oleh seorang yang disebut “guru” pemakaman langit. Pada hari itu ia akan meniup terompet dari tanduk, menyulut api murbei untuk mengundang kawanan burung nasar, memotong-motong jenazah, serta meremukkan tulang belulangnya dengan ketentuan yang sudah ditetapkan. Semua harus dilakukan dengan benar, sebab jika salah mereka percaya iblis-iblis akan datang merebut arwah si mati. Supaya seluruh jasad si mati habis dimangsa burung-burung nasar itu berikut tulang-tulangnya, dipakailah mentega yak sebagai pencampurnya. Agaknya kandungan zat dalam mentega yak ini disukai burung-burung bangkai tersebut.

Begitulah, tradisi tersebut bisa jadi masih berlangsung hingga kini di Negeri Atap Langit itu.

Kira-kira setengah abad yang lampau, terjadi sebuah peristiwa yang berhubungan dengan tradisi pemakaman langit ini. Sang jenazah adalah seorang dokter warga negara Cina yang mati dalam misi pembebasan rakyat di Tibet. Kejun, demikian nama dokter itu, baru saja menikahi Shu Wen sebelum berangkat ke Tibet.Pasangan pengantin baru itu terpaksa berpisah demi tugas negara.

Hanya tak kurang dari seratus hari kemudian, Shu Wen menerima sepucuk surat dari Dinas Militer Suzhou yang memeberitahukan, bahwa Kejun telah tewas dalam sebuah insiden di Tibet bagian Timur. Kabar tersebut sangat mengagetkan Shu Wen. Ia tak percaya suaminya yang tangguh dan senantiasa memancarkan gairah hidup itu telah meninggalkan dia selamanya. Lagi pula seorang dokter tentara tak akan terjun langsung ke arena pertempuran. Insiden apakah yang telah menyebabkan suaminya tercinta menemui ajal? Staf dinas militer yang seharusnya bertanggungjawab tak dapat memberikan keterangan memuaskan.

Aku tak bisa meninggalkannya sendirian di Tibet, demikian Wen bergumam sedih dalam hati untuk sang suami tercinta yang tak jelas nasibnya. Maka, berbekal rasa cintanya, Wen bertekad menemukan sendiri sang kekasih hati di Tibet yang ganas dan “primitif” itu. Wen sungguh tak mengira ini akan jadi perjalanan paling panjang yang menghabiskan separuh sisa umurnya.

Kisah pencarian Wen inilah yang dituturkan Xinran, penulis Cina yang sebelumnya bekerja sebagai wartawan dan penyiar radio di Nanjing dan sejak 1997mukim di London menekuni karier sebagai penulis. Pada 1994, Xinran bertemu Shu Wen yang baru kembali dari Tibet. Kepada Xinran, Wen membagi ceritanya. Untuk lebih menyelami dan menghayati perjalanan Shu Wen, setahun kemudian (1995), Xinran melakukan napak tilas, mengikuti “jalur” Wen. Sepuluh tahun berikutnya, terbitlah novel ini.

Hidup di tengah-tengah daerah dan orang-orang asing yang sama sekali berbeda kepercayaan, budaya, dan kebiasaannya, pastilah membutuhkan kekuatan dan keberanian tersendiri. Apa lagi buat seorang perempuan kota seperti Wen yang telah terbiasa hidup enak dan berkecukupan. Di Tibet, Wen harus beradaptasi dengan lingkungan dan orang-orangnya yang menakjubkan. Mereka hidup secara nomadik, berpindah-pindah tempat mengandalkan naluri, pergantian musim, serta tradisi leluhur. “Pada musim semi pergilah ke ladang-ladang rumput di tepi air; pada musim panas ke pegunungan; pada musim gugur pergilah ke padang-padang rumput di lereng tinggi; pada musim dingin ke dataran-dataran rendah di mana banyak tempat bernaung” (hlm 133)

Membaca novel “sederhana” ini, saya nyaris tidak percaya pada apa yang telah dialami dan dilakukan Wen demi sebuah keyakinan dan cinta. Bukan keganasan dan keliaran alam Tibet beserta tradisi penduduknya yang memukau saya benar, tetapi kekerasan tekad seorang perempuan yang membawa sekeping cinta di hatinya hingga mampu menaklukkan segala rintangan itulah yang memesona saya. Seperti Xinran, saya pun tergetar oleh kisah cinta Wen ini. Tanpa gembar-gembor, Wen telah membuktikan bahwa kekuatan cinta itu ada dan sangatlah besar. Tadinya saya kira hanya kasih seorang ibu terhadap anaknyalah yang sanggup melakukan apa yang telah diperbuat Wen.

Agaknya benar apa yang pernah ditulis Gibran dalam salah satu puisinya: “Ketika cinta memanggilmu, ikutlah dengannya, meskipun jalan yang harus kautempuh keras dan terjal.”

(less)

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Mar 17, 2012 Mery rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: punya, gift

Sudah lama sepertinya aku tak menemukan buku yang mampu membuatku tak berhenti membacanya, membuatku tak mampu untuk tak tenggelam dalam kalimat-kalimatnya, membuatku tak mampu untuk tak begadang demi melahapnya kata demi kata.

Pertemuanku dengan buku ini berawal dari kunjunganku ke rumah seorang teman. Bermulanya, ketika aku mengungkapkan rencanaku untuk membuat baca bareng di Goodreads Indonesia dengan tema buku perempuan. Temanku itu dengan semangat memperlihatkan padaku sebuah buku kecil deng...more

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Apr 14, 2009 Bunga Mawar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, translated-into-indonesian, it-s-mine

Buat sebagian besar manusia "modern" yang mengenal kegiatan pemakaman berarti mengembalikan jasad manusia ke dalam tanah, maka "pemakaman langit" yang dijalankan oleh masyarakat Tibet dalam buku ini terasa cukup mengerikan. Ritual pemakaman inilah yang ditemui oleh Shu Wen, dokter muda asal Cina yang berkeras mencari jejak suaminya yang dikabarkan hilang di negeri atap langit itu. Kebetulan, pasangan Cina dari kelas menengah ini adalah pengantin baru. Setting cerita di tahun 1950-an awal, saat C...more Buat sebagian besar manusia "modern" yang mengenal kegiatan pemakaman berarti mengembalikan jasad manusia ke dalam tanah, maka "pemakaman langit" yang dijalankan oleh masyarakat Tibet dalam buku ini terasa cukup mengerikan. Ritual pemakaman inilah yang ditemui oleh Shu Wen, dokter muda asal Cina yang berkeras mencari jejak suaminya yang dikabarkan hilang di negeri atap langit itu. Kebetulan, pasangan Cina dari kelas menengah ini adalah pengantin baru. Setting cerita di tahun 1950-an awal, saat Cina mengirim pasukan ke Tibet untuk menjadikan wilayah tersebut kesatuan negaranya. Sambil membaca, kita diantarkan pada perbedaan cara pandang dari masyarakat awam di Cina maupun Tibet atas konflik yang berlangsung hingga kini itu. Intinya, perang selalu makan korban rakyat kecil.

Bila Anda merasa bosan pada awal hingga dua pertiga buku ini, wajar banget. Selain cara bercerita orang ketiga (yang lagi-lagi) terlalu naratif dan kurang emosional, ada hal-hal yang kurang masuk akal. Misalnya saat puluhan tahun Shu Wen berkelana di pegunungan Tibet, pengalamannya begitu kering drama. Keterbatasan Wen akan alam liar pegunungan atap dunia itu seakan memaku hidupnya. Dia seakan jadi boneka nasib, suatu hal yang agaknya bertentangan dengan peristiwa sebelumnya yang menunjukkan dia sebagai perempuan yang punya kuasa atas takdir diri dan suaminya. Saat Wen tinggal bersama Zhuoma dan keluarga Gela, sifat antropologis masyarakat nomaden Tibet yang konon tertutup, penyendiri dan pendiam, kurang dieksplorasi oleh pengarang.

Tapi kalau Anda sabar menghabiskan sisa buku ini, kesabaran Anda akan terbayar. Bukan saat ketika Shu Wen menyingkap takdir suami yang ditunggunya, namun apa yang dirasakan wanita yang telah berubah ini saat kembali ke kampung halamannya. Meskipun nafas yang dihembuskan buku ini adalah birunya kisah cinta antara Shu Wen dan suaminya, namun bagi saya justru "kasih tak sampai" antara Zhuoma dan bekas pelayannya, Tiananmen, yang sebenarnya mewarnai buku ini.

Satu lagi hal yang Anda harus agak lebih sabar terhadap buku ini: terjemahannya.(less)

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Aug 21, 2007 Astrid Reza rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-book-shelf

Tibet is somehow had some strange attachment for me. This book told some insights of Tibet from a Chinese woman Shu Wen, who then become a Tibetian throughout the moments that she had lived. It's basically a tale of love, a tale about life struggle and survival. The ways of surviving that cannot be imagine ever before. Surviving in Tibet can be very hard for a young women who eventually just married for a hundred days in the 1958 of China. Her husband was lost in Tibet, therefore she come to Tib...more

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Oct 25, 2008 KristenR rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

This was a beautiful story.

I picked up this book at the library because I was looking for an author whose name began with X to finish my A-Z author challenge, and this was a slim book.

I found that I could not put it down. It was a beautifully written love story which was heartwrenching and joyous at times. The fact that it was a true story just made me love it all the more.

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Oct 26, 2012 Sophie Dusting rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Synopsis:

"I was a young woman in love," she [Shu Wen] said. "I did not think about what I might be facing. I just wanted to find my husband." (Pg.4)

Xinran, a renowned Chinease journalist had heard of the legend of Sky Burial - a Chinease soldier had been fed to vultures in the mountains of Tibet, in a ritual known as Sky Burial. Xinran was contacted by a radio listener about a woman called Shu Wen; they met for two days at a hotel in Suzhuo, where Wen recounted her extraordinary life story.

K...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Joon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: travel, memoir

Sky Burial is an extraordinary story about a Chinese woman, Shu Wen, who travels to Tibet to find her husband. Her story begins in 1958, just after she and her husband are married. He gets sent into Tibet with the People's Liberation Army. Shortly after, she receives news of his death. Unwilling to believe the news, she travels to Tibet to find him. Motivated by her deep love for him, she wanders the Tibetan plateau for thirty years which finally leads her to discover the exact nature of her hus...more Sky Burial is an extraordinary story about a Chinese woman, Shu Wen, who travels to Tibet to find her husband. Her story begins in 1958, just after she and her husband are married. He gets sent into Tibet with the People's Liberation Army. Shortly after, she receives news of his death. Unwilling to believe the news, she travels to Tibet to find him. Motivated by her deep love for him, she wanders the Tibetan plateau for thirty years which finally leads her to discover the exact nature of her husband's death.

The word 'extraordinary' is used a lot to describe stories that are 'outside of the ordinary'. But this story is so incredibly extraordinary, that I would describe it as extra-extraordinary, that is, 'outside of or beyond the extraordinary'. This tale, told simply by Xinran, swiftly becoming one of my favourite Chinese storytellers, is going to haunt me for a very long time. As I write this review, I can still feel it lingering, tickling me from the inside out. It's an unbelievable story of determination, courage and above all, love.

I don't want to say too much because this is a book which must be experienced to believe. It infiltrates your entire being - you feel what Shu Wen is feeling, see what she is seeing. The experience is transformative.

I would like to dedicate this review to Peter who I met at the Federation Square Book Market, Melbourne. On my recent sojourn in Melbourne, I was browsing through Peter's stall, when we struck up an interesting conversation about Chinese books and stories and bonded over our love of books. He had a neat collection of books and authors which I had read or wanted to read. Sky Burial was in my hand throughout this whole conversation. By the end of our conversation, I couldn't not walk away with something. So thank you Peter for the exceptional customer service and for leading me to this book which will stay with me and become part of my soul.

"Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it, and of those who read it, and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens." - Carlos Ruiz Zafon (quote found on the bookmark that Peter gave me).

I would add, 'and the soul of the person who the book is about'. Thank Xinran for capturing such an extra-extraordinary story about an exceptional woman and telling it so powerfully simple.(less)

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May 19, 2011 Chip rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an understated, compact book. I still find myself thinking about some of the imagery within, and until now I hadn't heard of a sky burial. I tried to read this book at face value, but found myself at the end wondering if there was a second, not-so-well-hidden agenda that sounded something like 'see, the Chinese and the Tibetans are friends.' The Dali Lhama was portrayed as a thief who had fled the country with an immense treasure. The Tibetan resistance was portrayed as savage, heartless...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Nanny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novel, 2010, borrowed

OMG sudah bikin review , tinggal bikin penutup tiba2 lampu mati...oo tidak..hilang semua.. :(
malas bikin lagi.

Kesimpulan saja:

1. Kagum dengan kekuatan Cinta dan kekuatan tekad Shu Wen. Menghabiskan waktu selama lk. 30 tahun dengan penuh pengorbanan untuk mencari orang terkasih. Sampai akhirnya dia dapat merasakan semangat spiritual rakyat Tibet, dan menjadi penganut Budha yang senantiasa mendesahkan OM MANI PADME HUM.

2. Kagum dengan keluarga nomaden di Tibet yang sangat sederhana dan membantu se...more

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Mar 07, 2009 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: china, non-fiction, read-in-2009

Wen is searching for her husband Kejun in Tibet after she discovers he has gone missing in action. Her life in Tibet is extraordinary. She leaves China as a young Chinese woman and returns an old Tibetan lady.

I enjoyed this book. It was a very easy read, written simply but told a beautiful story. I found it hard to believe that everything I was reading was true. It taught me about the Tibetan culture which was a change as I normally read books about the Chinese culture. This is a love story, fa...more

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Nov 04, 2007 Terry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A surprisingly quick read about a young wife's (Wen) search for information about the whereabouts of her husband Kejun, who has supposedly been killed while venturing with the Chinese army in Tibet. En route, Wen saves a Tibetan noblewoman (Zhouma) from being killed, works with a Tibetan family for many years, and reunites Zhouma and her former servant and romantic interest, Tiananmen. Carefully written, with much sympathetic explanation of Tibetan cultures and customs (including the titular 'sk...more

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Jan 14, 2008 Laurie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those who would like to read of true love and know more about the Tibetan culture

I'm so glad I came across this little treasure - on sale for $4 in a cute book shop (The Elliott Bay Book Company) in Seattle. The book claims to be a true story, but this is never confirmed.

Sky Burial is a love story set in both Tibet and China in the mid to fairly late 1900's, with the main character being Shu Wen, who is searching for her husband after he goes to Tibet as a doctor in the People Liberation Army.

Although this was a difficult time for both countries in regards to war and politic...more

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Jan 29, 2009 Lillian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the true story of a Chinese woman who spent thirty years in Tibet in search of her missing husband. In the 1950s, soon after the Communists came to power but prior to the Cultural Revolution, Shu Wen, a doctor in Suzhou, China, learned that her husband, Kejun, had died while serving as a military doctor in Tibet. Because the death notice arrived, strangely, with no details, Wen refused to believe that Kejun was actually dead. Knowing that the military needed more doctors in Tibet, she en...more

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Nov 20, 2008 1morechapter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chinese

Wow! What a beautiful sense of place. Sky Burial tells the story of Shu Wen, a woman who desperately seeks answers about her new husband’s death. Given no details by the government, Shu Wen feels she must know the truth of what has happened to him. Seeing no other way to find the answers she seeks, she joins the military (as a doctor) so she can be stationed in Tibet, where the death is reported to have taken place.

Due to Chinese/Tibetan conflict, she is separated from her unit and eventually sp...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Alison rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, highly-recommended

I only read this book because one of the things on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 ads is to read a book by an author for every letter of the alphabet - I was a bit stuck for X until a couple of people suggested this book. To be honest I wasn't grabbed by the synopsis and thought it would be a bit of a trawl and something to be got over and done with - how wrong could I have been!

This is the fantastical - yet apparently true - tale of Shuwen, as told to reporter Xinran after Shuwen's return...more I only read this book because one of the things on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 ads is to read a book by an author for every letter of the alphabet - I was a bit stuck for X until a couple of people suggested this book. To be honest I wasn't grabbed by the synopsis and thought it would be a bit of a trawl and something to be got over and done with - how wrong could I have been!

This is the fantastical - yet apparently true - tale of Shuwen, as told to reporter Xinran after Shuwen's return to China after thirty years in Tibet. Less than 100 days into their marriage Shuwen's husband Kejun is sent to Tibet as an army doctor, but news soon arrives that he's been killed in an "incident". No one seems to know what happened, so Shuwen, also a doctor, joins the army herself and arranges to be posted to Tibet to search for her husband. Shortly after arriving in this strange country Shuwen becomes separated from her unit and, close to death, she is rescued by a Tibetan princess. Together they search for refuge, eventually finding a farming family who look after them for many years. During this time Shuwen learns about the Tibetan culture and way of life, becomes a Buddhist and eventually discovers her husband's fate.

While this is only a short book it is one that touched me deeply. I know nothing of Tibet and was fascinated by the culture, traditions and religion, and the scenery was painted in such a way that I could imagine I was there. One of the criticisms of the book is that Shuwen tells her story without emotion, and I can imagine that, given she had only just arrived back in China when she spoke to Xinran, she probably hadn't had time to process everything that had happened. however, the fact that she does just narrate the tale gives me the chance to examine my own emotions and wonder how I would have felt and what I would have done in her circumstances - which makes the telling of her tale really powerful and a story that will remain with me for a long time.

I do wonder if the story is entirely truthful, if some of it may have been exaggerated or changed over time, or if, in fact, it is an entire work of fiction. It seems strange that Shuwen never got back in touch with Xinran but then who knows how she would have adjusted to life back in China and what happened to her next. However, even if this does turn out to be fiction, it's still an amazing story and one that should inspire women everywhere.(less)

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Nov 05, 2012 cami rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first time I've read a romance about Tibet. It was fascinating to know more about the cultural differences, the Tibetan way of life back in those times, the notion of time and the role of religion in Tibetan culture thought the eyes of Shu Wen. However, I felt her life history was written in a way to pleased chinese standarts (censor), it was molded to avoid any "bad feelings" about the ever growing influence of Chinese way of life in Tibet so in the end the reader have the percepti...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Angie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chinese-authors, tibet, 2012

This book was a let-down.

For starters, the format isn't as polished as it could have been. It's written like it is non-fiction, but it's in the Library of Congress as fiction, and many reviewers tend to think the book is "based on a true story," if not the true story indeed.

I don't like how the Tibetan people are portrayed. Either they are ignorant nomads who don't even realize that their country is under attack by Chinese forces, or they're brutal murderers hell-bent on killing every Chinese th...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Aurore rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourite-books, memoirs, cultural-spiritual

i read this book just right after finishing "where're we going, papa?" by Jean-Louis Fournier. that chirstmas of 2010 was such another great occasion that i came up with so many good books. the reason i chose this book was its set in Tibet and at that time, i was quite interested in religious belief in those autonomous regions in China.

this book satisfies my intention and even more than that. it was about the journey of a Han Chinese woman to Tibet to find her husband because she didn't believe...more i read this book just right after finishing "where're we going, papa?" by Jean-Louis Fournier. that chirstmas of 2010 was such another great occasion that i came up with so many good books. the reason i chose this book was its set in Tibet and at that time, i was quite interested in religious belief in those autonomous regions in China.

this book satisfies my intention and even more than that. it was about the journey of a Han Chinese woman to Tibet to find her husband because she didn't believe that her husband wa actually dead as in the report. she overcame so many troubles to get there with the youthful belief in love and ideal. she spent uncountable years there to travel nearly everywhere in Tibet and unconsciously became a Tibet's traditional nomad, yet she still could not find any proof or evidence of her husband, even on little tale. then she decided to climb all those 13 holic mountains in Tibet because Tiberians believe that when one could manage the travel on all those mountains, he could get what he lost back. and she succeeded. she found the only witness who knew clearly about her husband's death including the reason. the dead was a sacrifice to avoid an unneccessary religious war. it was the dead of peace yet for some political reasons, it never could be revealed.

the end of the story was a bit... normal. that woman got back to her homeland to find her family but time was so long and that her parents, her sister had all moved away and noone could give her any clue about them. i know it seems a bit cruel for an extraordinary like her yet it was life as it always is. she found something, she lost another. she found the truth about her husband's death, she lost the rest of her family, she lost even her nationality and anything that belongs to normality as in modern citizens' view. yet, still there was one thing left for her: belief. she got back to Tibet. she got back to the origin of belief.

the journey was so exceptional that i could not even once took a break while reading it. it was 1AM and i felt so relief and peaceful.

to all the ones who love reading, this is one of the books i eagerly, passionately and truly recommend :).(less)

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Dec 19, 2011 Nesa Sivagnanam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was 1994 when Xinran, a journalist and the author of The Good Women of China, received a telephone call asking her to travel four hours to meet an oddly dressed woman who had just crossed the border from Tibet into China. Xinran made the trip and met the woman, called Shu Wen, who recounted the story of her thirty-year odyssey in the vast landscape of Tibet.

Shu Wen and her husband had been married for only a few months in the 1950s when he joined the Chinese army and was sent to Tibet for the...more

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Mar 22, 2010 Novian Anggis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kisah yang tragis. Itulah yang bisa saya utarakan perasaan yang saya rasakan ketika selesai membaca buku karangan Xinran ini.
Kekuatan cinta yang luar biasa mengantarkan dia ke sebuah petualangan yang luar biasa. Berpuluh-puluh tahun dia mengembara dan berkelana bersama satu keluarga Tibet disana untuk mencari suaminya. Berbekal keyakinan suaminya yang masih hidup dan cinta sejati yang begitu kuat, Shu Wen rela meninggalkan keluarganya untuk beropetualang ke daerah yang sama sekali baru dan saat...more

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Nov 15, 2009 Ginny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A thought provoking story. It's actually the re-telling of the story told to a journalist in 1994 of a Chinese woman doctor who spent 30 years in Tibet searching for her husband, also a doctor, whose unit was sent to Tibet in the 1950s with the People's Liberation Army, and who was then reported as killed in action shortly after, with no details. She believes he could still be alive. They had been married only a few weeks when he was sent to Tibet. The journalist, Xinran, was referred to the wom...more

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Apr 20, 2009 Jia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

'Whatever happens,
remember one thing:
just staying alive
is a victory'

Xin Ran, penulis buku ini yang merupakan penyiar, telah lama mendengar rumor tentang seorang tentara Cina yang secara brutal diumpankan pada burung-burung Nasar pada masa pembebasan Tibet oleh tentara Cina pada tahun enampuluhan. Maka, saat seorang pendengar radionya bercerita tentang Shu Wen, ia segera menempuh perjalanan ratusan mil jauhnya ke Cina untuk mewawancara Shu Wen. Dalam waktu dua hari, wanita itu mengungkapkan kisah...more

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Feb 27, 2011 Vicky rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ethnography, travel, war, location-asia

One of the most beautiful books I've ever read. The writing is simple and sparse, drawing you completely into the story of Shu Wen and her quest to find what became of her husband, Kejun. For such a slim book, the scale of the story is epic, fitting the vastness of the landscape through which Wen travels and her gradual transformation from an outsider, a Chinese observing Tibetan culture, to becoming fully absorbed into the life through her everyday survival.

As an insight into the nomadic way of...more

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Mar 10, 2009 Boof rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: china, biography-memoirs, read-in-2009, non-fiction

This is a really lovely little book. I had to remind myself several times that it was a true story.

Shu Wen leaves China to look for her husband of just 30 days whom she is told has been killed in Tibet. What follows is a 30 year search for her husband and the people she meets along the way. The story is extraordinary, and Shu Wen never gives up hope, in all those years, of finding her husband.

I devour all books about China and this was no different. Incredible story.

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Jun 02, 2013 David rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: big-white-square

Epic? It's 164 pages. If I was Wen, I'd have been expecting something more along the lines of Gone with the Wind or Doctor Zhivago. Instead, "Sky Burial" is a gallop through Wen's life. We find people, we lose them again, all within 100 words. We're brought to some fascinating places and introduced to things we've never heard of before .. but we're ridden over some pretty bizarre elements, too. Why can't young Chinese soldiers be taught to drive? Why can't a woman with medical training have a lo...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Ape rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: japan-china-korea, biographies-memoirs

This is like a continuation of Xinran's Good Women of China, only in this book it's one story, rather than the collection of stories that was in the previous book. There is something enourmously empty and peaceful about this book and the story, it just gives such a feeling of the massive wilderness of Tibet. It's a powerful story, almost to the point where you wonder, can it be true, that this woman would spend 30 years of her life - perhaps the best years of her life - searching for her missing...more

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Jun 16, 2009 Christina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-reads, location-china, library-book

I’m not going to lie; I picked up Sky Burial solely because the author, Xinran, has a last name beginning with an ‘X’. I need an ‘X’ author to finish off the A to Z Challenge, and once I realized Gao Xingjian’s Soul Mountain wasn’t going to work because his name properly arranged for English is Xingjian Gao, I turned to the only ‘X’ author my library had on hand -- Xinran.

It’s not often, though, that I’m able to find a book for a challenge that I wind up enjoying. Usually I’ll slog through a boo...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Laura Roberts rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: asian-philosophy, historical, memoirs, nonfiction, political, revolution, religion, 2012

"No one likes crying, but tears water our souls," writes the author in her acknowledgements. And yes, if you read this book, you will certainly cry by the end.

Sky Burial is the story of Shu Wen, a young woman from China whose doctor husband is assigned to Tibet during the Cultural Revolution. One day she receives word that he has been killed, but there is no further information. How did he die? Wasn't the point of the Chinese mission to spread peace and knowledge to Tibetans? How, then, did Keju...more

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