Rebecca Moll's Blog - Posts Tagged "autobiography"
Colors of the Mountain by Da Chen, A Book Review by Rebecca Moll
History is full of those who conquer and create. Even more so, of self-made men who discovered and forged, leap frogging humanity forward. Today, skyscrapers stand testimony, manmade wonders defiantly curtail nature, exploration and technology lay far reaches of land, sea, and sky at our feet, pushing the future present all because of such formidable individuals. We only have to reach out and touch what’s near to reap the gifts of such fortunes.
Da Chen was one such man; however, Da’s legacy, his gift to mankind, is less tangible and more intrinsic. The human spirit. Born in a “landlord” family, Da Chen’s family suffered through Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, unbearable oppression, cruelty, physical and mental abuse, indelibly marked by those who held party favor and yet, hope still flickered, their dedication to their gods, life and liberty inextinguishable. With this flicker of hope, love and support of his family, friends, and mentors Da scaled mountain after mountain to overcome immense odds. Slipping between the eye of a needle so small with such breath of spirit and determination, defying the laws of nature, he found freedom from bondage and a life where his spirit soared.
Yet, despite the horrors of his childhood, the tragedy of his family’s circumstances, it was his love of country, China’s majestic mountains, roaring rivers, lush valleys, his credit to those who kept the wick aflame, sense of self-depreciating humor and honest reflection that stands testimony to his true spirit, the Colors of the Mountain forever painted upon his heart.
See not with your eyes. Hear not with your ears. Touch not with your fingertips. Yet, feel the Colors of the Mountain and know the true breath of hope flickers within.
Thank you for sharing your story, Da. May your spirit live on.
Da Chen was one such man; however, Da’s legacy, his gift to mankind, is less tangible and more intrinsic. The human spirit. Born in a “landlord” family, Da Chen’s family suffered through Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, unbearable oppression, cruelty, physical and mental abuse, indelibly marked by those who held party favor and yet, hope still flickered, their dedication to their gods, life and liberty inextinguishable. With this flicker of hope, love and support of his family, friends, and mentors Da scaled mountain after mountain to overcome immense odds. Slipping between the eye of a needle so small with such breath of spirit and determination, defying the laws of nature, he found freedom from bondage and a life where his spirit soared.
Yet, despite the horrors of his childhood, the tragedy of his family’s circumstances, it was his love of country, China’s majestic mountains, roaring rivers, lush valleys, his credit to those who kept the wick aflame, sense of self-depreciating humor and honest reflection that stands testimony to his true spirit, the Colors of the Mountain forever painted upon his heart.
See not with your eyes. Hear not with your ears. Touch not with your fingertips. Yet, feel the Colors of the Mountain and know the true breath of hope flickers within.
Thank you for sharing your story, Da. May your spirit live on.
