Chen Village: The Recent History of a Peasant Community in Mao's China

by Chan

The Recent History of a Peasant Community in Mao's China

Genres: History, China, Nonfiction, Sociology, Politics, Asia, School

301 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Brian Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather than a personal account of the Cultural Revolution's horrors, or a big historical overview, Chan, Madsen, and Unger give us the story of a local community. Speaking in a matter-of-fact way, the villagers tell us what happened in the waves of political campaigns. As with other puritanical movements of world history, we see the force and appeal of extreme self-righteousness. We see what happens when idealism means zero tolerance for self-interest, and zealots lose almost all restraint in condemning other people's selfishness. We also see how the waves of idealism crest, break, and finally recede before the villagers' basic decency.

[Ken Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have any interest at all in understanding what life was like in China under Mao, you can't get much better than this. Probably the best village study you can find. Set through the eyes of of a young women living through the cultural revolutions and collectivization of China's agriculture.

[Verena Wachnitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in 20th century Chinese history and like a microhistoric/sociological approach this is a top recommendation. Well researched and quite entertaining, Mao and the post maoist reform as viewed through the evolution of a single village and its inhabitants.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating micro-history.