China's Son: Growing Up in the Cultural Revolution

by Da Chen

A candid memoir of growing up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution that is sure to inspire.
 
Da Chen grew up as an outcast in Communist China. His family’s legacy had been one of privilege prior to the revolution, but now in the Chairman Mao era, they are treated with scorn. For Da Chen, that means that all of his successes and academic achievements are nullified when one teacher tells him that, because of his “family’s crimes,” he can never be more than a poor farmer. Feeling his fate is hopeless, Da responds by dropping out.

Da’s life takes a dark turn, and he soon begins hanging out with a gang. However, all is not lost. After Chairman Mao’s death, Da realizes that an education and college might be possible. He begins to study–all day and into the night. His entire family rallies to help him succeed, working long hours in the rice fields and going into debt to ensure that Da has an education.
Their struggle would not be in vain. When the final exam results are posted, Da has one of the highest scores in the region, earning him a place at the prestigious Beijing University and a future free from the scars of his past.

This inspiring memoir, adapted for young readers from Colors of the Mountain , is one that will rally readers to defy the odds.

Praise for China’s Son
 
“Humor and unflinching honesty inform the narrative, which is shot through with lyrical descriptions.”— Publishers Weekly
 
“Da Chen’s narrative moves smoothly, communicating setting and character with an immediacy that will draw young readers in.”— Kirkus Reviews

Genres: China, Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Biography, World Literature, Cultural

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Da Chen (born in 1962 in Fujian, China) was a Chinese author whose works include Brothers, China's Son, Sounds of the River, Sword, and Colors of the Mountain. A graduate of Beijing Language and Culture University and Columbia Law School, Da Chen lived in the Hudson Valley in New York but then moved to Torrance, California with his wife, the paranormal romance author Sunni, and two children. Brothers has been awarded best book of 2006 by The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Miami Herald and Publishers Weekly.

Chen passed away on December 17, 2019 at his home in Temecula, California from lung cancer.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Shreya Bose]

This was actually kinda interesting, and made me realise how privalged I am to recieve education and have the option to pursue higher forms of it. However some parts were slow and got a little boring

[Tarn Potter]

Is it too late to know about Cultural Revolution in China in period of Chairman Mao, 1966?

If yes, it is my personal fault. I am a Thai pampered girl who never opens her eyes, seeing something’s near and valuable but swinging her eyes on something beyond and hard to reach to then was suffered.

If no, it is my turn to repay it by reviewing this book, China's Son; growing up in the Cultural Revolution, to make it is part of my beautiful memories.

China’s son was found in Flinders University library accidentally. It started its story with when a little thin dark-skin boy named Chen Da was born in landlord family in 1962 in country side of Putien, near Yellow River, embraced by Ching Mountain, Fujian. In this period of Chaiman Mao in 1966 being a landlord is dangerous. Landlord position made Chens’ children segregated from others around their house. They didn’t only have enough food to swallow or much meat to eat but lack of chance to study also. By Mao’s policy of Cultural Revolution, children of landlord must be quit from school, doing the farm work, while others had opportunity to study. Moreover, students who were studying in university at that time were dismissed as well. Then they were sent to remote area to learn how to be a good labor. This process was call reeducation.

Da is the only child who was still attending school while his brothers and sisters were working in farm field. He played an outstanding role in secondary school. Unfortunately, He was about quit form school because he was accused as a counterrevolution. After hiding himself in cousin Ta’s place for a little while, he went back and decided not to go to school anymore. Fortunately, a teacher called him back. He attended school again but school’s atmosphere was changed. It became an icy frozen school in which his classmate pretended he never existed.

Only four friends he got came from gambling game they played in New Year’s Day. After studying each others for a while, they became a swearing brother. Da started drinking and smoking a thick tobacco made by his friend, giving up attending class. Also he, as the first one in Yellow Stone village, learned to play bamboo flute and violin with Dad’s friends.

One day when Mao passed away and Gang of Four took thrown, something was changed. Cultural Revolution was over. Cousin Ta told his mom about the university admission which opened for everyone. Chens had a hope to send their child to study in university. At that time Da is the only hope of the whole family. He both kowtowed to gods at mom’s shrine behind kitchen and concentrated on study hard to catch up all lessons that his classmate had already done for a couple of years. He cut off playing with friends, roaming outside, but buried himself with a hill of book, preparing for national exam. 7 months left before the exam, Dad decided to let Jin, Da’s brother take the exam as well. They needed to work hard together. When the national exam came, they were sent to different places. Although Da was laughed at when he decided to attend an English major because this major deserved for rich people, he didn’t give up.

Finally, when score was released, Da got 380, the highest score of Putien, Fijian. Whit this highest score, he could be accepted from university he wanted, that is Beijing Language Institute. It took him 3 days by train to arrive there. This is the first time of a Putien folk boy with a thick tongue and speaking unclear Mandarin had to go far away from his warm family, studying English major in the capital city of China.

Long time ago I reviewed one of my impressed book called ‘Don’t cry, Nanjing.’ This is the first time of this year I have reviewed another book of China written in English. I could tell with my pride that is the first English book I finish reading which I have a passion on. In addition, I was not forced to read it though. It was true to say that this book is impossible to be put down because I could not do so.

Cultural Revolution, also reeducation, is bran-new for me. I have never known anything about this kind of stuff before. Why I am interested in is my question as well. I know his name, Chaiman Mao, but I do not really know about his influence. This is the time to reveal these things for me, after I was suffered with Zhang Yi Mo’s movie, To Live.

Now I am reading a next book of Chen Da named ‘Sounds of the River.’ What’s going on when he had to achieve the academic English while survived in big city called Beijing with political depression because of his family background?

[Reid]

The interesting story of growing up in the Cultural Revolution.

Da Chen's family was outcast during this time because they had been landlords.

Da Chen tells what it was like for his family and himself to fight off the discrimination and humiliation at the hands of neighbors and townspeople because of his family and his background.

Humorous at times, gut wrenching at other times this is an honest book about the human struggle to survive in really tough times.

Da and his brother Jin found a way out for themselves and the family after the death of Mao, once education once again became popular. Their incredible will to will against the odds and disciple to study allowed them to rise to the top, win scholarships and find good jobs after graduation.

Jin stayed in China, Da came to the USA on a law school scholarship and married and writes about his experiences.

Good to read a story where the good guy wins.

[Mabel]

During the 1950s and 1960s, China faced a time of revolution. Communist became the most common and trust belief while previously rich landlords were now treated as outcasts.

Da Chen's family had previously been wealthy (during his grandfather's time) but by his birth his family no longer had the wealth or status that they previously had. As his family was treated as an outcast by society Da decided to drop out of school and join a gang secretly. This lifestyle continued but when Communist Party leader Mao Zedong died, he began to once again pursue his education, with the support of his family.

Many hardships that many people faced during the Mao regime are left untold and unheard of but Da Chen illustrates this with his books.

[Jill]

This is a memoir with twists as convoluted as real life - despair, hope, irresponsibility, and dedication take their turns. The end result is a not altogether comfortable story of growing up in 1970s China. Unlike many memoirs or biographies, China's Son: Growing Up in the Cultural Revolutionis written in a smooth, easy-to-read narrative style.

This book contains alcohol consumption, smoking, and swearing.

[Jenny]

Biography of Da Chen growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution. He comes from a dispsed landlord family, and struggles against that prejudice. He is tormented in school and almost leaves repeatedly. He becomes friends with the town juvenile delinquents and has a future of farming to look forward to. Then an opportunity to take the college entrance exam comes along, and Da Chen must make up for lost time if he is to have any hope of a brighter future.

[Amy Young]

I've got to stop trolling for Kindle library books! I hadn't realized I'd read this about ten years ago. I liked it better then.

[Shika]

The Chinese "Great Proletartian Cultural Revolution" from the view of a country boy who is the son of a former landlord.

[Jeremy Suh]

"China's Son" is an autobiographical novel by Da Chen. Growing up under the rule of Chairman Mao, Da is frowned upon by his classmates and neighbors of Yellow Stone village because he and his family do not support the Communist Party. In the end, Da finds his best friends when he joins a gang to cope with his struggles, and although the gang members initially come off as being threatening, they treat Da as one of their own and show him respect.

I think this book is quite fascinating because of how it explores the Cultural Revolution. The book strives to bring out the oppression and the ostracism Da faces because of his background. Da is constantly hated on by his classmates not only because he is smart, but also because they think that his family's political background makes him unclean. I think one of the greatest strengths of this book is that it allowed me to empathize and relate with Da in his struggles, even though I have no idea what it is like to grow up as a political outcast.

The one major drawback I found with this book is that it lacks appropriate pacing. I found the pacing of the book to be rather slow at times when I think it should have been much faster, and vice versa, so the story often lacks color in many areas. For instance, during the times when Da was studying with his brother to prepare for the final exam, the book describes how they were studying, what they were eating while they were studying, and so on—I think this is unnecessary. Contrarily, during Da's moments of emotional celebration, the author speeds up the pace of the story and "tells" instead of "shows." I think this is a key example of how the novel distributes its "real estate" unwisely. Instead of using so many words on a scene that could be described in one page, the author should use those words to describe beautiful scenery, or important dialogue, or a major turning point in the story—anything that will allow me to visualize the scene or evoke emotion within me.

On a separate note, I think the storyline was a bit cliché. Da is always at the top of his class, and so all of his classmates hate him because they are jealous of his knowledge. It almost feels like Da is living in a fairytale world where everyone is secretly plotting against him, but Da obviously ends up on top by the end of the story.

Still, I think this book was quite an interesting read. I acknowledge the fact that this book was most likely translated, so the translation may have affected many elements of the story. In short, I think this book was a fascinating concept, but it was not fascinatingly told.

[Cody]

Da Chen grew up during China’s Cultural Revolution, a very bad time to grow up in and so you will learn when reading this book. Due to his ancestry, he lost a lot of opportunities he otherwise would have had everyone hates his family so they have to fend for themselves and do their best to survive. China’s Son is his memoir of the years under Mao and just after their leaders death on comes another not so bad leader. From the back of the book it reads that he will be in a gang what an experience that must have been to finally get the respect deserved. I found this book not as boring as I thought it was going to be for this assignment. I'm more of a fantasy reader myself. I love a good book about spells and dragons really hits my good book sweet tooth. The writing is very good, often using similes and metaphors to create lovely word pictures in my head I felt every pain he experienced as if it were my own and in my own way. It reads quickly because it’s not a boring book it’s well drawn out. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Cultural Revolution and even those fantasy readers like myself. This book makes a good addition to our library and I recommend this book to others.

[Mohammed omran]

The interesting story of growing up in the Cultural Revolution.Da Chen's family was outcast during this time because they had been landlords. Da Chen tells what it was like for his family and himself to fight off the discrimination and humiliation at the hands of neighbors and townspeople because of his family and his background.Humorous at times, gut wrenching at other times this is an honest book about the human struggle to survive in really tough times.Da and his brother Jin found a way out for themselves and the family after the death of Mao, once education once again became popular. Their incredible will to will against the odds and disciple to study allowed them to rise to the top, win scholarships and find good jobs after graduation. Jin stayed in China, Da came to the USA on a law school scholarship and married and writes about his experiences.Good to read a story where the good guy wins.

[Juv]

The story kept my interest with a lot of little anecdotes and good imagery. There's a fair amount written on how the various Maoist Communist policies affected Da and his family over the course of the book. Specifically, how his grandfather was a landowner, so the whole family ends up lower in class and persecuted because of the Communist policies. Also Da showcases the lead role of learning in his family and his own life. Some of my favorite parts include how his father teaches himself acupuncture to the point where he administers it, and how Da learns the flute and the violin as part of traditional studies. There's also a fair amount of tension between what Da thinks he should do versus what he actually does, along with the reasons some things become unavailable due to the political environment.

[Heather]

Da Chen grew up during China’s Cultural Revolution. Due to his ancestry, he lost a lot of opportunities he otherwise would have had. China’s Son is his memoir of the years under Mao and just after the leader’s death. I found it to be fascinating. The writing is very good, often using similes and metaphors to create lovely word pictures. It reads quickly. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Cultural Revolution. This book makes a good addition to Red Scarf Girl as they cover life in very different locations of the country and positions in life during the same time period.

[Kristin]

Although written for children, this book was quite interesting to me, an adult. It is so important that people who experienced the Cultural Revolution in China write about their experiences. The author was a landlord's son. His family was treated cruelly because landlords were despised. But when Mao died, education became available for all, if they did well on the tests to get into college. The author and his brother were able to score high and the book ends with their acceptance into college and hopes for a better future for the entire family.

[Ranette]

I loved the way his book shows close ties to his family and how they sacrificed for each other. Gritty details of China and the cultural revolution where his family lost everything except the will to suceed.

[Patricia Eichenlaub]

A very touching story! A little too simply told.

[Suj]

Great book. Very enjoyable.

[Kayla Shown-Dean]

A memoir about a man's journey to belonging, acceptance, and education during the cultural revolution in China.
Overall, an interesting and insightful read.

[Anita]

Considering the devastation of the Cultural Revolution and the injustice and hardships faced by Da Chen, this was a surprisingly entertaining read.

[Zoe]

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[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

This author is going on my "read everything you can get your hands on" list. The author and I are the same age, and I remember reading a little--a very little--about the evils of the Cultural Revolution in the magazines my grassroots-rural-American parents bought, such as Reader's Digest. It was with some trepidation, therefore, that I picked up this book, wondering if I was going to find disturbing depictions of inhumanity and violence. I had forgotten for a moment that to a child, what they grow up with is all they know of life; like it or not, until they reach a certain level of maturity (which comes earlier to some than to others), nothing is "abnormal", it is what there is. Chen's purpose is not to dwell on the gory details of being bullied in school; rather, it is to show how he learned to make the best of a bad situation by focussing on the one thing no one could take from him once he'd acquired it: knowledge. I hear ya, Chen. I soooo hear ya. Though he joined a "band of brothers" and flirted with the idea of saying "what the hell, why bother", he had the huge advantage over me of a loving and supportive family who were willing to make all kinds of sacrifices so he and his brother Jin could study, once Mao was safely dead and higher education was no longer the quickest route to a labour camp. We both went to college at approximately the same time, but I didn't have to ride to the entrance exam on the back of the village's only motorised conveyance: a diesel tractor, nor did my sister have to pedal me home on a bicycle not built for two. In the 1970s, China broadcast a whole four hours of television per day, and that's if you could find a set to watch on.

I honestly could not put this one down until I finished it; Chen's style is at once serious and spiced with the kind of humour that gets you through a hard year. No wonder this book reminded me strongly of another Chinese author, The Diary of Ma Yan. Like her, Da Chen doesn't cry victim; he's devastatingly honest about his own failings and fears, but he also reminds the first-world reader that to a startlingly large number children on this planet, education of any kind is an impossible dream, and for others a great and shining privilege--and for a relatively small proportion, an entitlement that they take far less seriously than they should.

When I graduated, I left the US to make a new life in Europe; Da Chen left China to make his home in the US. I wish him very, very well.

[Cynthia]

I found this book to be unbelievable because never in my life had I heard a story that was this captivating and motivating during the Cultural Revolution. Da Chen, the author of this book wrote this book based upon his true life experience and his struggle of growing up during the Cultural Revolution.

Da Chen started describing his life of how he was treated during the revolution. He was the landlord's son so all the poor farmers and people hated those who are rich at Yellow Stone. The poor would believe that the rich were against Communism, while the rich had to hide in their houses of the fear of being caught and arrested by the police.

Da Chen had suffered enough abuses throughout his life when Mao is in rule. After Mao died, Da Chen began to focus more on his life and study hard to obtain a better education instead of becoming a farmer. He study evveryday and even asked a english professor for help. On the day of the exam he was nervous. he decided to major in english since that is his strongest. Liberal arts was his strong points while math and science were his weakest.

In the end he got into into one of the top colleges in Beijing for english. His family was so proud of him. Even his older brother was on the list for college. In the end Da Chen was able to achieve the goal that he wanted.

[Brad Chuck]

Very easy to read & entertaining story of the follies of youth & redemption of hard work.

[Zach]

This was a really inspiring book. Da Chen started a out as a landlords son, which was looked down upon in Chinas society at the time during the cultural revolution. He went back and forth from focusing on school, to focusing on music or gambling with friends. In the end he decides he wants to go to school. He has to work really hard to get his grades back up and decides he wants to try to go to college. To do this he must work and study everyday and night. In the end he acheives his goal as does his brother. He didn't want to be that kid that worked in the fields everyday. People doubted him throughout the book but boy does he prove them wrong.

[Viviana]

This is a tear jerking true story about a poor boy named Da born in the terrible year called the Great Starvation from the cause of a bad leader. Da's change of education seems impossible so he finds himself part of a gang that just wants to have fun. Then Moa (the leader) dies and education becomes possible again.

[Josie]

*****DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!!! IT CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!!*****




It wasn't bad, but it was also a little confusing. It's well-written, but it just isn't my favorite book. I liked it, though! It was sad, but Da eventually went to college in the end, which made me happy.

[Hannah]

A great memoir. I enjoyed reading about Da's adventures and wouldn't hesitate to pick up anything else he's written.

It would be interesting to pair this book alongside Ji-Li Jiang's "The Red Scarf Girl' for a look a life in communist China during the Cultural Revolution.

[Mackenzie Woo]

This book was about the life of author Da Chen during the Cultural Revolution. Chen writes his story showing his mistakes to teach life lessons for readers. Also, you learn about the lifestyle of the people and how they were treated in China.

[Tristi]

This one is not an easy read, but I learned a lot from it and considered it well worth my time.

[Peter Fitzpatrick]

I'm usually not a fan of historical non-fiction novels, but this one had some value in it because of extreme opression by Mao Ze Dung. I liked it, though it was a pain at some times...