Red Dust: A Path Through China

by Ma Jian, Flora Drew (Translator)

In 1983, at the age of thirty, dissident artist Ma Jian finds himself divorced by his wife, separated from his daughter, betrayed by his girlfriend, facing arrest for "Spiritual Pollution," and severely disillusioned with the confines of life in Beijing. So with little more than a change of clothes and two bars of soap, Ma takes off to immerse himself in the remotest parts of China. His journey would last three years and take him through smog-choked cities and mountain villages, from scenes of barbarity to havens of tranquility. Remarkably written and subtly moving, the result is an insight into the teeming contradictions of China that only a man who was both insider and outsider in his own country could have written.

Genres: China, Travel, Nonfiction, Asia, Memoir, Biography, History

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Ma Jian was born in Qingdao,China on the 18th of August 1953. In 1986, Ma moved to Hong Kong after a clampdown by the Chinese government in which most of his works were banned.

He moved again in 1997 to Germany, but only stayed for two years; moving to England in 1999 where he now lives with his partner and translator Flora Drew.

Ma came to the attention of the English-speaking world with his story collection Stick Out Your Tongue Stories, translated into English in 2006.

His Beijing Coma tells the story of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 from the point of view of the fictional Dai Wei, a participant in the events left in a coma by the violent end of the protests. His most recent novel China Dream will be published in the US in May 2019.

Reviews

[Troy Parfitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for a well-written account of a Chinese national travelling through his own country, in a simultaneous attempt to disappear and discover himself, Gao Xingjian's Soul Mountain is probably a better choice; it is more linear, more thoughtful, and more, well, Western in its approach. Red Dust, by contrast, employs a more workmanlike style of prose that at times can seem somewhat mechanical, not to mention disjointed. It's also a little too "arty" and attempts at profundity are prone to fizzle out. But it is the story, not the writing, that makes this an interesting read.

I doubted whether I would like Ma Jian if I met him. Despite his rebelliousness (something I do sometimes admire), he's a vagabond. He doesn't like to wash, and he is rather dishonest. Moreover, he's self-obsessed. But from his travels (he goes just about everywhere you can go in China, and does so over a span of three years) a series of sketches surface outlining early-eighties China as seen by a plucky, obtuse, curmudgeonly, Beijing dissident. His portrayals are brutally honest, and in the end - despite his persistence - his homeland overwhelms him. I also liked the way this book was translated; various phrases and unnatural sounding similes, etc., were taken over directly from Mandarin, hence we can better view the thought process. This book is pretty weird at times. The Chinese version of it has been popular with young Chinese "coffee shop beatniks." Cool, man. Ma Jian’s Stick Out Your Tongue is considerably more mature in theme, style, and approach.

[Benny · Rating 4 out of 5]

An outsider's voice, a very lonely voice, but be warned: this is a book of meditation, of soul searching (both his own soul and the soul of his country) - not a classic travelogue.

I'm struck by the similarities here with the Noble Prize winning Soul Mountain, both are a kind of meditative travelogue of Chinese artists who feel alienated in their own country and are searching for identity. Whereas Soul Mountain seems to just tip over towards the fiction, this book leans just a bit more towards travel writing. But it's tweedlee-dee, tweedlee-dum - and maybe these books just defy our classifications.

[Cecily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story of an artist in 80s China, fed up with the restraints of the Party and city, who travels around China.

Although he describes his journey, it all feels very disjointed. Despite some maps, you don't always have enough of an idea where he is (and I have travelled to some of the same places). And there are some significant places he says he goes to, but writes nothing about, such as Lijiang. It left me rather frustrated.

On the positive side, he is always the outsider, and that is how the reader feels too, so that does at least create some empathy.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ma Jian's Red Dust: A Path Through China is a brilliant travelogue written some twenty years after the events described. Ma had run afoul of the Chinese authorities and decided to travel around China by train, bus, and on foot. The circuit of his travels included most of the provinces of China except the northeast and far west.

There are some fictional touches, but for the most part the book is believable. With no prior experience of travel, Ma walked the Gobi Desert and parts of Tibet and the south along the tropical borders with Vietnam and Burma (Myanmar).

He would stop for weeks and months to earn money by working, doing various jobs from writing to cutting hair to selling scarves. He always managed to find kindhearted intellectuals on the way who were willing to put him up for a while.

Hitherto, all the travel books I have read about China were written by Westerners. It is surprising to find that, from a Chinese viewpoint, it is a far different country. At one point, Ma collapsed while walking the Ordos Desert in Shaanxi. He survived only because some nameless peasant found him and dragged his unconscious body to the side of a road, where he was able to get food and water.

This book rivals Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian for its brilliance and scope.

[Yigal Zur · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good portrait of China in the 90ths. i traveled a lot in china since 1989 till now and this is on of the best i read. Ma Jian have the rare ability to mix a love for land and its people while being critic with its leaders and system. amazing writer. even i found it tiring to read some other novels of him.

[Hilary G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the feeling I would like this book as soon as I got it, not because of the cover, which was nondescript, but because of the chapter headings, which were alluring, a little mysterious ( Selling chiffon scarves in a traffic jam, Flies in scrambled eggs, Lure of the distance, Men in the dark). They pulled me in and made me want to read on. I knew right away I was going to have trouble with the names, though. Despite the helpful note about the configuration of Chinese names I suspected I was not going to be able to differentiate between Da Xian, Lu Ping, Fan Chen, Chen Hong and Lingling, and they weren't even real names, except for Ma Jian and his daughter. My self-criticism was correct, because whenever I came across sentences like "In the afternoon, Hu Sha comes from Beijing, and Yang Ming, from Chengdu," my brain went into sleep mode. I never really got to grips with the characters and their interrelationships except possibly Ma Jian's wife and lovers, who, if I got them right (Guoping, Xi Ping, Wang Ping), demonstrated a predilection for Pings. But this was a trivial negative response to what I thought was a rather beautiful piece of writing.. This book for me was about China (and Tibet), about all its people, not just a few individuals. That said, the characters were still interesting, such as the one who "looks like any other pretty girl in the street. You would never guess she has a child in nursery, a husband in prison, a married boyfriend, a girlfriend, a Canadian lover and an opium addiction." (I don't remember her name!)

I think China remains a huge mystery to the rest of the world. Such a vast country, so many millions of people, so much history and turmoil and what do we really know? Almost nothing. So I began my reading with a sense of anticipation and excitement, and I wasn't disappointed.

I thought the writing was sensational. Although it contained much description, it wasn't a bit like Hemingway. This was a painter, photographer and poet describing things for us, and I truly believe such people perceive the world differently than the rest of us. Did you notice how often and in how many ways he described the light? Some of the descriptions were so vivid, it was more like looking at a painting than reading a paragraph. Ma Jian often mentioned himself (and others) looking at a scene through the lens of his camera. He was our camera and we looked at everything through his lens.

The book covered a lot of ground, physically, mentally and historically. Surely we only got a glimpse, for it showed us landscapes and histories that were as varied as those of Earth, Pluto and Alpha Centauri and people that were as strange to each other as them from us. There was an interesting duality in the narrative, as this was both a journey of a Chinaman through his own country and of a stranger in a strange land. On arrival at many places, Ma Jian must have known no more of it that we do. It made you wonder how someone like Mao Tse Tung could get a grip on such a vast and diverse land and peoples, such that one person's main claim to fame was having "shaken the hand of a Red Guard soldier who had shaken hands with Chairman Mao."

The timing of Ma Jian's journey was particularly interesting because as he struggled to find his own path, China was also trying to find its path as it emerged from the Cultural Revolution. What an ironic term! What could be cultural about a regime under which landscape painting was considered a counter-revolutionary crime? There was so much that was truly shocking and I don't mean the sky burial, which was gruesome in the extreme. The self-criticism – imagine standing up in front of your colleagues and bosses and admitting you are always late back from lunch! The regimentation of people's lives, trying to extend even to their thoughts. The horrible murders and executions performed in its name. And the most chilling epitaph I have ever seen: "Posthumously awarded membership of the Chinese Communist Party."

I enjoyed the journey and was fascinated with every detail, the places, the people, the history, the traditions, the buildings, the religion (the names of the Buddhist gods were mysterious and mystical: Avalokiteshavra, Boddhisattva, Manjushri, Vajrapani), the food, the sights, sounds and smells. Although Ma Jian was mostly on foot, sometimes the pace was too fast. I wanted to linger a while longer and have a look round, but he always moved on. If I want to learn more, I will have to read other books. Having read this book, I don't feel I know that much more about the Chinese than I did before, but what I did learn is that there is an awful lot more to know. Ma Jian has made me aware of the red dust, but I'll have to find my own path through it.

Footnote: whenever I read a book that is translated, I can't help noticing the translation as well as what the author is trying to say (I would have liked to be a translater) and occasionally you could not help noticing this one. Mostly, Flora Drew (the translater) managed to retain the artistry and poetry of the story, but there were a few sore thumbs. One I remember is "more narrow streets" that I thought should have been "narrower". Another was something to do with "cops" – who on earth says cops? I never think it works very well to translate into slang because we all have our personal set of slang expressions so any that we don't use introduce jarring notes that proper English would avoid.

[Halber Kapitel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ma Jian erzählt scheinbar lakonisch von einem dreijährigen Fussmarsch durch ein sich wandelndes China der 80er. Sinnsuche, Flucht, Tricksereien, Armut und Gastfreundschaft. Er beherrscht die Kunst der Auslassung, weshalb meine Phantasie viel Raum zum Atmen hat. So ist „Red Dust“ nicht nur eine Abfolge starker Miniaturen, sondern am Ende, beim Verlassen des tibetischen Hochlands, ein eigener Trip in eine mir unendlich fremde Welt, den ich mit ähnlich klopfenden Herzen beenden konnte wie als Junge die Abenteuerbücher von Jack London oder Jules Verne.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A candid glimpse into post-Cultural-Revolution China. Unfortunately, the English translation could have used a better copy editor.

[Kelly Furniss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ma Jian has come to a difficult point where he is struggling with life. His wife has left him, taking their daughter, his employers are critical and so he decides to leave everything and discover his China by bus, foot & train.
This is quite a personal book about self discovery but I’m not quite sure he found exactly what he was looking for.
Some parts held my attention but others I felt bogged down with.
Certainly if you have a wish to learn about China it’s worth a read.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

as you might expect, themes and emotions run to peaks and valleys in this story, but by the end the most unexpected thing that i took away from it was the insight of ever-evolving episodes of and musings on friends, longevity, inevitability, persistence, and spirituality. it's interesting to follow ma's logic and reasoning as they balance, repel and retreat from one another. extreme situations threaten his physical safety and most of his relationships, and his perceptions and reactions to these situations are telling. what they lead to, and what the book leads to, is ma's conclusions about his own life, what his physical and spiritual journey have amounted to, and what that means in the grander scheme.

forgive my vagueness. without becoming too longwinded, the point i wish to make is that this is not simply great travel literature, but a great example of one version of living with the (goddamn) human condition.

[Terry94705 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for anyone with an interest in China! It’s correct to compare Ma to Kerouac: he’s a young man, on the road looking for himself— and for adventure: half anthropologist, half rascal. But more than that it’s a travelogue through a world that is probably irrevocably changed, if not gone. He’s traveling through poor and frequently minority villages in a moment after the cultural revolution and just as the open door policies are radically changing life in cities and countryside. The descriptions of people and poverty in the western lands are particularly gripping. Like Kerouac he’s an asshole at times, but his raw and poetic descriptions are magnificent.

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stunner from Ma Jian. His writing always sucks me in, it's hypnotic and intoxicating. Whether or not everything in this incredible book actually happened, the results are astonishing, shocking, moving, beautiful. Essential for anyone interested in China.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read which follows Ma Jian journey across China in the 1980s.

He left his home in Beijing after trouble with the police and essentially went off grid. He used the journey to explore China and discover more about his home country. I learnt a lot and was continuously searching locations he was visiting.

I found the beginning a little boring and I felt it could have been cut down. But once his journey began, I got through the book quickly.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find I'm not a big fan of modern Chinese books translated into English. I've enjoyed classical, 19th and early 20th century Chinese stories translated into English. I like modern Chinese authors who write in English or French. But I've yet to find a modern chinese book that I really like. I was quite dissapointed in this book. It had been advertised as the Chinese On the Road, two of my favourite things combined. But unfortunately it wasn't. The author, Ma Jian, was kinda the anti-Kerouac. Instead of going around and digging everything, seeing the beauty in everyone and everything, Ma seemed to hate everything and everyone. He seemed to have no appreciation for the places he was visiting. Which as places I would give almost anything to be able to see I found particularly upsetting. He went to the caves and Dunhuang and didn't get them. He mentioned in one paragraph how he'd gone to the Imperial burial grounds for Wu Zetian, and all he said was he tried to pee on her burial mound and the wind blew it back in his face. (Which made me happy Wu Zetian 1, Ma Jian 0). He seemed to scorn the people he stayed with, seeing them as backward and bragging about the "advances" and westernisation of Beijing. He seemed to hate the communists, but was a member of the communist party working in their propaganda department. He disliked that his friends did nothing to attempt to change anything, but he did nothing either. He came across as a very dull, self obsessed and self righteous man. There were little glimpses into China in the early 80s that were quite interesting. I learned that Deng Xiaoping had originally declared anyone caught listening to Deng Lijun would face 5 years in prison, which was later revoked. There were a lot of references to Deng Lijun in fact which made me happy. But overall the book was rather dull and frustrating.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book with the thought that it might provide me with a way of understanding what it is like to live and work in a country where the culture is so very different from my own. The book certainly did that, but it also provided the opportunity to travel through China with a companion who is amusing with a strong intellectual curiosity.

The journey through China is an escape for Ma Jian, who has found that his life in Beijing has become very uncomfortable, not only because of the breakdown in his marriage, but also because his ideas and friendships are starting to attract the attention of the authorities.

Ma Jian is an unsentimental observer; throughout his travels his descriptions of the people that he meets and the places that he visits are detailed and have the sense of being painfully honest, but are often compassionate. The lack of sentiment gives the descriptions a sense of realism; this is China without the tourism spin and is all the more fascinating because of the plain speaking.

I really didn't want the book to end - I know that I will read it again with even more pleasure. If you have an interest in China this book will inform you (bearing in mind that it was written in the 1980's) and give you the opportunity to experience various aspects of life there. I think that the translation has also proved how important it is to have a translator who is also a fine writer. There is never a sense of a third person intruding between the writer and the reader. I would highly recommend this book both as travel writing and autobiography.

[L L · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems fitting that I should be writing this review (having just finished the book), while riding a high speed train line from Xiamen to Shanghai, a contrast to the time of Ma Jian's travel in the late 70s and early 80s.

I don't often find myself drawn to travelogues. When I chose to read the book, I didn't realize that would be its style, and didn't realize the book was based on Ma Jian's actual journeys (though I assumed that it was closely based on actual experiences). I found myself unexpectedly enjoying the book. As I travel through a few major cities in China in 2018, and encounter a rather sanitized version of China-- migrant workers slowly sent back home, sanitation workers properly uniformed, broken down buildings torn down, dirtied building facades stuccoed or cleaned, anti-jaywalking barriers, and more ordered lines--- it feels as though some essence of China is lost. (Though it could be argued, that I am merely romanticizing what was poverty). Ma Jian's book captures the old China that I recall when I heard my parents' stories, and when I stumbled around China back in 1993 and 1994, and even later in the early 2000s.

Ma Jian travels at the end of the Cultural Revolution, and the beginning of China opening up under Deng Xiaoping. Ma Jian's writings captures a country in movement-- yet at different rates, from the rural countryside that may have yet to hear what has happened, to ShenZhen, one of the first special economic zones where alot of the initial burgeoning activity started. His book reads more as a series of vignettes and snapshots of people and places he encounters-- kindness, cruelty, shifting hopes and desires as China begins to open up. Particularly touching are the kind acts of strangers who house Ma Jian, care for him, and feed him, despite how little those people may have. Others who relocated to remote locations during the Cultural Revolution and have chosen to stay, despite the challenges of living there.

The book is also a spiritual journey. Ma Jian, disillusioned by communist, becomes Buddhist and eventually hopes to go to Tibet and find some clarity or awakening there. And the book is absorbed in his reflections on this path.

There are several notable themes in the book: the spiritual vacuousness in China, a decisive conclusion that the Chinese do not belong in Tibet, and some highlighting of the diversity of practices among ethnic minorities in China.

"The authorities talk about reform but they have no intention of political control. Political freedom gives one a sense of self. Economic freedom encourages greed. If one has the latter without the former, then society becomes warped and this can be very dangerous."

"It's easy to be kind when you are poor. I've met a lot of kind people in my travels, but the cost of their kindness is exclusion from the outside world. As soon as a road is built, the kindness vanishes."

[Vanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ma Ťien se za ty roky propracoval suverénně na vrchol mého pomyslného žebříčku čínských autorů. Moc bych si přála, aby jeho knihy vycházely i v českých překladech, neznám žádného jiného čínského autora, který by čtenáře dokázal zavést do tolika pro nás nedostupných zákoutí současné Číny – bere nás s sebou skutečně do míst, kam bychom se nikdy nedostali, ne tak, jako on, mladý čínský bohém, deptaný rigidností a absurditou systému, do něhož se narodil a který je ochotný se ušpinit a žít jako vagabund, vlézt do každého stanu, chatrče či díry, která se mu namane a o všem nám pak vyprávět. O čtvrt století později se Ma Ťien opět vydal na cestu a nasbíral materiál na svůj fantastický román The Dark Road . Je to úžasný autor a zasloužil by si u nás víc pozornosti.

Red Dust se odehrává v osmdesátých letech a musím říct, že mi to, až na čínská specifika, neskutečně připomínalo vzpomínky českých bohémů a disidentů. První zhruba pětina knihy nás uvádí do tehdejší doby a je to fascinující čtení. Ostatně jako i zbytek knihy. No dobře, co si budeme namlouvat, prostě číst Ma Ťienovy vzpomínky a nahlédnout mu trochu do hlavy pro mě byla radost, takový ten univerzální pocit spřízněnosti, sounáležitosti, který pocítíte vůči jiné lidské bytosti, když se vám svěří s nicotnými intimnostmi svého života a které vám rezonují s těmi vašimi.

Ma Ťien popisuje, co jej vlastně vedlo k tomu, aby se na cestu vydal a i své putování líčí značně netradičně, už jen proto, že ani on se nechová jako standardní poutník – cestou podvádí, pere se, využívá naivity svého okolí, a přesto mu to nemáte ani za mák za zlé. Vidí krásu, ale vidí i realitu – rozpadající se památky a vylidňující se vesnice a městečka. Setkává se s lidmi všeho druhu, bloudí pouští, okukuje děvčata, přivydělává si pro mě zcela absurdními způsoby (to by se v socialistickém Československu skutečně nestalo :)), musím říct, že u některých pasážích jeho cestopisu jsem se skutečně bavila. Ano, čtete dobře – cestopisu, Ma Ťien za svou knihu roku 2002 obdržel Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, své první ocenění.

Ma Ťien věří, že je nejvíc třeba psát o tom, co se totalitní režim nejvíc snaží ututlat. V důsledku toho jsou jeho knihy naprosto děsivé - jako světlometem se zaměřuje na nejtemnější a nejnelidštější stránky současné Číny, naprosto záměrně vytahuje na světlo kostlivce, kteří měli v čínské komunistické skříni zůstat navždy hluboko pohřbeni. A ti kostlivci hnijí a odpadává z nich maso. A jsou prolezlí červy a larvami. No, máte představu, jak může na člověka střetnutí s Ma Ťienovou Čínou působit. Nemůžu tvrdit, že by mě četba jeho knih uváděla do deprese, ale pokaždé mě dokonale rozhodí. Red Dust je jiná. Ne že by si autor bral servítky či cokoli (včetně vlastního konání) přikrašloval, nicméně popisuje svoje tříleté putování Čínou a za tu dobu viděl i řadu krásných míst a potkal mnoho zajímavých lidí. Musím říct, že se mi velice hodilo, že jsem knihu četla v elektronické podobě: když Ma Ťien později v textu zmiňuje, co kdo z jeho známých dělal mezitím, mohla jsem si jejich jména ve čtečce vyhledat a připomenout si kontext – kolikrát jsem se dost podivila :)

Svou cestu završil v Tibetu, a to, co zde viděl, mu způsobilo takový šok, že se z toho později potřeboval vypsat – tak vznikla jeho prvotina, sbírka povídek Stick Out Your Tongue , která mu v zápětí vysloužila odsouzení v rámci kampaně proti duchovnímu znečištění, která probíhala od října 1983 do prosince 1983. Ma Ťien se dostal na seznam zakázaných autorů a na pevninské Číně už si ani neškrtl.

Red Dust je podle mě z jeho knih asi nejhravější, nejosobnější a i nejpřátelštější, takže vám ji neváhám vřele doporučit.

***

„‘China is a black hole, I want to dive into it. I don’t know where I am going, I just know I had to leave. Everything I was I carry with me, everything I will be lies waiting on the road ahead. I want to think on my feet, live on the run.“

...

„I am not looking for ideas. I just felt confused about life, and thought travel might clear my mind. I still know so little about this country. If you want to write about society, you need to see the whole picture.“

[penelopewanders]

I thought this was here at the end of a bookcrossing ray, so I put it on the TBR shelf and forgot about it. It seems there is someone after me now, so I picked it up and am glad I did.
In some ways it reminds me of a book I read recently ( "How we survived communism and even laughed" by Slavenka Drakulic) but as that was mainly about Yugoslavia, it was far less alien to me than this. I can't really say "I had no idea", because of course in the West we heard things, but this journey through China by a photographer/artist/journalist was quite the eye-opener for me. On one level it was amazing to read about the terrific diversity in landscape, climate and culture. The book about Yugoslavia was written by a woman and this story would be unthinkable for a woman to have experienced, as the gender divide, at least at the time this was written remains a chasm in China. Thought provoking and somewhat chilling.

[Lawrence Colbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much a travel book as it is a confrontation with an existential crisis. Ma Jians journey is harsh and at times borders on feral. He nearly dies several times (dude stop trying to walk across deserts).

Ma Jians experience of Deng Xiaoping's China is communicative in a very personal and indirect way. Dissident, but in the way a hobo drifter forgoes the world, rather than like a clever literati. Absorbed me in a way few books have.

[Rono · Rating 5 out of 5]

In early 80s in China, when not so many years had passed after chairman Mao’s death and the horrors of cultural revolution were still fresh in memory, communist marching songs remained the soundtrack of many rural towns. At the same time, the cities were already undergoing big changes, as Hong Kong popstars were secretly played through cassette players and uniformed partymembers were gradually replaced by suitewearing businessmen. It was a perfect time for a rebelling artist from Beijing to hit the road and look for Buddhist enlightenment in the most remote and forgotten parts of China. After almost getting killed several times in the desert, jungle, and mountains for various reasons, the author finally arrives at the destination: an excellent travel book, worth all the trouble at least from reader’s perspective.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would likely give it a 3.5 if there was an option. It was engaging to read and did keep wanting to follow the story, although I read it just in stops and starts; it’s easy to pick up and put down but it wasn’t the book that I needed to read every day to find out what would happen next.

It’s not a book I would read a second time but I enjoyed.

[Darryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great insight into areas of China that many people of China don’t even know about! Found it extremely interesting to way life was in the country during the mid-80s, how it was changing and comparing to how it is now. Fascinating, truthful read of China and would recommend.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really cool reading about his travels while traveling to the same places myself. I was naive to expect my travels here to be similar to his… it’s crazy how much has changed in just 40 years. Thanks for the book, Tischer!<3

[Patrickmarsh_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* - good read, but by no means amazing. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed getting to know the author Ma Jian, and hearing about his weird and disturbing goings on as he travelled China, and the fact I’m soon travelling China myself means it was a fascinating historical and cultural exploration of the country. But at times I felt his writing lacked any clear chronological path or narrative, it was more a jumble of disconnected stories, and too many names and characters he hardy explored but spoke often about. As he himself is a self proclaimed poet, I think his writing was too abstract and self absorbed, which came off as a bit grandiose and arrogant to me at times. Maybe I just didn’t like Ma Jian, and that has skewed my opinion slightly.

Anyway, a good book, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it unless you want to find out more about China. Bits I found particularly fascinating/disturbing include the leprosy camp, the opium rehab centres, the deserts of inner Mongolia, and the exploration of Tibetan / buddhist culture at the end. Some beautiful moments thinking back!

[Anikon N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this book up by accident and it turned out to be a little gem.

[Zora · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Gopal MS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second Ma Jian book, one after another. I am going to pick up the third one even though I have 10 other books waiting to be read or finished. He writes like a machine gun.

[Sally Doe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in parallel with Wild Swans in preparation for a trip to China. It starts about where Wild Swans finishes, and follows Ma Jian on his journey around China to find himself (or find himself some women!). An interesting and sometimes startling insight into China.

[Sephreadstoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nel 1983 la vita di Ma Jian è alla deriva: tra relazioni fallite e insofferenza alla propaganda, si ritrova nel mirino del regime. Per ritrovare l'ispirazione e sé stesso, decide di lasciare Pechino e viaggiare attraverso la Cina.

Zaino in spalla, senza quasi un soldo, senza esperienza nel viaggiare (tipo che persino si avventura nel deserto del Gobi in pieno giorno con solo una bottiglietta d'acqua), Ma Jian si arma di intraprendenza e grazie alla generosità del suo circolo di amici, cercherà di raggiungere il Tibet.

Più che un viaggio, è un vagabondaggio: il percorso non è lineare, ma tortuoso, e arriverà in Tibet solo nell'ultimo capitolo del libro. Il Tibet sarà poi approfondito in un altro suo libro, "Tira fuori la lingua", i cui crudi racconti gli costeranno la censura e l'esilio.

"Polvere rossa" è una Cina multietnica, un meraviglioso, seppur poco approfondito, affresco delle minoranze etniche cinesi, un inno alle bellezze naturali e monumenti storici, una critica aspra al regime e alla censura. La sua particolarità è proprio essere un viaggio di un cinese nella sua stessa madrepatria attraverso gli occhi curiosi di chi l'ha vissuta ma la vuole ancora scoprire.

"Lessi 'Il sogno della camera rossa' quando avevo 16 anni (...) A tutti noi piacerebbe vivere la vita in un sogno, ma poi il sogno va in frantumi, ci svegliamo e scopriamo che quella era la polvere rossa dell'illusione."

è un fuori catalogo, purtroppo, ma se lo trovate, leggetelo!

[Robbie Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ma Jian is a Han Chinese, he moves through the Chinese countryside searching for adventure. However, life in seventies and eighties China is not easy, can he make it?

Along the way he meets new friends, lovers and would be assailants. Sometimes he is the crook and sometimes he gets crooked, a wild time.