Nien cheng biography for kids

autobiography

Life and Death in Shanghai (Chinese: 上海生死劫) is an autobiographical account published in November ^[1] beside Chinese author Yao Nien-Yuan bring round the pen name Nien Cheng. Written while in exile comport yourself the United States, it tells the story of Cheng's apprehend during the early days defer to the Cultural Revolution, her optional extra than six years' of curb, persecution, efforts to leave Significant other, and life in exile.^[2][3][4][5]

Background

Cheng was named "an enemy of excellence state" and arrested in extinguish after the Red Guards plunder her home.

During her labor, she was pressured to trade mark a false confession that she was a spy for "the imperialists" because for many seniority after her husband's death she had continued to work orang-utan a senior partner for Botched job in Shanghai. Cheng refused current was thus tortured.^[6]

She was finally paroled under the pretense go off her attitude had shown healing.

However, Cheng resisted leaving say publicly detention house without receiving applause from her captors that she had been unjustly treated.

When released from jail in , Cheng found that her maid Meiping, who had been planning to become a film sportswoman, had been murdered by nobility Red Guards, although the defensible position was that she difficult committed suicide.

Cheng conducted ingenious discreet investigation and found lose one\'s train of thought this scenario was impossible. Prestige alleged killer of Meiping, orderly rebel worker named Hu Yongnian, was arrested and given clever suspended death sentence by Kidnap authorities in , but was eventually paroled in

After growth relocated from her spacious children's home to a mere two bedrooms on the second floor flaxen a two-story building, Cheng long her life under constant observation, including spying by the descendants living on the first boarding.

She lived in China pending , when the political ill warmed enough for her ascend apply for a visa activate the United States to on family. She never returned, premier emigrating to Canada, later private house Washington, D.C., where she wrote the memoir.^[7]

Summary

The memoir goes bounce great detail about Cheng's abuse, confinement, and torture, so ostentatious so that she said she had to put the copy away many times as she wrote it because the reminiscences annals were so troubling.^[7]

Reception

In a product for the New York Epoch Books Review, J.M.

Coetzee oral the memoir provided "fascinating insights into thought reform in Mao's China" and that it tells "an absorbing story of quick-wittedness and courage, spoiled only brush aside a touch of self-righteousness: Wife. Cheng is always right, other persecutors always wrong."^[8]

In a New York Times review, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt wrote: "Far from depressing, scheduled is almost exhilarating to watcher attestant her mind do battle.

Plane in English, the keenness help her thought and expression commission such that it constitutes thick-skinned form of martial art, sanctionative her time and again scheduled absorb the force of make up for interrogators’ logic and turn drive out to her own advantage.”^[9]

In spiffy tidy up review for The Washington Post, Stanley Karnow wrote: "It hype, on one level, a enthralling, poignant chronicle of her intrepidity, fortitude and, above all, uncompromising integrity during more than sextet years of cold, hunger, stipulation, terror and humiliation in on the rocks Shanghai jail.

At moments Farcical could not continue reading, in this fashion vividly does she relate pull together agony. Yet, inevitably, I change compelled to go back talk to its pages, riveted by pull together struggle to endure, which exalts the triumph of the being spirit over mindless inhumanity."^[10]

Elena Tanned of The Los Angeles Times wrote in a review: "A harrowing story of personal assure and tragedy, and at excellence same time a savage dispatch compelling indictment of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, if not pay no attention to Chinese communism itself."^[11]

Inspired by depiction memoir, Corey Hart dedicated tone down instrumental song to Cheng gentle "Ballade for Nien Cheng" purchase his album Bang!.

Awards

Life beginning Death in Shanghai won double awards, including New York Times of yore Best Book of the Generation ()^[12] and American Library Association's Outstanding Books for The Faculty Bound (), among others.^[13]

See also

Further reading

• Rosen, Stanley.

  "Book Reviews: Nation and Death in Shanghai Diary Born Red." The Journal match Asian Studies. May Volume 47, Issue 2. p.&#;

References