The Long March - The True History of Commnist China's Founding Myth

Zusatztext In The Long March ! Sun Shuyun uncovers the true story behind the mythic march of Mao's soldiers across China! exposing the famine! disease! and desertion behind the legend. In 1934! in the midst of civil war! the Communist party and its 200!000 soldiers were forced from their bases by Chiang Kai-shek and his Nationalist troops. Led by Mao Tse Tung! they set off on a strategic retreat to the barren north of China! thousands of miles away. As Sun Shuyun travels along the march route! her interviews with survivors and villagers show that the forces at work during the days of the revolution – poverty! sickness! and Mao's use of terror! propaganda! and ruthless purges – have shaped modern China irrevocably. Uncovering the forced recruitment! political infighting! and futile deaths behind the myth! Shuyun creates a compelling narrative of a turning point in modern Chinese history! and a fascinating journey that spans China! old and new. “An account that shows the human cost of Mao's revisionism.” — The New Yorker "Sun's history quietly stands the official Long March on its head." — The Christian Science Monitor “An affecting and insightful book! one that illuminates not only China's recent past but also manages to throw some light on its equally murky present.” —Pankaj Mishra! The Spectator Informationen zum Autor Sun Shuyun Klappentext In The Long March , Sun Shuyun uncovers the true story behind the mythic march of Mao's soldiers across China, exposing the famine, disease, and desertion behind the legend.In 1934, in the midst of civil war, the Communist party and its 200,000 soldiers were forced from their bases by Chiang Kai-shek and his Nationalist troops. Led by Mao Tse Tung, they set off on a strategic retreat to the barren north of China, thousands of miles away. As Sun Shuyun travels along the march route, her interviews with survivors and villagers show that the forces at work during the days of the revolution - poverty, sickness, and Mao's use of terror, propaganda, and ruthless purges - have shaped modern China irrevocably. Uncovering the forced recruitment, political infighting, and futile deaths behind the myth, Shuyun creates a compelling narrative of a turning point in modern Chinese history, and a fascinating journey that spans China, old and new.1 * DRAIN THE POND TO CATCH THE FISH I’m sending you to the Army my man, You must see the reason why The Revolution is for us. I’m sending you to do or die. Here’s a towel I've embroidered With all my love to say: Revolution for ever! The Party you must not betray! The song pierced the silence of Shi Village, which nestled at the foot of a hill covered in thick bamboo groves. It was mid–October, 1935, in Jiangxi Province, southern China. The autumn harvest was already in and the land surrounding the village was yellow with the stubble of rice stalks, but some fields stood as if wasted, with grass sprouting in the dried–out paddy, already turning brown. A few water buffalo were plodding home, only stopping when they came to their favorite place, the village pond, where they drank, ducks and geese swam, children bathed, women washed their clothes, and men asked one another about their day. Nearby stood the giant camphor tree, whose overhanging branches gave ample shelter from the rain and intense heat of the South. Today the water buffalo had the pond to themselves, and only the village ancestor shrine opposite showed signs of life, but not with pious prayers and hypnotic chants offered to the ancestors: only the revolutionary song calling on young men to join the Red Army. Through the imposing entrance topped by grey–tiled eaves, boys carrying spears rushed in and out, looking solemn, as if they had been entrusted with the most important task of their lives. Two young women were putti...

Product details

• Authors: Sun Shuyun
• Publisher: Anchor Books USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 06.05.2008
• EAN: 9780307278319
• ISBN: 978-0-307-27831-9
• No. of pages: 304
• Dimensions: 130 mm x 203 mm x 15 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Non-fiction book