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Colors of the Mountain (1999)

de Da Chen

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5431344,099 (3.8)14
I was born in southern China in 1962, in the tiny town of Yellow Stone. They called it the Year of Great Starvation. In 1962, as millions of Chinese citizens were gripped by Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and the Red Guards enforced a brutal regime of communism, a boy was born to a poor family in southern China. This family--the Chens--had once been respected landlords in the village of Yellow Stone, but now they were among the least fortunate families in the country, despised for their capitalist past. Grandpa Chen couldn't leave the house for fear of being beaten to death; the children were spit upon in the street; and their father was regularly hauled off to labor camps, leaving the family of eight without a breadwinner. Da Chen, the youngest child, seemed destined for a life of poverty, shame, and hunger. But winning humor and an indomitable spirit can be found in the most unexpected places. Colors of the Mountain is a story of triumph, a memoir of a boyhood full of spunk, mischief, and love. The young Da Chen is part Horatio Alger, part Holden Caul-field; he befriends a gang of young hoodlums as well as the elegant, elderly Chinese Baptist woman who teaches him English and opens the door to a new life. Chen's remarkable story is full of unforgettable scenes of rural Chinese life: feasting on oysters and fried peanuts on New Year's Day, studying alongside classmates who wear red armbands and quote Mao, and playing and working in the peaceful rice fields near his village. Da Chen's story is both captivating and endearing, filled with the universal human quality that distinguishes the very best memoirs. It proves once again that the concerns of childhood transcendtime and place. From the Hardcover edition.… (mais)
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I read this a decade ago. So the only thing I remember besides that it's about a young boy growing up in communist China, is that I really liked it. And I am not someone who like everything they read. ( )
  juliais_bookluvr | Mar 9, 2023 |
Not as Intense as Other Cultural Revolution Memoirs

Compared with other memoirs of youth during the Cultural Revolution, "Colors of the Mountain" is rather tame. It is the story of a boy growing up in rural China, struggling to make friends and pursue artistic interests.

The book starts with the death of Chen's grandfather and the school-yard bullying he experienced because he came from a rich family whose land and capital was taken away when the communists took over. Chen was an excellent student who did not have many friends. While his brothers and sisters toiled away in collective fields, Chen's family decided he would continue past middle school in order to have a better life. He took an interest in the music as he reached high school. He made friends with a small gang of gambling and smoking delinquents who buoyed his spirits, encouraging him to continue his education so that he could be successful. In high school, he played violin for a local theatrical troupe, causing him to temporarily ignore his studies. Because of his father's connections, Chen takes private English classes from a rich woman. When Chen learns that the families of landowners will be allowed to apply for college, he and a chain-smoking friend spend a year rededicating themselves to studies in order to apply.

The worst problems Chen faces are schoolyard fights and teachers ignoring him. The tension of studying for college exams in the last third of the book was caused by Chen himself because of he essentially dropped out of high school to play violin. This is a change from most memoirs of the Cultural Revolution where children are completely separated from their parents, are extremely malnourished, and experience tremendous upheaval. Memoirs of adults describe nightmarish situations. In comparison, "Colors of the Mountain" is very tame. At times, the book is even bucolic, describing a part of the world where people bicycle between towns, spend vacations at lazy factories, and watch farmers working in the fields. Chen had many enjoyable adventures, traveling to island communes, going to larger cities with his friends to watch movies, and becoming a member of the theatrical troupe. Of course, while Chen lived in relative comfort, the people around him no doubt suffered even more.

Chen does not spend energy describing political events and upheaval. The one exception is his desire at the beginning of the book to be a member of the Red Guard. Perhaps this is because those political movements had enormous effects in cities but rarely spread to the countryside.

The book is very well written. It is easy to read. Although it was written in English, Chen has "idiomized" Chinese into English, using English phrases to reconstruct conversation rather than directly translating the Chinese. Although it got a little slow describing his intense study sessions toward the end of the book, "Colors of the Mountain" is well-written, generally moving quickly with a focus on pushing the narrative. ( )
  mvblair | Aug 9, 2020 |
Da Chen - you added colour to the grey world of Mao.

A memoir giving fascinating insight into the changes in rural China during and after Mao's reign. The story flows well and couples with the aspects of life that appear unique to western readers but were commonplace to tens of millions of Chinese. With new and breathtaking subject matter it is difficult to be objective about the writing. The irresistible rythm seemed to drop off in the last quarter and loses the fifth star from this reviewer. ( )
  Ruby_Barnes | Aug 25, 2011 |
Het verhaal van de zoon van een voormalig landeigenaar. Hij wordt bespot, gaat om met een clubje halve criminelen maar gaat aan het einde van de culturele revolutie hard aan de slag om het toelatingsexamen voor de universiteit te halen. Mooi geschreven boek dat me pakte, vooral ook omdat de schrijver (3 jaar ouder dan ik) zo'n totaal andere start in zijn leven heeft gehad. ( )
  marcx | Jun 19, 2011 |
This autobiographical account of growing up during the cultural revolution is much more "human" than many others of this genre. ( )
  theodote | Jan 6, 2009 |
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To Grandpa, for your smiling eyes;
to Grandma, for your big feeding spoon.
To my mother: you are all things beautiful;
and my father: you are forever.
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I was born in southern China in 1962, in the tiny town of Yellow Stone.
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I was born in southern China in 1962, in the tiny town of Yellow Stone. They called it the Year of Great Starvation. In 1962, as millions of Chinese citizens were gripped by Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and the Red Guards enforced a brutal regime of communism, a boy was born to a poor family in southern China. This family--the Chens--had once been respected landlords in the village of Yellow Stone, but now they were among the least fortunate families in the country, despised for their capitalist past. Grandpa Chen couldn't leave the house for fear of being beaten to death; the children were spit upon in the street; and their father was regularly hauled off to labor camps, leaving the family of eight without a breadwinner. Da Chen, the youngest child, seemed destined for a life of poverty, shame, and hunger. But winning humor and an indomitable spirit can be found in the most unexpected places. Colors of the Mountain is a story of triumph, a memoir of a boyhood full of spunk, mischief, and love. The young Da Chen is part Horatio Alger, part Holden Caul-field; he befriends a gang of young hoodlums as well as the elegant, elderly Chinese Baptist woman who teaches him English and opens the door to a new life. Chen's remarkable story is full of unforgettable scenes of rural Chinese life: feasting on oysters and fried peanuts on New Year's Day, studying alongside classmates who wear red armbands and quote Mao, and playing and working in the peaceful rice fields near his village. Da Chen's story is both captivating and endearing, filled with the universal human quality that distinguishes the very best memoirs. It proves once again that the concerns of childhood transcendtime and place. From the Hardcover edition.

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