Ange Zhang,
Red Land, Yellow River: A Story From the Cultural Revolution.
Groundbook Books, 2004

Rating: E*

This Governor General Award nomination for text (English) is Ange Zhang's autobiography of his childhood in China, when Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution violently swept through. Ange's life was drastically changed. His family was torn apart, friendships were destroyed; survival and outward displays of dedication to Mao and the Red Guard became the obsession. Ange's pride in his family - specially his father, a renowned poet - was challenged when his father was publicly humiliated and labeled a counter-revolutionary.

As a result, the family's possessions were destroyed, their books locked away and their freedom of thought and expression forbidden. Ange's parents, and later his brother and sister, were sent away to labour camps. His aunt, a teacher, was unable to cope with the anger and hatred exhibited towards her by her students and committed suicide. Ange, in his desperation to escape his alienation and become a member of the Red Guard, shaved his head and changed his name. He then faced the harsh reality of the violent side of the revolution.

At 15 Zhang was sent to the countryside to learn farming. Academics continued to be forgotten, as service to the good of the country was the priority, and blind obedience to the cause of communism was necessary. There Ange toiled for years until a chance encounter with a friend's forbidden art supplies inspired his journey to become a visual artist - an artist like his father.

Ange's wonderful illustrations accentuate and extend the text. This is a fantastic book filled with emotionally poignant artwork, family photos, and narrative and non-fiction text. The audience is compelled to become immersed in the story.

Ange brings to life the Cultural Revolution and gives a human voice to this bleak time in China's history. He realistically presents his experiences through the eyes of a child - as he experienced them. The presentation of his desperation to fit in with peers - at times at odds with his family's ideas - will appeal to and resonate with the teenage audience. This book would make a wonderful addition to a library collection.

Thematic Links: Autobiography, World History, China, Cultural Revolution, Oppression, Communism, Art.

Anne Hatcher
Vol. 10, number 3
February 2005

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Avarage, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.