The Dragon's Village: An Autobiographical Novel of Revolutionary China

Beautiful story about the land Reform, and its social and political consequences in the countryside (1949-1950). I was really taken in the story. So many struggles, so many difficult moments between the members of the community. I wish I know what happened to them later on with the new change of policies.If you're interested in China, and the changes just after the arrival of the Communists, this book gives an excellent if course non exhaustive point of view on the events from a small village in Northwest China. It is rare to have an semi-autobiographical account of this time.

This is required for school. Book came very quick and in great condition for a used book.now I hope the book is interesting.

okay book

As in so many countries around the world, China's landlords of the early and mid-20th century---a small minority---owned most of their country's land while the majority held little or none. Taking advantage of the wealth and power land ownership gave them, the rich landowners exploited the villagers in their grasp in every conceivable way, while sometimes living a life of luxury and cultured ease behind the walls of their extensive compounds. Even in dirt poor, remote areas, far inland, the landlords' life bore no resemblance to the life of the mass of peasants. In some countries with such unequal distributions of wealth or land, change came gradually (western Europe)or with a foreign occupation (Japan), but in China change was suddenly imposed after the victory of the Chinese Communist Party in 1949. This process has been described very vividly by William Hinton in "Fanshen" and "Iron Oxen", as well as by Jan Myrdal in "Report from a Chinese Village". Almost overnight (historically speaking), land was confiscated from landlords and redistributed among the destitute, often-starved peasants and laborers. Clothes, food supplies, and other property were also shared out. Violence, petty local politics, and injustices inevitably played a role in such a vast, far-reaching transformation for alas, people are always people, no matter what color flag they wave. Still, without the destruction of the conservative class of landlords that sat atop the country like vultures, the modern China we see flowering (or moving, at least) in a million directions today would probably never have appeared. China might now resemble more an enormous Philippines or Egypt.THE DRAGON'S VILLAGE provides an ant's eye view of this major event in human history, an event seldom thought about outside China now. It is the semi-autobiographical tale of one bourgeois girl's journey to a poor, remote village in Gansu province to assist in the land reform. While lyrically descriptive at times, the girl's own lack of understanding or perspective prevents us from thinking in a wide fashion about the whole process. We read and perhaps realize in a very concrete way what individual cadres might have gone through at the time. The story struck me as extremely honest with little attempt to write about anything not personally experienced. While interesting from a social, historical, or political point of view, I would not call THE DRAGON'S VILLAGE great literature. Anti-climax follows anti-climax, the end is disappointingly flat. I believe that such an ending reflects reality, but art forms need not imitate life so exactly. The author does not explore her personal trials and tribulations in a reflective manner, leaving us wondering what she felt ultimately. In sum, for a historical moment of such excitement and importance, the novel is amazingly mild. We appreciate the barren landscapes of northwestern China in winter, the descriptions of poverty and suspicion of the peasants. However, the transformation process and meaning of the resistance to it are seriously underplayed. I would recommend this book for university (or even high school) classes on the Chinese Revolution.

Very heartwarming book, makes anyone appreciate life. Don't take advantage of anything! Full of usefull information, we need to inspire.

Good.

Ling Ling lives a life of privilege in China. She lives with her aunt and uncle, who throw parties for the wealthy and powerful set. All around them, they hear that the good life is coming to an end for people like them, that Communism is sweeping the country, and that things will never be the same.Ling Ling gets swept up into the excitement. When a friend from school asks if she can hide from the police for the night, she says yes, and suddenly she's questioning her upbringing and beliefs. Her aunt flees to Hong Kong, but her uncle tries to stay put a little longer. Soon he must leave too, and Ling Ling decides to stay and see what will become of this new nation.She joins a group of land reform workers, whose job is to go out into the country, examine the land deeds of the landlords, and redistribute the land. Landlords will lose their wealth and status, and the peasants will be empowered.Except that things aren't quite that simple. Reading this book, I have the benefit of hindsight. I could tell how naive Ling Ling is, how little she really knows of farming or of poverty, how little she understands human nature. All too soon, she finds that things are much more complicated than she imagines. There are tragedies along with occasional triumphs. Ling Ling learns more about herself than she imagined, and finds that she is capable of being independent.I really enjoyed this book. I was anticipating a tragic end, but I was pleased to see that that wasn't the case, at least not completely. I found myself wanting to read more, to see what happens to the villagers Ling Ling meets and befriends. The title calls this an 'autobiographical novel', and I would love to know more about the author. The only notes in my edition say that the author was also a land reform worker, and I really want to know how much of her experiences are reflected in the book. I would recommend this to anyone who could find a copy. I found it very enlightening and a good story besides.

I found this at a library book sale and thought it looked interesting. Was it ever! First off, the writing is exquisite. The story unfolds beautifully and is rich with memorable characters and some unforgettable settings. Then there's the context; the Cultural Revolution. In modern China they say that "Mao was 70% right." The ambiguities and contradictions that contribute to that sentiment are vividly brought to life by the experiences of the main character, while the author always leaves it to the reader to arrive at opinions. Also explored in this indirect way are the changing roles of women during the revolution. Finally, the story is like a journey to be savored rather than a destination to be reached, so one should keep that in mind lest they be disappointed when it comes to an end.