Red Dust
A Path Through China
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · Print & ebook · November 12, 2002
In 1983, at the age of thirty, dissident artist Ma Jian finds himself divorced by his wife, separated from his daughter, betrayed by his girlfriend, facing arrest for “Spiritual Pollution,” and severely disillusioned with the confines of life in Beijing.
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- Who it’s for
- A restless journey through China finds disillusionment, stark contrasts, and unexpected havens of calm.
- Themes
- Travel through China, Political repression, Disillusionment with life in Beijing
- Genres
- China Travel, Personal Memoirs, Travel Writing
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Start with this bookAbout this book
In 1983, at the age of thirty, dissident artist Ma Jian finds himself divorced by his wife, separated from his daughter, betrayed by his girlfriend, facing arrest for “Spiritual Pollution,” and severely disillusioned with the confines of life in Beijing. So with little more than a change of clothes and two bars of soap, Ma takes off to immerse himself in the remotest parts of China.
Continue reading
His journey would last three years and take him through smog-choked cities and mountain villages, from scenes of barbarity to havens of tranquility. Remarkably written and subtly moving, the result is an insight into the teeming contradictions of China that only a man who was both insider and outsider in his own country could have written.
China in Tension
A restless journey through China finds disillusionment, stark contrasts, and unexpected havens of calm.
Come here for
- Travel writing that holds city smog and mountain quiet in the same frame
Expect
- A searching view of China’s contradictions, from scenes of barbarity to tranquility
Where it sits
| Personal Memoirs | 52% |
|---|---|
| China Travel | 39% |
| Travel Writing | 23% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Chinese History
- China Travel
- Travel Writing
- Authors
- Ma Jian
- Publisher
- Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Published
- November 12, 2002
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Travel through China · Political repression · Disillusionment with life in Beijing
- Reading lane
- Chinese History