When you saw the news that numerous Chinese walked past a car accident child victim, no one offered a helping hand. You think: what a heartless culture/country.
Frank Dikotter showcases us the darkest and never-talk-about era of the Chinese history: even after 45 millions people died, it is still like a blank page on books--Chinese totalitarian mechanism is so mighty.
When Hong Kong political activists scream: no one will forget the Tienanmen massacre, they do not understand that many new generations in the mainland have even never heard about it. Just like that famine during The Great Leap Forward.
The founding fathers of The ‘New China’ were only boy scout in power--when they were at their best. When they were bad, they were blood-suckers that pushed everyone else into fire.
I went to China (from HK) to visit relatives during time of the Cultural Revolution when I was a child, I could see the extreme poverty. But comparing to the period this book described, it was heaven already.
You have to read this book to believe hell actually happened on earth--or it may be too much to believe.
* * * * *
Frank Dikotter showcases us the darkest and never-talk-about era of the Chinese history: even after 45 millions people died, it is still like a blank page on books--Chinese totalitarian mechanism is so mighty.
When Hong Kong political activists scream: no one will forget the Tienanmen massacre, they do not understand that many new generations in the mainland have even never heard about it. Just like that famine during The Great Leap Forward.
The founding fathers of The ‘New China’ were only boy scout in power--when they were at their best. When they were bad, they were blood-suckers that pushed everyone else into fire.
I went to China (from HK) to visit relatives during time of the Cultural Revolution when I was a child, I could see the extreme poverty. But comparing to the period this book described, it was heaven already.
You have to read this book to believe hell actually happened on earth--or it may be too much to believe.
The author also emphasizes people’s suffering were more than empty stomachs that a few historians mentioned before, there were systematic tortures, hard labour, massive beating, killing, confiscating of all private properties. At the end, starving countryside people ate leaves, root, mud, roof straw, leather belt, shit(by force), furnitures, human corpse, and swapped children to eat!
Frank Dikotter has open up the ‘lost history’ that everyone should pay attention to. If you are interested in economic, he painted a grim picture of how planned economy (not)worked. Keen on history? That was the most brutal pages of history I’ve ever read--not just the mindless killing in the war zone ( like the eastern front of the European battles during WWII)--they were the brutality on human bodies and minds, they were tortures to the human souls, and total break down on social fabric and to the whole culture as well.
If there is anything negative about Dikotter’s writing--you will become a bit of indifferent half past the book, because there are just too many devastations, one worse than the previous one.
When a country has gone through Great Leap Forward, and many other extremely immoral political campaigns, you may start accepting the excuses of their heartlessness.
Frank Dikotter has open up the ‘lost history’ that everyone should pay attention to. If you are interested in economic, he painted a grim picture of how planned economy (not)worked. Keen on history? That was the most brutal pages of history I’ve ever read--not just the mindless killing in the war zone ( like the eastern front of the European battles during WWII)--they were the brutality on human bodies and minds, they were tortures to the human souls, and total break down on social fabric and to the whole culture as well.
If there is anything negative about Dikotter’s writing--you will become a bit of indifferent half past the book, because there are just too many devastations, one worse than the previous one.
* * * * *
When a country has gone through Great Leap Forward, and many other extremely immoral political campaigns, you may start accepting the excuses of their heartlessness.
When you came back from Hell, nothing will catch you pity eyes again.
