Life and Death in Shanghai
by Nien Cheng
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Book Summary Information
Author: Nien ChengEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1988-05-03
ISBN: 014010870X
Number of pages: 547
Publisher: Penguin
Book Reviews of Life and Death in Shanghai
Book Review: One tough cookie!
Summary: 5 Stars
Nein Cheng and her daughter lived a comfortable life of wealth and ease...in Shanghai during the height of the Cultural Revolution. Big mistake. Their luxurious lifestyle and connections to the West (via Shell Oil, Cheng's former employer) make them the targets of the Red Brigade. Imagine if you will, waking up one morning to find your home invaded by a bunch of politically jacked up high school kids who were suddenly given the legal right to ransack your home, declare you a danger to society, beat you, arrest you, deport your relatives to places unknown, and have you sent to prison for the rest of your life. That's pretty much what happens to Ms. Cheng.
The Red Guard invade her house, and over a period of several weeks, harass her, destroy her property, place her under house arrest and turn her life to hell. Her daughter, a professional actress, is an upstanding member of a politically secure work brigade and somewhat out of reach of the Red Guard. The girl is, however, forbidden to see her mother. Cheng is arrested and imprisoned without trial. All her possesions are destroyed or confiscated......rare works of art, priceless porcelains, all historic pieces and ancient treasures that were part of the fabric of China's glorious and lengthy past. This irreplacable beauty is, for the most part, smashed by the loutish thugs -- the 14 and 15 year olds who ran amok, brandishing their political clout -- who made up the bulk of the Mao Cult that was the Red Brigade.
Cheng is sent to a hellacious prison. Never charged with a crime or given a reason for her arrest, she is, instead, ordered to "confess" to anything in her past that might have caused her to be there. Nice little switcheroo, eh. She is beaten, starved, subjected to brutal interrogation, but never breaks down. She doesn't even bend. This woman is indomitable. She does not confess, she does not kowtow, she sticks to her guns and even dares to lecture her captors and, in the process, drive them crazy. She lives this nightmare for seven long years, never budging from her declaration of innocence of any wrongdoing. During this period, she never sees her beloved daughter. She grows sick and frail from the constant mistreatment and malnutrition. But no matter what they do to her, Cheng remains strong, never giving her captors a single concession, never yielding an inch.
We learn, though her interpretation of the headlines in the propagandized press and the behavior of her guards, fascinating lessons in the political subtleties that influenced events, laws and lives during this chaotic period. Through nuances in the guards behavior, hints they occasionally provide, and reading between the lines of official propoganda, she pieces together much of the political climate and events.
Cheng's tenacity, stubborn contrariness and refusal to make any concessions to her captors is inspirational, astounding and, frankly, almost funny. Even when the political climate changes and she is given her release, she insists that the prison confess ITS error. She wants her captors to give her their written confession of wrongdoing before she'll allow them to release her! This is not a lady to trifle with and she does, indeed receive the apology she demands and graciously allows the authorities to release her/
Cheng's story does not end here. Upon her release, she is told her daughter committed suicie. Cheng knows this cannot be true and she begins an investigation into how her daughter really died. Just as she did not allow brutal prison guards to wear her down, she does not let layers of bureaucratic red tape, cover ups and the distinct possibility of another 7 years in a cell deter her. After Mao's death, the political climate in China went significant change. Since the Red Guard destroyed Cheng's home, she is given a new residence. Because unemployment is so high, people are again permitted to employ servants. Cheng cannot reclaim the grace and beauty of her old life, but she puts together a decent existence as she continues to demand information about her daughter.
She also campaigns for the restoration of whatever of her property has survived the Red Guard. The second half of the her story is as compelling as the first. This is a book that is impossible to put down and certainly the best of a spate of first-hand accounts of that period in China's history when the Cult of Mao and the Red Guard turned life into 'through the looking glass' nightmare. Nien Cheng was one hell of a tough lady. I promise, if you read about her, you will never forget her.
Summary of Life and Death in Shanghai
Here is the haunting, inspirational account of Nien Cheng's six-and-a-half years as a political prisoner during Communist China's Cultural Revolution. "A moving affirmation of the capacity for human endurance."--Los Angeles Times.Memoirs Books
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