A book tribute for 36 million

Yang Jisheng

 TOMBSTONE

Recently translated into English,, but published in 1990 The book "TOMBSTONE" by Yang Jisheng is a factually based account of the events and attitudes leading up  to and during the  The Great Famine.. A low point in then recent   history of China. Just 50 years  ago the famine occurred from 1958 to 1962. 36 Million Chinese people died. More than  in any similar tragedy. It was  a tragedy born of  arrogance  and idealism but fed by fear and  ignorance.

What do you know about China? I know very little. Radio4 has a book reading every day and last week they featured Tombstone by Yang Jisheng. The book was first published in Chinese but has recently been translated into English  by Stacy Mosher and Guo Jian. Released in October 2012.

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It is a tribute to his foster father who died during the Great Famine. Set in the period from 1958 to 1962 and during  Mao's "Great leap forward".He ascribes the meaning of the title as a tribute to his foster father's sacrifice to give him the quality of life he had.which deserved more than a stone memory but a written tribute. Saying that stone can be destroyed but the words will live forever.

During my reading on the subject  came across this site  about things Chinese "The Peking Duck" which adds to the understanding of what the book is about.:

"The descriptions of what the peasants endured during the GLF, familiar as they are, are still heartbreaking. And forget about the line that it was simply another naturally occurring famine. No, not at all. It was a man-made event, and had it not been for Mao and his ego and his dogma it wouldn’t have happened.

I wrote in the margins of every page in this chapter. It was a scene of mayhem and death and cannibalism the likes of which we can never imagine. I had read about Tombstone last year, but never knew the full story behind it. Its publication highlights the Party’s increasing toleration. But always, of course, within limits" 

The book had a strong reaction from me and made interesting listening it will no doubt be a good read.