Life and Death in Shanghai (II)

Among the millions of victims during the decades-long pandemonium, Nien Cheng 

was able to deliver her own gripping story in simple and fluent English. That

was power. It was also helpful that I knew the political lingo, e.g., capitalist 

roaders, revisionists, comprador, etc., thanks to my parents and schooling.

Rarely having to look up words, I finished the 560-page volume in three days.

Her first-hand experience was more engrossing than a historical fiction. Her

narrative and command of the language were impressive.   

 

I learnt a few words and phrases in contexts. For example, when she pointed out

the political about-face in turning against the bourgeois class, her  

interrogator explained that they were no longer needed after Kuomintang was  

driven out and the reversal was the practice of "dialectical materialism."

 

    "There was nothing for me to say. The interrogator had put the philosophy of  

    Mao's regime in a nutshell. It was entirely my own fault that I had not

    understood it before."

                                     

I first heard of "rehabilitation" in the movie The Shawshank Redemption where 

the word means to restore (someone) to normal life by punishment and education in 

prison. In the book, it takes on a different meaning, i.e., to restore someone    

to former privileges or reputation after a period of critical or official  

disfavor. It was an apt translation of the Chinese 平反.   

 

Through the dark tunnel of six and a half years of torture, the author fought

brilliantly and refused to bow down to bullying and to confess. It was a miracle

that she survived to see the light at the end and yet right away had to face the

murder of her only daughter. I couldn't empathize and didn't even want to imagine

the pain. And yet she again triumphed over the blows dealt by fate and was

rehabilitated in another six years. At the age of 65, she turned the new page of 

life by coming to America and published the book when she was 72. What an

amazing and inspiring life!

[7grizzly]

Thank you, 暖冬, for reading and commenting. Isn't it fun to know these words/phrases in English :-)

"capitalist roaders" ==> 走资派
and to me, most impressively "dialectical materialism" ==> 辩证唯物主义!

[暖冬cool夏]

haha, revisionist==修正主义者 and comprador==买办
I have to look them up in dictionary. Thanks for sharing your book review!