“Son of the Revolution” is an autobiography written by Liang Heng. Heng shares his firsthand account of growing up in a very telling era in China. Not only does Heng take us through the milestone events of Mao’s Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, but also through the Hundred Flowers Campaign, the Anti-Rightist Campaign as well as the Socialist Education Campaign. Heng provides a look into these historical pillars in Chinese history in a way that the Golf and Overfield texts could only dream of. It’s a truly breathtaking account of events that are still being felt throughout the nation today. Heng’s account first takes us through the Hundred Flowers Campaign. One of the major struggles of the revolution was to eliminate the tension
…show more content…
Mao mobilized the campaign in hopes of turning a country dependent on agriculture into a socialist power through rapid industrialization. Focusing on industry, Mao sought government control over the farms of the peasants. All foods were severely rationed and prices skyrocketed as a result. Heng finishes his description of the era with, “We were always hungry.” He personally recounts the young and old having “water swelling disease,” perhaps one of the many reasons for the 30 million deaths that came from the famine as a direct result of the Great Leap Forward. Heng’s most powerful account of Mao’s Great Leap Forward is seen in the death of his grandmother. She frequently gave her share of food to the children telling them, “Eat it so you won’t be sick. You still have a lot of growing to do.” Eventually, Nai Nai did not awake from her slumber. Heng provides a graphic account of his father learning of her death:
“Finally they called in Father. When he too failed to awaken her he threw himself on her body weeping, cursing himself for having been a bad son. I had never seen my father cry before, and found it strange and frightening. He was acting like a fellow child who had been beaten. I wished he would stop, but he cried for a long
Mao mobilized the campaign in hopes of turning a country dependent on agriculture into a socialist power through rapid industrialization. Focusing on industry, Mao sought government control over the farms of the peasants. All foods were severely rationed and prices skyrocketed as a result. Heng finishes his description of the era with, “We were always hungry.” He personally recounts the young and old having “water swelling disease,” perhaps one of the many reasons for the 30 million deaths that came from the famine as a direct result of the Great Leap Forward. Heng’s most powerful account of Mao’s Great Leap Forward is seen in the death of his grandmother. She frequently gave her share of food to the children telling them, “Eat it so you won’t be sick. You still have a lot of growing to do.” Eventually, Nai Nai did not awake from her slumber. Heng provides a graphic account of his father learning of her death:
“Finally they called in Father. When he too failed to awaken her he threw himself on her body weeping, cursing himself for having been a bad son. I had never seen my father cry before, and found it strange and frightening. He was acting like a fellow child who had been beaten. I wished he would stop, but he cried for a long