Destination: China
In 1956, Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-Tung) invited the people of China to speak up. “Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of though contend,” he said. It took a year until the people felt confident that he meant it. However when Mao did not like the negative reactions he heard, he abruptly shut down dissent in what became known as the Cultural Revolution. Anyone who bore the signs of being educated was suspect. Even if you just wore glasses you would be in danger. In A Hundred Flowers, Gail Tsukiyama explores how the Cultural Revolution and the communist government affected one family during five months in 1958. The family she introduces us to: Continue reading Chinese Family Survives Mao