My partner keeps trying to read it and they keep stopping and reading me passages and then looking up actual historical fact and going wtf, this book is nonsense? Does it get better?
I don’t know I haven’t read it. I told them I’d ask here. Does it get better? Is it anti communist propaganda or is the ridiculous anti communist screed that starts this book serious off just setup for something better?
Thanks for all the good answers I showed them the whole thread and they said a lot of what you all said is in line with their understanding. So basically the first bit is a caricature of the bad parts of early Chinese communism and then that gets better but it turns misogynist instead. Fun series. They’ll continue to read because we have a lot of family and friends who LOVE the book and they want to understand why but it’s helpful to have the lens on it
I’ve been meaning to read this book. I recently watched the wandering earth movie on netflix, and I didn’t get any anti communist vibe at all. If anything it showed a lot of cooperation between nations and the some of communism’s strengths.
The beginning part of the book is a semi realistic portrayal of the cultural revolution tbh. I was talking to someone on here earlier about this. The early stages of the revolution weren’t in fact sunshine and rainbows, bad stuff did happen. Modern Chinese folks look back at it as a sorta shame and growing pains type deal and something they should learn and improve from.
That ability to accept fault and grow is something overall lacking in the west.
The first book has quite a few flashbacks to the Cultural Revolution. Most are…fine I guess? There’s one that’s straight up ridiculous, and to the day I’m not sure if it was a joke or not.
Anyway, the books themselves avoid modern politics insofar as a book series with aliens can. It’s there, sure. But I wouldn’t say there’s any clear anti-communist slant. There’s some anti-western culture sentiment here and there though.
The ridiculous part is there are actual political interferences within high level states research institute. The CPC actually shelters all personnel who work on highly secretive projects (ei. space program and nuclear weapon program) and state level research for the fallout of the Cultural Revolution
Hell yeah it is.
They absolutely drag the incredible good name of comrade Norman Bethune, pioneer of battlefield medicine and doctor who first served on the frontlines of the Spanish Civil War, later to travel to Mao’s China to provide desperately needed medical care and modern medicine to the Chinese people, only to end up dying in the line of work.
The book gives the crackpot scientist the nickname “Bethune” and I will never forgive the book for dragging the name of a heroic individual like that.
Mao upheld Bethune as a hero, as we all should.
You’re probably right about the intent, but I’d call that more of an obscure dig than a major smear of the actual person.
Bethune has multiple statues and memorials in China and there’s claims that he is revered by Chinese people for his dedication to them.
I’m no Sinologist so take that with a grain of salt but, if does happen to be true, then I feel like for the Chinese audience that Bethune reference wouldn’t be lost on the more historically-literate reader, at the least.
