OBOC - China

Picking a book from China had to be one of the most difficult things I had to do as part of OBOC. While some countries posed a great challenge because of the very few books available in English, China posed a challenge for the opposite reason – too many books covering the gamut of socio-political history. I picked Eileen Chang’s “Rice Sprout Song” for a few reasons.

Firstly it was about a period that I wanted to understand more – early ‘50s when Maoist land reform was promising a better life to peasants. Secondly the setting was rural China about which I know very little. Thirdly, it is no secret I have a preference for female writers , too much history in the world was written by men so it is imperative to hear the other gender’s voice even if it is only in novels – more about that later. Last but not the least, the book was written in English by Chang and was not a translation. Given that I can’t read Chinese, at least I know that this book is an accurate reflection of Chang’s thoughts and not an interpretation by someone else.

Rice Sprout Song is a portrait of rural China following the land reform movement which distributed land from landowners to peasants. While the redistribution brought great hope to the peasants, did it really bring about any real change in their situation? The answer is a resounding No. Watery gruel cannot quell the hunger in their bellies but fear can quell any rebellion - well almost.

The book starts off with a wedding - Gold Flower's and even in such a gathering the poverty is not lost as Big Uncle complains about the inferior food on his plate. Gold Flower's brother Gold Root returns to his village with his daughter Beckon awaiting his wife Moon Scent's return. Moon Scent works as a maid in Shanghai to supplement their meager income but is all set to come back to the country, now that they own a piece of land. Although very happy to be reunited with her husband, she is faced with the grim reality that the land reform has not really improved their situation and despairs to see the poverty around her.

If poverty is one theme, the second equally important one is the loss of freedom and complete subjugation by the party. Every word is uttered carefully even in the most private confines of one's own home. Don't dwell in the past or romanticize the old days, show just the right amount of enthusiasm to the Party and keep the rhetoric to the right, believable level - although not spelled out, these unwritten rules are obvious to everyone. To top it off there is the writer Comrade Ku who has come to the village to write a script around the life of peasants. Constantly having to prove his commitment to the Party and the cause, he suffers from a writer's block on one hand and experiences hunger for the first time. Loss of freedom of speech and curtailing creative freedom which were beautifully brought out by Chang, sadly is not restricted to Communist nations. We all know the subjugation of dissent that has happened in even most progressive democracies especially during war.

The presence of the Party is felt all the time throughout the book, but to Chang's credit, she has managed to evoke some sympathy even for Comrade Wong who is the local representative of the Party in the village. Lonely and feared by everyone, he has nothing or no one to lean on except the Party.

When Comrade Wong demands the unthinkable, a pig and 40 rice cakes from each empty-bellied family as a tribute to show support to the Army families, we see Gold Root transforming from the Model Worker that he was into a Reactionary protesting against the cruel demands made by the tyrannical Wong. The Rice Sprout song that was to be sung during the New Year's festivities becomes Gold Root's swan song . He had managed to remain a silent witness to the poverty and tyranny until it became too much to bear.

A tragic novel with a great insight into rural China about which we hear very little even today. Empty-bellied peasants are not new to India where farmer suicides make headlines, but what about the peasants of China? Does the economic boom benefit them or are they still silently awaiting trickle-down benefits? Something tells me this novel is sadly relevant even today and it reminded me that poverty is not just about hunger, it is about the feeling of despair that comes from no hope, no dignity and no recourse.