Book War

Author Wang Ping Grew up in China during the violent “Cultural Revolution” of the late 1960 when Communist Chairman Mao Zedong closed school, banned books, and imprisoned or killed thousands of citizens. In this article called “Book War” Ping talks about when he was younger he discovered “The Little Mermaid,” his first fairy tale, in 1968. One morning Ping had seen his neighbor which was a few years older, reading a book with the red plastic wrap which indicated it was Mao’s collected work. He had thought to himself another loyal Moaist. Ping stood behind her and peeked over her shoulder to see what she was reading; the book she was reading was not a book of Mao. It was Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy tales, the story of “The little Mermaid.” A book Ping heard of and always wanted to read. She jumped when she had notice I was behind her scared that I would report her, they both stared at each other. Suddenly she started to laugh, knowing her secret was safe with me. From that day on her and I would trade books to read. Ping had loaned her The Arabian Nights. They had started an underground book exchange network; trade and reading books that were sought as “poisonous weed.”

I believe this time of age it was tough in China, due to the Cultural Revolution. Closing schools, books condemned as “poisonous weeds,” and were burnt on the streets; prevented the people of China to obtain an education. But this was a way to have control over China which at that point in time was communist country.

Just like Ping and the girl in this article, they show that when people are forbidden or not allowed to have or do certain things, for example read books considered as “poisonous weeds” if there is something we want to do. It is in a human nature to find a way do what makes us happy regardless if what we want is forbidden.