Shanghai Acrobat: A True Story of Courage and Perseverance from Revolutionary...

Product Description : Shanghai Acrobat: A True Story of Courage and Perseverance from Revolutionary China An artfullywrought memoir of an orphan boy who became a worldfamous acrobat under the thumb of Chinas Communist regimeIn 1949 when much of Chinas population was starving under the reign of Communist leader Mao Zedong twoyearold Jingjing Xue was dropped off at a Shanghai orphanage At nine years old following the Communist Revolution when acrobats were pushed to the lowest stratum of society the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe had to turn to orphanages to secure new members Jingjing chosen for his small stature was told what he would becomeThis extraordinary autobiography tells the moving story of Jingjings rise from poverty to become an admired performer in China and beyondat times touring both communist and capitalist nations representing China in the Shanghai Circus and rubbing shoulders with key political leaders and at other times enduring countless threats and privation at the hands of the antiintellectual and antiartistic Maoist regime including interrogation forced labor and detainmentWith a deft hand and a disciplined eye Xue examines the personal and philosophical consequences of the Cultural Revolution and the despair of performing under the weight of ideology weaving together historical fact cultural relics song lyrics old Chinese proverbs and photographs to paint a full portrait of the Maoist regime and the tumultuous latter half of the twentieth century He also recounts the mystifying experience of emigrating to a new nation and building a new life through grit and determination Xues story is striking but it is also a universal meditation on journey and migration toil and yearning When freedom expression and passion come at a profound cost how much will you sacrifice to pursue your dreams( it is an used product )