Customer Reviews

Broken Earth

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4 star:		(1)
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This book is simply one of the best books about China ever written. Professor Mosher actually lived in a farm village in the southern Chinese province of Kwangtung for several years before writing this book summing up his research (he is fluent in Cantonese). The result is elegantly written, sharply observant and richly compassionate towards the good, simple country folk he lived among. Thanks to Prof. Mosher's heretical conclusion (based partly on the testimony of his village correspondents themselves) that life for the Chinese peasant was actually better before their so-called "liberation" by the Communists, Prof. Mosher is now persona non grata in mainland China, but that hasn't stopped him from continuing to be the most insightful commentator on Chinese life--especially the lives of ordinary Chinese--in the West today. An absolutely essential book for those interested in contemporary China!

This sociological study of rural SE China was important for its time (the early 1980s). After 1972, the PRC started letting in journalists and academics on carefully scripted tours of model villages. For the next 8 years, countless books and articles were produced from these tours presenting naive glowing reports of peasants whistling while they work (William Parish and Martin Whyte's "Village and Family in Contemporary China" largely excepted). Mosher's book provided a necessary corrective to that uncritical tidal wave, pointing out the darker side of rural life under the PRC dictatorship.

However, since the late 1980s, there have been many book length village studies by top western scholars and locals, and tons of other scholarly work on late Maoist, early reform China (see Jonathan Unger "The Transformation of Rural China" for a collection of outstanding articles by a top veteran). This scholarly work, unlike the 1970s claptrap, present a balanced view of rural China under the PRC. In this new context, Mosher's book is one sided in the negative direction.

Another reason this book is dated is that the one child policy, which gets ample attention in this book, was much more rigid and brutal in the 1979-85 period than it became in later periods (peasant resistance forced the regime to ease up somewhat). Thus, Mosher's volume is useful only for reconstructing a history of the early 1980s phase of population policy, not at all representative of the entirety of PRC population policy.

While I received this book as a second-hand gift consequent to a library sale, I enthusiastically recommend its purchase to anyone interested in China and day to day life events. Mr. Mosher provides detailed descriptions of villagers in southern China in the early 1980's. Through his writings, one is able to visualize events of daily life which may be far different than the images noted during a tourist visit to China. His comments are thoughtful and sometimes provocative. I yearned to learn more. Detailed narratives are provided from villagers reguarding some of the more controversial aspects of rural life in China in the 1980's (ie. birth control, the one-child policy etc.).

While the author lived in China in 1979 through 1980, the book covers life in China from late in Mao's era until 1982. He primarily talks about life in rural southern China, but he also was able to interact with some city Chinese and learn a bit about the conditions in other parts of China. This book is a well-written behind-the-propaganda look into the culture.

The book covers village life and work, the bureaucracy, corruption and crime, unemployment, restrictions on daily life, the education system, the Youth who grew up during the Cultural Revolution, marriage, the role of men and women, forced birth control, the political campaigns, and more. While we do get to see slices of rural life, this book is more a historical view of the political policies and how they affected the Chinese alive at the time the author lived there.

The book was very informative without being dry. In fact, I probably would have read the book through in one sitting if I hadn't had to take a break after every chapter or two so I could process everything I'd just learned. Anyone who thinks the textbook version of communism or socialism looks appealing should read this book to learn the pitfalls of how socialism works out in reality.

I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in socialism in general or in communist China.

[...]

I read this book when it 1st came out and have never ceased to recommend it to people.

It is the most honest, intimate, and unbiased coverage of China I know of.

As one who has been there (an not just in the tourist places) I can

attest that in the far rural areas this book still represents reality.

If you wish to know this nation you can go live there or read this book.

Anything less will leave you far less informed.