Customer Reviews

Stick Out Your Tongue

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'Stick Out Your Tongue' is a welcome and thoroughly enjoyable new edition to the list of Ma Jian's books which have been translated into English. A collection of short stories relating to the author's travels in Tibet, the book could easily be read as a continuation of 'Red Dust'. At the same time the often bizarre events which Ma Jian recounts and the dark humour which permeates his writing is very familiar to anyone who has read 'The Noodle Maker'.

From the very first short story, 'Stick Out Your Tongue' attempts to grapple with the disturbing events which Ma Jian encountered during his time in Tibet. The reader is exposed to sky burials, affairs, the harshness of the plateaux, folklore, and the nastier rituals of Tibetan Buddhism. Through this mixture of fiction and fact, fantasy and reality, Ma Jian creates an image of Tibet that shatters the manufactured Western notion of a land of purity, peace and tranquillity. In short, Ma Jian evokes in the reader a sense that Tibetans possess no less humanity - and all the negative qualities associated with it - than any other nation.

In the afterword to this short (90 page) volume, Ma Jian provides us with an extremely interesting insight into the furore which the publication and subsequent banning of 'Stick Out Your Tongue' created in the People's Republic of China in 1987. The work was banned due to its shedding too a harsh light on the everyday life of socialist Tibet. The light that Ma Jian casts is indeed anything but positive, but this is not a critique of socialism, or of Chinese rule in Tibet. All of the stories deal exclusively with Tibetans, their traditions, culture, and religion as seen through the eyes of a Han Chinese. One thing that can be said for sure after reading Ma Jian's stories is that socialism is only conspicuous by its absence.

For anyone looking for a short introduction to Ma Jian's work, this book serves as an excellent and accessible read. Alternatively, if 'Red Dust' or 'The Noodle Maker' hit the right spot, 'Stick Out Your Tongue' will only do the same. This book is a great volume from one of modern China's most influential and exciting authors.

Ma Jian's "Stick Out Your Tongue" takes you into the journeys of a Chinese man who wanders through Tibet after the demise of his marriage. He meets various characters and witnesses various events that are unique to the Tibetan world.

The Tibet that is presented is a stark and harsh reality that is rather different from the images that one may have. The lives of the nomadic people that the main character meets are of seeming chaos as they struggle with their own issues.

In the face of this, the Chinese wanderer gains a unique insight to the Tibetan culture, and experiences much that is both shocking and beautiful. The hospitality of the nomads was striking, as was some of their dietary choices. Of particular interest was their funeral rites, performed by removing the flesh from the corpse and feeding it to the birds of prey.

While not a fast paced book, "Stick Out Your Tongue" is a unique look into the beauty and disturbing parts of a Tibet viewed by a Chinese. It was different, and I quite liked it. But, another read? No thanks.