A Little Tiger in the Chinese Night: An Autobiography in Art (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Zhang, a Chinese artist who has lived in Canada since the Tiananmen Square uprising of 1989, "tells and paints" this autobiography, which not only summarizes his own experiences but offers insights into "the human dimension of China" over the past half-century. Seven years old when the Communists gained control of China in 1949, he remembers his pride upon receiving the red scarf of the Young Pioneers. His high school education included farmwork, dam construction and "self-criticism meetings." He describes severe food shortages and other privations, but these cede quickly to the horrors of the Cultural Revolution, during which his family was persecuted. In 1984, Zhang left China for the first time and went to France, where that country's relative wealth convinced him that "everything I had been told, everything I had believed, was a lie." As he watches a boy sketch a Rodin sculpture, the middle-aged artist is flooded with an awareness of lost opportunities. Zhang's mural-like paintings light up the paradox of good intentions coexisting with cruel zeal. A quiet voice narrates events that carry their own thunder. Maps and a historical outline are appended. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-In a matter-of-fact narrative, Song Nan Zhang traces his life in China, describing an idyllic childhood after World War II; his youthful idealism during the "Great Leap Forward," which entailed years of hard work under harsh conditions; and the even more horrible Cultural Revolution. The writing is vivid, personal, yet oddly detached. More emotion comes from the illustrations, and it is easy to see why Zhang's skill as an artist was valued in China in all but the "crazy ten years." Although they depict a life and an era not known or understood by many Americans, the paintings have an odd familiarity, as if Norman Rockwell had grown up in China between 1939 and 1989. In Canada during the Tiananmen Square demonstrations, Zhang anxiously watches television for news of his homeland. He is given a special permit to stay, and after four tense months his wife and sons are allowed to join him. Readers do not know what the future holds for his brothers and sisters, or for China itself, but Zhang has survived tumultuous times and remains hopeful in spirit. His descriptions of life in China, in both prose and paintings, along with a few concise pages of historical background, offer an excellent introduction to the modern history of a complex country.
Carla Kozak, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Tundra Books (September 27, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887763561
• ISBN-13: 978-0887763564
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,126,108 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars China's Great Leap Forward - and living through it from the eyes of one person, March 18, 2009

By	KSL "emma-and-me" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: A Little Tiger in the Chinese Night: An Autobiography in Art (Hardcover)

This book is an autobiography of the Chinese author and illustrator Song Nan Zhang. The book begins with Song who is 3 years old and is in hiding with his mother in the Bao-wu mountains. Song sees what he thinks is a kitty which turns out to be a little tiger. The tiger hangs around their little cottage and Song's mother and the villagers tell him it's a good omen to see a tiger and that he would have a lucky life!

Through Song's life we learn about the Great Leap Forward working to build a dam, planting trees, fishing and going into coal mines. China is a wonderful country filled with hard working people. Mao Tse-tung's vision of a new country under his Great Leap Forward & labor camps " reeducated" really harmed his people and his family .

As in all of Song's paintings are done quiet nicely there are small painting and some larger ones that show that Song is a talented artist! The inside of the book cover has a map of the areas Song lived and worked and in the back of the book 3 pages of historical background on China from 1835 to the present.

History is often told from large numbers of people which make stories and their numbers too hard to really comprehend. But when you tell the story of 1 or several people it's easier to see history through there eye makes the people and their struggles real and understandable. This book is definitely for 9 to 12 year olds.

We found our copy of this book at our local library if you are interested in checking it out before purchasing it or are unable to purchase it.