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Title: Old Land, New Tales

Subtitle: 20 Short Stories by Writers of the Shaanxi Region in China

Author: Chen Zhongshi, Jia Pingwa

Narrator: Mikael Naramore, Kate Rudd

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-28-14

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In this captivating collection from the Shaanxi region, considered the cradle of Chinese civilization, twenty disparate and unique voices come together to show a China caught between new-world advancements and old-world traditions. From the homeland of Chinas first dynasty and the world-famous terra-cotta warriors, these tales show rugged rural life colliding with fast-paced city life; hollow arranged marriages juxtaposed with torrid forbidden love affairs; and the vanity of newly minted millionaires clashing with the desperation of the poor. Through the eyes of award-winning authors, we see a changing China - from the Cultural Revolution to the countrys infamous one-child policy - giving us a profound look at the evolution of a land that is at once ancient and modern.

Members Reviews:

Uneven quality, interesting read

As a fascinating glimpse into Chinese culture and mindsets, I would recommend this collection to anyone with a taste for the exotic. The stories here are set in different historic time periods, from two or three centuries ago, up to the present. One thing that struck me rather strongly was the enduring sexism that was so evident both in the stories and in the choice of authors: only three of the twenty are women. It came as no surprise that they were among the strongest stories - they pretty well had to be to get past the selection committee, which had an obvious bias for older males. Of course, this is also a part of Chinese culture - the reverence and respect for age, so foreign to our contemporary Western culture, but rather difficult to criticize. This also came through in several of the stories, in which older people are never referred to with contempt and often with open reverence. Seeing as I'm on the downhill slope of middle age myself, I found myself rather liking the attitude.

And of course, when you have schoolchildren singing, without the slightest trace of irony: "I am a good child/ I love the Chinese Communist Party" you know you're really not in Kansas anymore.

On one memorable occasion, I literally hooted out loud, when one story opened with: "The art gallery has employed two kinds of people since the national reform: those who are too incompetent to survive the socialist market, and those who are too artistic to satisfy it." And that is as close to social criticism as you are going to get in this volume, but I loved the cheek of it.

All in all, though, it was an interesting read and a volume that will remain on my shelves.

Complete review here: https://janetursel.squarespace.com/blog/2014/9/17/review-old-lands-new-tales