Welcome to the “What We’re Reading” ongoing series where Volunteers talk about the books they’ve been reading at site. Here you’ll find PCVs sharing their thoughts, reflections, and reviews on books of any genre. Leave us a comment below if you’ve also read any of these books!

Cover image courtesy of Audible

Bianca Palese, 134 TESS

To Live is a 1992 novel written by Yu Hua and translated from Chinese by Michael Berry. To Live was originally banned in China but was later named one of the most influential books and frequently taught in Chinese universities. The author Yu Hua was formerly a dentist but decided to become a writer instead when he had the “realization that it was the Chinese spirit rather than the Chinese body that needed to be saved,” (Michael Berry, To Live afterward). This award winning novel has gone on to be adapted into film, tv series, and a stage play. 

To Live is about Fugui, the son of a wealthy landowner, who squanders away his family’s fortune leaving them in destitute poverty. As Fugui adjusts to his new life as a farmer, he is conscripted by the Nationalist Army to fight in the civil war. Years later he returns to his family and they go through ups and downs as they try to survive the Cultural Revolution and life in communist China. The story is told from Fugui’s perspective as he recollects his life to a young traveler passing through his village where Fugui now lives as an old man left with nothing but an ox. 

The theme of the novel is made very clear: whatever you do, no matter what happens, you have to keep going. There is no greater fortune than to be alive. There is no better way to defy your hardships than to live through them and in spite of them. When Fugui returns home after escaping from the military, he learns that the man who acquired his family’s land after Fugui lost it gambling has been killed by the communist party for being a landlord. If Fugui had never lost those bets, it would have been him. I really liked this detail because it supports my personal belief that everything happens for a reason. 

There’s a few things the author does with this book that I find really interesting. First, he makes the main character very unlikeable. At no point was I rooting for Fugui; even though he feels guilt for how he treats his family he still did horrible things to them. I pitied him but I personally don’t feel like he ever redeemed himself. A second interesting thing is that while the story takes place in the context of the Cultural Revolution, and much of the character’s misfortune is directly resulting from the policies of the communist politicians, the family never feels anger towards the government. They feel dismayed when their lambs are confiscated, their land portion reduced, and the rice they were promised is never delivered. But they don’t fight back. They don’t have the energy to blame anyone, they just have to keep breaking their backs to survive. The story is much more about the family dynamic than it is about the big picture of what was happening in China at that time.
In conclusion, I would recommend To Live because it’s a fast, colorful, unique read. The characters are flawed and the story is sad but somehow uplifting at the same time. It encourages the reader to appreciate life. If you enjoy character-centered stories and are interested in Chinese culture, then To Live is for you.

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