Chinese / People's Republic of China
Feng a chui xiang wo men
(The wind blows against us)
Xiao, Fuxing
(text)
Yang, Bo
(illus.)
Beijing: Beijing lian he chu ban ji tuan (Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd), 2024. – 255 p.
ISBN 9787559673480
Beijing | History 1960s | School | Friendship | Teacher
Reading age: 12+
White Ravens issue: 2024
This autobiographical novel is based on the author’s experiences in Beijing in the 1960s and representative of a trend of the last two decades among both children’s and adult novelists to write about childhood memories. The story begins with the narrator becoming a middle-school student, feeling excited and expectant about all the fresh experiences that lie ahead. While memories of old friends remain deep in the heart, stories about new friends and teachers take more room with the passing of each new day. There is a rare sense of frankness and sincerity in the straightforward narration by the teenager, and his use of typical Bejing colloquial expressions is appealing. Xiao Fuxing is a prolific author writing for both adults and children. His children’s books include »Hong lian er« (The red face) and »Jin se de cao mao« (The golden straw hat). He has won the China Book Award (Zhong guo hao shu jiang), the Bingxin Essay Award (Bing xin san wen jiang), and the Laoshe Essay Award (Lao she san wen jiang). [FW, ZX]