Book Report: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

This novel by Dai Sijie, is available in Chinese or English - and can be found in audio format in English. Set during the cultural revolution, it treats the it's protagonists with warmth and humor - and the book has been well received critically. It has love, illicit sex, betrayal, and references to western literature. It's set where I've traveled - and I've included some personal pictures - and I may need to tell my story of the young toughs, the stick of dynamite and the Red Chinese Army soldiers. Synopsis: I was clever, something very bad happened, and it wasn't my fault; but this post is about someone else's story.

• study questions
  
• Map available - large.
• Wikipedia on the book by Dai Sijie
• Wikipedia on author (semi-autobiographical?)
  
• Poster images found at Stefan Landsberger's sight.
• history of Chinese Communist Party
  

Characters:

1. Ma - our narrator most of the time. Dr's kid. 18 ?
   
2. Luo - Dentist's kid. 19
   
3. The Little Seamstress (aka: ) age? Innocent or sex kitten?
   
4. Tailor
5. Village chief - ex opium grower.
   

Setting
Phoenix mountain near ChengDu, Yunnan? Year (?)

Books worth reading.

• Nien Cheng, Life and Death in ShiangHi
• Kristoff and WuDunn, China Wakes
• Yu Hua, Brothers
  

Pictures from my travel in the area