Execution of Mayor Yin and Other Stories

¶ … Execution of Mayor Yin and Other Stories from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution written by Chen Jo-hsi. Specifically, it will analyze the author's ideas in the book. Chen Jo-hsi writes about real life in China, and how the people suffered under the Cultural Revolution.

THE EXECUTION OF MAYOR YIN

The Execution of Mayor Yin" is a collection of short stories that show what life was life in China during the Cultural Revolution, sponsored by Chairman Mao Tse-tung. The author, Chen Jo-shi, grew up in Taiwan, and lived in Canada and the United States since 1974. She writes of her experiences under Chinese rule, and hopes to share those experiences with her readers. The short stories in this book reflect this, and show her writing talent along with her commitment to sharing what life in China was really like during the Cultural Revolution.

The book contains eight different short stories, and each one talks about the Cultural Revolution and its effect on life in China. Each story shows a different part of life in China, from the rural towns to the big cities, and shows how the Cultural Revolution affected people. The Red Guard enforced the Party's beliefs on the people, and no one was safe from their snooping eyes. The Guard executes Mayor Yin even though he has done nothing, and "The Guard" shows how the Guards think nothing of stealing in the name of the Party. They were corrupt, idealistic, and evil, and they did not really care about the people, they only cared about themselves, and the power they had over the people. The stories all show how hard it was for the people to live, and how many of them did not understand what was happening to their country, and to their lives.

From the first story, it is clear the author does not agree with the Communist rule in China, and this is one of the main ideas she carries through the book. She calls the young Red Guard "arrogant" and this is her position all through the book. The Communists and the people that support them are arrogant and self-righteous, and they believe in the Communist Party at the expense of everything else, even their own family. People are afraid of the Guard, and they do not trust them, which the author shows is very wise. The Cultural Revolution may have sounded good to people around the world, but the author shows what it was really like to live under the oppressive rule of Chairman Mao. She wanted to show people what life in China was really like, and she succeeded with this book.

The author also shows how the people can be hurt by the stresses of Communist life. Old friends are distrustful of each other, and everyone watches out for spies who might turn in a family to the officials for the least little thing. In "Chairman Mao is a Rotten Egg," the author shows how the people live in fear. "Don't worry,' he answered with an understanding smile. ' My colleagues have already warned me that it's best not to buy comic books... [with] pictures of Chairman Mao on almost every other page. Children have caused a lot of trouble by spoiling the Chairman's pictures when they color the books'" (Chen Jo-hsi 59). The author wanted to show how a majority of the Chinese people are kind and decent, but they are turned against each other by the Party, and by the Party's demands. Today, it does not seem possible that people had to live under such harsh rule, and Chen Jo-hsi's book really makes readers think about what it would be like to live under such harsh conditions.