A Chinese Life

A Chinese Life is an astonishing graphic novel set against the backdrop of the creation of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949. This distinctively drawn work chronicles the rise and reign of Chairman Mao Zedong and his sweeping often cataclysmic vision for the most populated country on the planet. Though the storyline is epic the storytelling is intimate reflecting the real life of the books artist. Li Kunwu spent more than 30 years as a state artist for the Communist Party. He saw firsthand what was happening to his family his neighbors and his homeland during this extraordinary time. Working with Philippe ti the artist has created a memoir of self and state a rich very human account of a major historical moment with contemporary consequences. Mao said The masses are the real heroes but A Chinese Life shows those masses as real people. Praise for A Chinese Life: This is an absorbing bookall 700 pages of itreminiscent at times of Zhang Yimous epic Chinese history film To Live and reminiscent at others of George Orwells 1984 recast as non-fiction. The Onions A.V. Club