Cowboy on the Steppes

Cowboy on the Steppes by Zhang, Song Nan. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780887764103.

In 1968, as part of Mao’s Cultural Revolution, thousands of teenagers were “relocated.” The artist’s brother was sent to a place that could not have been more different from his crowded, noisy Beijing home. He was sent to the steppes to live with Mongolian herdsmen. The studious, gentle, city boy had much to learn: he had to memorize the faces of his cattle; he had to learn to ride with the greatest horsemen in the world; he had to adjust to food, clothing, and scenery wildly different from anything he had ever known. Despite the hard life, he grew to love Mongolia. His respect for the people who befriended him and his admiration for them were recorded in his diaries. Song Nan Zhang’s gorgeous paintings are the perfect complement to an unforgettable true story.