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Book briefs

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-18 09:35

Of left-behind kids

Living in Dongguan, an industrial city located in the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, writer Zeng Xiaochun has many friends who are migrant workers. From their daily conversation, he was inspired to write stories about the children they are forced to leave behind.

His latest novel Sunshine in the Hand (Shouzhang Yangguang) is written from the perspective of a primary school girl Lan Nizi, who is looked after by her aunt in the countryside when her parents go to the city looking for work.

At first, she feels lonely and heartbroken and often runs away from her aunt's home to the railway station. Luckily Lan is surrounded by a number of warmhearted people who offer help, such as relatives, teachers, classmates and neighbors. At the end of the book Lan's parents finally decide to leave the city after five years and the family is reunited.

The tone of the novel is light and warm. A number of paragraphs are devoted to Lan's monologues, depicting the little girl's feelings and thoughts. Zeng hopes the novel will prove a positive and happy inspiration to the growing number of migrant workers' children coping with life without their parents.

Steeled by hardship

Unlike other books on children of migrant workers, Cao Baoyin's Grassroots (Cao Gen Er) takes a more critical look at their lives in the city. As a current affairs critic and senior editor of Beijing Times, Cao has come across many sad stories of these children and feels it is important to raise awareness of their plight.

The novel tells the story of 10 year-old Ma Zha, who is brought to the city by his parents on his birthday. The boy is refused admission by public primary schools and when he finally makes it to a private school for children of migrant workers, it is soon forced to close down because of a lack of facilities.

Ma's problems get compounded when his mother is injured at work and later dies as the family cannot afford her treatment and the factory refuses to help.

But Ma and his father still believe they can have a better life in the city, despite all the prejudices they face everyday.

"Happy life can make people happy, but a hard life can build strong character," Cao writes in her novel's preface.

"Don't be afraid of difficulties ... they can only make you independent, confident and tough."

Tribute to a tea

Anxi Tie Guanyin: The Legend of A Great Plant (China Publishing Group Corporation, 2010) will be a welcome revelation to those who are curious about the mysterious tea plant exclusive to Anxi county, Fujian province.

Tie Guanyin, or Iron Goddess of Mercy tea, is an oolong variety and one of the 10 famous varieties of tea in China.

The book is not merely about the growing environment, production procedure, characteristics and well-loved drinking ritual, cultural and historic events are also incorporated to facilitate a deeper understanding of the Tie Guanyin tea growing area.

The influence of Tie Guanyin permeates local daily life. It can be found in the tea songs and proverbs, colorful folk customs, and the people's philosophy of life.

Tea is not simply a drink but a way of life - that is the concept the book seeks to convey. The photographs provide a marvelous look at this wonderful land.

Besides simplified and traditional Chinese editions, an English version has been released by Prunus Press USA.