Tao: On the Road and on the Run in Outlaw China

by Aya Goda, Alison Watts (Translator)

As protests swirl in the cities and all foreign faces arouse suspicions, venturesome young Japanese student Aya Goda travels deep into the interior of China. There she falls in with the charismatic and combative wandering painter Cao, whose work is initially tolerated by the Chinese authorities and then banned, suddenly flipping the couple over onto the wrong side of the law. With the police on their tails, the pair criss-cross the vastnesses of middle China and push up into Tibet, where Cao has been trained as a sky-burial master. By truck and by jalopy, biplane and train, dodging bandits and bureaucrats alike, the pair take a high-speed, high-risk journey through this fast-changing country. Like some East Asian Cassady and Kerouac, Cao and Goda are wild kindred spirits in search of enlightenment and freedom, and Goda's prose—clear and metallic as a Himalayan stream—permits the reader to share their every intrepid step and twist and to taste the tangily different flavors of contemporary China.

Genres: China, Nonfiction, Travel

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a magical read for me… In the late 80s, so many young people—like Aya-- were traveling on buses or hitching rides on trucks into the mountains in India and in China--up to Ladakh or over the Karakoram highway toward Kashgar; from Kathmandu to Tibet across the Friendship Bridge, young people from all over the world traveled with heavy backpacks--and most probably didn't want to return home all that badly. As I read about Aya's incredible journey, I became incredibly nostalgic for those youthful days of exploring without money and being so open to people; so open to the world! I assume young people still have backpacks and are still boarding buses into the mountains. I hope so.

What a great memoir of a particular time though…. Aya left her peaceful hometown in Japan to open herself to adventure in China, only to meet an extraordinary artist named Cao Yong. Trying to leave the oppressive country immediately after the Tiananmen massacre the two lovers crisscross China and go back and forth into Tibet several times before at last gaining his visa to leave and move to Japan. Wonderfully translated by Alison Watts, it doesn’t read like a translation at all. I am a Japanese translator and was so impressed by Alison Watt's translation! Because it is a love story in which the lovers travel from beaches in Sanya on Hainan Island to the big cities of Hong Kong and Beijing, and up into the Himalaya—to Tibet and Kathmandu, the book would make a breathtakingly gorgeous movie.

More than anything, it was the descriptions of Ali and the murals of the kingdom of Guge that I found to be affecting. It is such a rarely visited and remote spot. I had a copy of Peter van Ham’s GORGEOUS coffee table book on the murals, Guge: Ages of Gold, near me as I read Tao. One of the things I loved about this memoir is she tells both of their stories—so even though Aya didn’t travel to Guge or Kathmandu, she told his story and those needed up being some of my favorite parts of the book. Cao Yong and Aya Goda both have websites and I loved checking out where their talents took them after their romantic adventures in the late 80s! Ah, the good old days!

[Tristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating read about life in China and Tibet (and a dash of Nepal) in the mid-1980's. I was totally immersed and enjoyed every minute of this story. Aya and Cao Young are a great pair and it's fun to follow them on all of their journeys (also very heartbreaking, sometimes). There is just one thing that completely bugs me - the author spends the entire book writing about her boyfriend/fiance/husband. It's all HIS stories and HIS perspective of the world. We only get brief flashes of insight into HER experience of these countries at this wild time in history. Why? A Japanese woman's perspective of traveling through the People's Republic of China, would have been fascinating to read. It's as if Aya felt that Cao Young's story is more "exciting" than hers. She's such a wonderful writer (and Alison Watts does an excellent translation job), it's a shame we couldn't her more of HER story.

[Karen Skolfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a 5-star travel book. Anna - thank you SO MUCH for sending this to me!

[Mira · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is well written book about amazing people and their story.

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A biography of someone I new nothing of before reading this. So enjoyed the discovery.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that I wasn't really looking forward to reading this book. One of my good friends is the translator of the book into English and she sent me a copy from Japan as a gift. Although I waited for the perfect time to read it with purpose so I could give her feedback (and Alison knows I would be totally honest and would not mince words), it isn't my usual taste in reading. We need that sometimes, though. When I belonged to a book club, I read a lot of things that I really enjoyed but otherwise never would have picked up at a bookstore. When I procrastinated long enough, and had space to read it thoughtfully, I finally began. I have to say, honestly, that after about 50 pages I was hooked enough to be unable to put it down for long. That rarely happens. I can count the books that have done that to me... Life of Pi, Poisonwood Bible, Kite Runner... but I had no such expectation from this book and was thoroughly delighted. I have no interest in China, no interest in art. With Tibet and China in the news so much lately, and with the drama the Olympic torch passing has created, it was a timely read. I have a much more thorough understanding of the reality of life for Chinese citizens. It was not in the format of a lecture on world affairs, however, which I would have found dry and boring despite its current relevance. It was the background upon which the story of two people in love, of different nationalities, unfolded. Their desire for freedom to be together and artistic expression lead them to try to escape. This memoir by Aya Goda, a Japanese woman who fell in love with artist Cao Yong, is a exciting ride and documents their escapes, failed attempts, and roadblocks. The fact that Cao Yong is an celebrated artist now and has supported this book gives it much in the way of credibility.
I now see why my friend, Alison Watts, read it in Japanese and then pursued the project of translating it into English relentlessly until it finally came to fruition. It is currently available on amazon.com (new and used), and I hope you will find it as intriguing as I did.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little while to get into this one - but it was worth persevering. A fascinating road & travel story about an unsettled time in China. Translated to English by Alison Watts. Thanks Ali!

I noted in Cao Yong's website it's titled "Escape" - this is presumably the same book? Is that the American title?