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The Diary of Ma Yan
In a drought-stricken corner of rural China, an education can be the difference between a life of crushing poverty and the chance for a better future. But money is scarce, and the low wages paid for backbreaking work aren't always enough to pay school fees. Ma Yan's heart-wrenching, honest diary chronicles her struggle to escape hardship and bring prosperity to her family through her persistent, sometimes desperate, attempts to continue her schooling. First published in France in 2002, Th
Hardcover
Published January 1, 2003
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May 22, 2024
First and foremost, kudos to the people who helped out Ma Yan and other female students. Their lives had been changed dramatically because of the help they received. This is one of the best success stories among all other tragedies.
The book consisted of 2 parts. The first part was the diary entries of Ma Yan who was only 13 at that time. Ma Yan wrote about her struggles as well as her hopes. She had been carrying the burden for her education expenses. Her parents supported her education but they were so poor. They had to work tirelessly in order to support the family. They often needed to go to another town to do odd jobs. When her parents couldn’t afford for her education, Ma Yan’s mother bravely approached the foreigner in desperation for her daughter’s education. I am deeply touched by the act of Ma Yan’s mother. Ma Yan’s story was published in Liberation in January 2002. Since then, people have helped out not only Ma Yan’s family but also other families who had similar situations.
The second part of the book was the aftermath of the publication of Ma Yan’s story. The author explained what happened after the article was published and how many times they visited Ma Yan’s village. The author also wrote about the Hui community in China and how they were marginalized by their own government. I know that the Chinese government has been doing a lot of re-education to Muslim minorities in their country so I was a bit skeptical while I was reading Ma Yan’s diary. I also found a YouTube video called ‘Is China Erasing the Hui Muslim Identity?’ So no wonder Ma Yan’s family had to live out of poverty.
After I finished reading the book, I googled about Ma Yan. There was one article published by the Chinese government saying that the school Ma Yan went to became so modernized and the government had been taking good care of them. But then it was published by the Chinese government so 🙄. I do hope that Ma Yan could find her own ground and live happily.
My parents gave this book to my sister. I don’t know how it ended up with me. 😅
“When mother and daughter hug each other that night at the imam’s house, there’s more at stake than just strong emotion. The energy that flows between them is that of two women prepared to confront and challenge fate.”
#TheDiaryofMAYAN #ThelifeofaChineseschoolgirl-transformed #EditedandintroducedbyPierreHaski #Hui #Ningxia #China #readingwiththinn📚
The book consisted of 2 parts. The first part was the diary entries of Ma Yan who was only 13 at that time. Ma Yan wrote about her struggles as well as her hopes. She had been carrying the burden for her education expenses. Her parents supported her education but they were so poor. They had to work tirelessly in order to support the family. They often needed to go to another town to do odd jobs. When her parents couldn’t afford for her education, Ma Yan’s mother bravely approached the foreigner in desperation for her daughter’s education. I am deeply touched by the act of Ma Yan’s mother. Ma Yan’s story was published in Liberation in January 2002. Since then, people have helped out not only Ma Yan’s family but also other families who had similar situations.
The second part of the book was the aftermath of the publication of Ma Yan’s story. The author explained what happened after the article was published and how many times they visited Ma Yan’s village. The author also wrote about the Hui community in China and how they were marginalized by their own government. I know that the Chinese government has been doing a lot of re-education to Muslim minorities in their country so I was a bit skeptical while I was reading Ma Yan’s diary. I also found a YouTube video called ‘Is China Erasing the Hui Muslim Identity?’ So no wonder Ma Yan’s family had to live out of poverty.
After I finished reading the book, I googled about Ma Yan. There was one article published by the Chinese government saying that the school Ma Yan went to became so modernized and the government had been taking good care of them. But then it was published by the Chinese government so 🙄. I do hope that Ma Yan could find her own ground and live happily.
My parents gave this book to my sister. I don’t know how it ended up with me. 😅
“When mother and daughter hug each other that night at the imam’s house, there’s more at stake than just strong emotion. The energy that flows between them is that of two women prepared to confront and challenge fate.”
#TheDiaryofMAYAN #ThelifeofaChineseschoolgirl-transformed #EditedandintroducedbyPierreHaski #Hui #Ningxia #China #readingwiththinn📚
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