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Dragon Fighter: One Woman's Epic Struggle for Peace with China
A remarkable autobiographical journey from humble beginnings to a position as a powerful world figure fighting for her nation’s self-determination. Along the ancient Silk Road where Europe, Asia, and Russia converge stands the four-thousand-year-old homeland of a peaceful people, the Uyghurs. Their culture is filled with music, dance, family, and love of tradition passed down by storytelling through the ages. For millennia, they have survived clashes in the shadow of China, Russia, and Central Asia. Rebiya Kadeer’s courage, intellect, morality, and sacrifice give hope to the nearly eleven million Uyghurs worldwide on whose behalf she speaks as an indomitable world leader for the freedom of her people and the sovereignty of her nation. Her life story is one of as a refugee child, as a poor housewife, as a multimillionaire, as a high official in China’s National People’s Congress, as a political prisoner in solitary confinement for two of nearly six years in jail, and now as a political dissident living in Washington, DC, exiled from her own land. 16 pages of photographs
426 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
20 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
About the author
Rebiya Kadeer
4 books14 followersRebiya Kadeer (Uyghur: رابىيه قادىر) is a prominent Uyghur businesswoman and political activist from the northwest region of Xinjiang in the People's Republic of China (PRC), also known as East Turkestan. She has been the president of the World Uyghur Congress since November 2006.
Kadeer has been active in defending the rights of the largely Muslim Uyghur minority, who she says has been subject to systematic oppression by the Chinese government.
Kadeer is currently living in exile in the United States.
Kadeer has been active in defending the rights of the largely Muslim Uyghur minority, who she says has been subject to systematic oppression by the Chinese government.
Kadeer is currently living in exile in the United States.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
February 17, 2021
Hands down one of the best books I've ever read! The unbelievable story of a brave woman from one of the least known people groups in the world! After visiting Xinjiang and falling in love with the people, I scoured the internet looking for every book and movie I could find. This book is a fascinating, disturbing glimpse into an entire culture few know anything about.
February 11, 2018
Fantastic biography of an incredible woman.
May 21, 2012
Rebiya Kadeer's biography offers an outstanding insider view on the history and life in Xinjiang/ East Turkestan. Her story is very remarkable: She started with almost nothing and managed to make a fortune with her businesses, first to support her children and later to help her people. Remarkable, too, is how she always somehow managed to deal with corrupt officials, the Chinese state, but also everyday problems. Kadeer has shun no risks to help the Uyghurs. It's saddening that in the end, the Chinese authorities focused on her separatist orientation (which was not translated in any separatist activities) and tried to drive her into insanity in jail. Interestingly, however, she was offered a very influential position just before that, which made me wonder whether she would have been able to help her people more in this position. Unfortunately, she and the author of the book did not reflect on this.
I don't share the Chinese authorities' position that she is a liar, but I'm not quite convinced by some of her statements. Generally, the book is quite anti-Chinese - not surprising if you consider her history and the common tendency of refugees to talk about their home countries in negative ways. Sometimes, however, I think that this kind of orientation can result in questionable conclusions. For example, she claims that officials were forced to continue to report record harvests during the 'Great Leap Forward'. The explanation I've heard before and find more plausible is that official had incentives to manipulate their data to improve their standing among superiors. Another example is her view on urban planning: traditional Uyghur buildings had to make place for modern Chinese ones. Are these buildings really demolished because they are built according to Uyghur traditions - as Kadeer implies - or is it part of a larger modernisation process, in which old buildings are replaced by new ones - common especially in rapidly developing countries? In both examples, the book assumes unfair, anti-Uyghur or simply evil tendencies, although there are alternative explanations.
Not much information on the role (and background knowledge) of the author, Alexandra Cavelius, is provided. The section on this at the end of the book should be much longer. The author's knowledge of Rebiya Kadeer's life is based on interviews and I think it is important to know how this was transformed into this book - without more details on this, I have to assume that Cavelius might have improvised a bit.
Despite these concerns, it is a great book, from which you can learn a lot about Xinjiang and China's policies towards it's larger minorities.
I don't share the Chinese authorities' position that she is a liar, but I'm not quite convinced by some of her statements. Generally, the book is quite anti-Chinese - not surprising if you consider her history and the common tendency of refugees to talk about their home countries in negative ways. Sometimes, however, I think that this kind of orientation can result in questionable conclusions. For example, she claims that officials were forced to continue to report record harvests during the 'Great Leap Forward'. The explanation I've heard before and find more plausible is that official had incentives to manipulate their data to improve their standing among superiors. Another example is her view on urban planning: traditional Uyghur buildings had to make place for modern Chinese ones. Are these buildings really demolished because they are built according to Uyghur traditions - as Kadeer implies - or is it part of a larger modernisation process, in which old buildings are replaced by new ones - common especially in rapidly developing countries? In both examples, the book assumes unfair, anti-Uyghur or simply evil tendencies, although there are alternative explanations.
Not much information on the role (and background knowledge) of the author, Alexandra Cavelius, is provided. The section on this at the end of the book should be much longer. The author's knowledge of Rebiya Kadeer's life is based on interviews and I think it is important to know how this was transformed into this book - without more details on this, I have to assume that Cavelius might have improvised a bit.
Despite these concerns, it is a great book, from which you can learn a lot about Xinjiang and China's policies towards it's larger minorities.
April 30, 2009
"What China is deceitfully not revealing to the outside world is that it is so successful financially only because it does not play by the rules of justice. A system without justice is a system without hope." This is a discovery Rebiya Kadeer makes at an early age, growing up in the Uyghur nation (known as Uyghurstan or East Turkestan and as the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region to the Chinese), a swath of land north of Tibet bordered by Mongolia, Kazakstan, Kyrgzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and India.
When her family is thrown out of their home and her father is beaten, Kadeer's idyllic childhood comes to tumbling to an end. Though still a young woman, she has a strong sense of civic duty and resolves to defend Uyghurs from the cultural robbery, ideological oppression, violence and tireless Communist indoctrination she sees steadily imposed by the Chinese (by 1957, Kadeer writes, her feelings were clear: "I wanted to stop seeing posters of Chairman Mao's adipose face, with that forever grinning mouth, plastered over every wall").
Unfortunately, with time, the injustices imposed on Uyghurs only increase; Kadeer charts the routine banishment, execution, forced flight, arrest, resettlement, and public humiliation of her Uyghur friends and neighbors. She notes that their persecutors would even shoot the pet dogs of Uyghurs to make a point.
By age 28 Kadeer is a relocated and divorced mother of six. Restless to provide for her children and take control of the future, she remakes herself as a businesswoman and begins unconventional courtship with an Uyghur activist named Sidik Rouzi.
With the security afforded by her business profits and her 2nd marriage, she returns her attention to political activism. Although by the early 90s, the USSR has dissolved, freeing Kazaks, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Krykhiz, and Kadeer has become the wealthiest woman in China, the oppression of Uyghurs has not abated -- what's more, it still remains largely unknown outside of the region.
Even after Kadeer wins a seat in China's National People's Congress, she is unable to counteract the effects of Chinese bureaucrats repopulating the Uyghur region with AIDs patients and botching relief works when the region is struck by an earthquake. Ultimately, the efforts of Kadeer and her husband land her in prisoned for six harsh years.
The remarkable resilience she demonstrates in the face of horrendous prison conditions typifies her dauntless, lifelong struggle. This story of singular bravery is a compelling testament to the human spirit's obstinate right to freedom.
When her family is thrown out of their home and her father is beaten, Kadeer's idyllic childhood comes to tumbling to an end. Though still a young woman, she has a strong sense of civic duty and resolves to defend Uyghurs from the cultural robbery, ideological oppression, violence and tireless Communist indoctrination she sees steadily imposed by the Chinese (by 1957, Kadeer writes, her feelings were clear: "I wanted to stop seeing posters of Chairman Mao's adipose face, with that forever grinning mouth, plastered over every wall").
Unfortunately, with time, the injustices imposed on Uyghurs only increase; Kadeer charts the routine banishment, execution, forced flight, arrest, resettlement, and public humiliation of her Uyghur friends and neighbors. She notes that their persecutors would even shoot the pet dogs of Uyghurs to make a point.
By age 28 Kadeer is a relocated and divorced mother of six. Restless to provide for her children and take control of the future, she remakes herself as a businesswoman and begins unconventional courtship with an Uyghur activist named Sidik Rouzi.
With the security afforded by her business profits and her 2nd marriage, she returns her attention to political activism. Although by the early 90s, the USSR has dissolved, freeing Kazaks, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Krykhiz, and Kadeer has become the wealthiest woman in China, the oppression of Uyghurs has not abated -- what's more, it still remains largely unknown outside of the region.
Even after Kadeer wins a seat in China's National People's Congress, she is unable to counteract the effects of Chinese bureaucrats repopulating the Uyghur region with AIDs patients and botching relief works when the region is struck by an earthquake. Ultimately, the efforts of Kadeer and her husband land her in prisoned for six harsh years.
The remarkable resilience she demonstrates in the face of horrendous prison conditions typifies her dauntless, lifelong struggle. This story of singular bravery is a compelling testament to the human spirit's obstinate right to freedom.
December 12, 2008
Well the book is about the Life of Rebiya Kadeer an Uyghur politcal leader also known as the mother of Uyghurs.. Rebiay Kadeer is a politcal and human rights activist for her people the Uyghurs of East Turkistan ( Northwest,China)
August 2, 2013
This autobiography is packed with insights on current human rights and freedom issues in China. Rebiya Kadeer shares her experiences as a refugee child, self-made multimillionaire, and later as a political dissident protesting human rights violations against the Uyghur people.
December 24, 2013
This book has been a true inspiration for me on how I look at the people around me and the world we live in.
October 14, 2018
Çin'in değişik ve gölgede kalan yüzünü daha iyi görebilmek açısından okunabilir...
January 25, 2020
This was a surprise book that I found in a neighborhood book box, really glad I read it.
September 18, 2022
This book will leave you both amazed and outraged. I have tremendous respect for the author, Rebiya Kadeer: “No other Uyghur before me has ever experienced our homeland from as many different perspectives: as a refugee child, as a poor housewife, as a multimillionaire, as a high official in the National People’s Congress of the Republic of China, as a political prisoner jailed for many years, and now as a political dissident exiled from my own land.” p. 6. At first, I was a little annoyed that the author didn’t spring for a better editor, since I initially kept noticing typos, dates that didn’t make sense, and bad transitions between sentences. But pretty soon, either the writing improved or I became so engrossed in the wild story that I stopped noticing the errors.
This book is also highly relevant in today’s world, as the conditions of the Uyghurs have only deteriorated since publication. The 2021 DOS Human Rights Report states that China has implemented a dual campaign of both forcibly sterilizing Uyghur women of childbearing years and interning Uyghur men of childbearing years, thus preventing the regenerative capacity of the group. In other words, the PRC is committing genocide by making sure the next generation never exists. So, apparently we don’t need dystopian fiction anymore. It has become real life.
Anyway, here’s my proposed creative response to the Uyghur situation. I realize it reads like the premise for a sci fi novel, but honestly so do the abuses of the CCP, and desperate times call for desperate measures…
I think the US ought to put together a SEAL Team and send them undercover into Xinjiang, where they can secretly solicit donations of eggs and sperm from those Uyghurs who haven’t yet been forcibly sterilized. Once they collect enough, the team can then spread out throughout greater China and covertly solicit volunteers from Han Chinese women who underwent forced abortions under the former one-child or two-child policies. These women would have the fertilized eggs implanted and give birth to a rising generation of Uyghurs. This would accomplish several things. First, it would forge an indelible tie between two formerly distrusting ethnicities. Second, it would thwart the efforts of the CCP to isolate, surveil, and censor the entire Uyghur population within China. Third, it would create a whole new generation of really pissed off Uyghur orphans throughout China who would be willing to rise up against the CCP for cutting them off from their roots.
This book is also highly relevant in today’s world, as the conditions of the Uyghurs have only deteriorated since publication. The 2021 DOS Human Rights Report states that China has implemented a dual campaign of both forcibly sterilizing Uyghur women of childbearing years and interning Uyghur men of childbearing years, thus preventing the regenerative capacity of the group. In other words, the PRC is committing genocide by making sure the next generation never exists. So, apparently we don’t need dystopian fiction anymore. It has become real life.
Anyway, here’s my proposed creative response to the Uyghur situation. I realize it reads like the premise for a sci fi novel, but honestly so do the abuses of the CCP, and desperate times call for desperate measures…
I think the US ought to put together a SEAL Team and send them undercover into Xinjiang, where they can secretly solicit donations of eggs and sperm from those Uyghurs who haven’t yet been forcibly sterilized. Once they collect enough, the team can then spread out throughout greater China and covertly solicit volunteers from Han Chinese women who underwent forced abortions under the former one-child or two-child policies. These women would have the fertilized eggs implanted and give birth to a rising generation of Uyghurs. This would accomplish several things. First, it would forge an indelible tie between two formerly distrusting ethnicities. Second, it would thwart the efforts of the CCP to isolate, surveil, and censor the entire Uyghur population within China. Third, it would create a whole new generation of really pissed off Uyghur orphans throughout China who would be willing to rise up against the CCP for cutting them off from their roots.
May 18, 2014
Kadeer the figurehead leader of the Uighur people - a Turkic ethnic group whose homeland is in the now named Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of north west China. It was first claimed by the Manchus in 1760. Their subsequent rule was unsteady owing to the resistance of the Uighurs and required military reoccupation on four occasions during the following century.
The overthrow of the imperial Chinese state in 1911 and its replacement with a republic weakened Beijing's hold on the territory and for a brief periods a East Turkistan Republic was proclaimed by the Uighurs, Kazaks, and other Turkic groups in the region. It did not flourish and by the 1940s the region became embroiled in the second world war, as the Soviets fell back into its territory under the initial impact of the Nazi attack on Russia.
After the war the local Uighur leadership observed the rise and eventual victory of Mao's Communists. They initially refused to acknowledge his rise to power. In August 1949 a delegation of Uighur leaders was invited to participate in a session of the People's Congress in Beijing. The plane they boarded crashed in the mountains of Manchuria and the momentum towards Uighur independence came to an end.
Rebiya Kadeer was one year old when Mao declared East Turkistan part of China, on 1 October 1949. Her father was an enterprising businessmen who opened shops around the family's large home compound. She was five years old when the first Han Chinese started arriving in her home city, first offering candy to the children, but then expropriating Uighur businesses and property. The community was haranged by party slogans, and, at the instigation of Mao's call to 'criticise the intellectuals' in the spring of 1957, split into pro- and anti- Beijing factions.
Kadeer's account of these years is replete with descriptions of the homeliness of the Uighur hearth, with folk tales and honour binding the people to to courteous and peaceful life. The Muslim religion was practised as an idiosyncratic mix, combining shamanism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity and other influences. All of this was, she argues, shattered by the arrival of the Chinese.
An early marriage to a persistent suitor with a position in a local bank placed Kadeer in an ambiguous position in the power structure. Children arrived and these years were dominated by their needs. But her husband took against her at some point, claiming his right to divorce and take control of the children. But the disaster of being an abandoned wife fired Kadeer into the next stage of her life,as a trader who accumulated assets worth millions in a few short years. From this pinnacle she set out on a Gandhian path which aimed for the restoration of an independent Uighur nation.
She ought a new husband as a partner in this enterprise, and tracked down a local hero of the Uighur resistance who had served an eight year sentence in a Chinese prison. They moved cities and Kadeer's business acumen raised their personal wealth to new heights. But it was a precarious existence. The corruption of the Chinese administration as well as the changing whims of the politics of the Communist party saw any number of sudden reversals of fortune, with millions worth of assets being confiscated without any regard for legal process.
The book fails to give a proper account of why Kadeer was able to weave her quixotic way between the Chinese factions and the local Uighur henchmen during this period, giving only light sketches based on confrontations with regional party leaders and administrators. By some unexplained route she found herself an appointed representative to the People's Congress - the Chinese state's parliamentary organ. She bravely uses this platform to criticise the policies of ethnic displacement in her homeland, but rather than suffering for this act of lese majesty, the Beijing leaders proclaim her an invaluable source of information which would allow them to correct the excesses their followers were perpetrating.
At some point the tide turned against her and arrest and long-term imprisonment beckoned. The final section of the book is a grim account of the conditions in Chinese prisons, which hold 1.8 million souls across the territories controlled by the state. Not content with the mere containment of supposed dangerous elements, the state aims to break them as human beings, permitting only the irredeemably demoralised and the insane to claim freedom at the end of their sentences.
Kadeer had an international reputation as the leader of her people to assist her in avoiding the worst fates of the Chinese prison system. Amnesty International took up her cause and her husband, in exile in the US, became in influential lobbyist in the Washington corridors of power.
She wins her freedom and is allowed to join her husband and some of her children in the US. From there she has continued to provide testimony about the state of the Uighur people under the Chinese regime. Those of her children who have remained pay a heavy price for her intransigence, themselves suffering imprisonment and constant harassment.
This book emerged from conversations with Alexandra Carvelius, who was responsible for the text. In this form it has the shortcomings of lack of additional supporting evidence. It relies on the moral force Kadeer's narrative to make the case about the suffering of the Uighur people.
Better this than nothing. It stands as another clear statement of what life is like for the people's who live under the sway of the authoritarian Chinese system and prompts those of us in the wider world to consider what can be done to advance the cause of human rights. As we move through the decades of the century ahead it is a task that will become ever more urgent.
The overthrow of the imperial Chinese state in 1911 and its replacement with a republic weakened Beijing's hold on the territory and for a brief periods a East Turkistan Republic was proclaimed by the Uighurs, Kazaks, and other Turkic groups in the region. It did not flourish and by the 1940s the region became embroiled in the second world war, as the Soviets fell back into its territory under the initial impact of the Nazi attack on Russia.
After the war the local Uighur leadership observed the rise and eventual victory of Mao's Communists. They initially refused to acknowledge his rise to power. In August 1949 a delegation of Uighur leaders was invited to participate in a session of the People's Congress in Beijing. The plane they boarded crashed in the mountains of Manchuria and the momentum towards Uighur independence came to an end.
Rebiya Kadeer was one year old when Mao declared East Turkistan part of China, on 1 October 1949. Her father was an enterprising businessmen who opened shops around the family's large home compound. She was five years old when the first Han Chinese started arriving in her home city, first offering candy to the children, but then expropriating Uighur businesses and property. The community was haranged by party slogans, and, at the instigation of Mao's call to 'criticise the intellectuals' in the spring of 1957, split into pro- and anti- Beijing factions.
Kadeer's account of these years is replete with descriptions of the homeliness of the Uighur hearth, with folk tales and honour binding the people to to courteous and peaceful life. The Muslim religion was practised as an idiosyncratic mix, combining shamanism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity and other influences. All of this was, she argues, shattered by the arrival of the Chinese.
An early marriage to a persistent suitor with a position in a local bank placed Kadeer in an ambiguous position in the power structure. Children arrived and these years were dominated by their needs. But her husband took against her at some point, claiming his right to divorce and take control of the children. But the disaster of being an abandoned wife fired Kadeer into the next stage of her life,as a trader who accumulated assets worth millions in a few short years. From this pinnacle she set out on a Gandhian path which aimed for the restoration of an independent Uighur nation.
She ought a new husband as a partner in this enterprise, and tracked down a local hero of the Uighur resistance who had served an eight year sentence in a Chinese prison. They moved cities and Kadeer's business acumen raised their personal wealth to new heights. But it was a precarious existence. The corruption of the Chinese administration as well as the changing whims of the politics of the Communist party saw any number of sudden reversals of fortune, with millions worth of assets being confiscated without any regard for legal process.
The book fails to give a proper account of why Kadeer was able to weave her quixotic way between the Chinese factions and the local Uighur henchmen during this period, giving only light sketches based on confrontations with regional party leaders and administrators. By some unexplained route she found herself an appointed representative to the People's Congress - the Chinese state's parliamentary organ. She bravely uses this platform to criticise the policies of ethnic displacement in her homeland, but rather than suffering for this act of lese majesty, the Beijing leaders proclaim her an invaluable source of information which would allow them to correct the excesses their followers were perpetrating.
At some point the tide turned against her and arrest and long-term imprisonment beckoned. The final section of the book is a grim account of the conditions in Chinese prisons, which hold 1.8 million souls across the territories controlled by the state. Not content with the mere containment of supposed dangerous elements, the state aims to break them as human beings, permitting only the irredeemably demoralised and the insane to claim freedom at the end of their sentences.
Kadeer had an international reputation as the leader of her people to assist her in avoiding the worst fates of the Chinese prison system. Amnesty International took up her cause and her husband, in exile in the US, became in influential lobbyist in the Washington corridors of power.
She wins her freedom and is allowed to join her husband and some of her children in the US. From there she has continued to provide testimony about the state of the Uighur people under the Chinese regime. Those of her children who have remained pay a heavy price for her intransigence, themselves suffering imprisonment and constant harassment.
This book emerged from conversations with Alexandra Carvelius, who was responsible for the text. In this form it has the shortcomings of lack of additional supporting evidence. It relies on the moral force Kadeer's narrative to make the case about the suffering of the Uighur people.
Better this than nothing. It stands as another clear statement of what life is like for the people's who live under the sway of the authoritarian Chinese system and prompts those of us in the wider world to consider what can be done to advance the cause of human rights. As we move through the decades of the century ahead it is a task that will become ever more urgent.
June 27, 2017
I didn't know much about the Uyghurs in China before reading this book.
It makes me really sad and angry to know that such injustice exist in our world and that these human rights violations are not more widely known.
Everyone who is interested in Asia or human rights should read this book.
But this aside I can only give 3/5 stars for this book because I didn't like the writing style - it did make reading the book quite hard.
It makes me really sad and angry to know that such injustice exist in our world and that these human rights violations are not more widely known.
Everyone who is interested in Asia or human rights should read this book.
But this aside I can only give 3/5 stars for this book because I didn't like the writing style - it did make reading the book quite hard.
February 11, 2021
This is a must-read book about a must-know woman that needs to be on everyone's radar. I feel ashamed not having heard of Rebiya Kadeer before, but she is an inspirational leader for Uyghur human rights and freedom (similarly to how the Dalai Lama is for Tibet). She has gone through more than I can imagine going through in a lifetime, but she continues to fight for human rights and her people to this day.
February 18, 2021
What a remarkable woman and life. She has shed so much light on the Uighur plight instigated by a corrupt, inhumane Chinese central government. She has endured and accomplished so much in her lifetime. I wish that the world would pay closer attention to her story and fully support Uighur self-determination and their basic human rights. If you want to learn more about Uighur oppression and another example of China's disregard for human rights, this book is a good place to start.
March 17, 2023
It was an eye opener for me to what China is doing and has been doing to the people and the land of the Uyghers. What a story! A very painful read, as I cringed for her every time she blatantly and loudly opened her mouth to speak the truth to the Chinese leaders and business people. They were not friends who wanted to work out a relationship with equals. No.
I recommend reading it to find out about her culture, a people who are being quickly extinguished from our planet’s landscape.
I recommend reading it to find out about her culture, a people who are being quickly extinguished from our planet’s landscape.
November 14, 2022
Undoubtedly a remarkable book. I loved learning about the Uyghur traditional past and traditions, and it was heartbreaking to hear about the systematic abuses, even of children, that crept into their homeland. The book is long, and detailed, a fascinating look into one woman's life. She is undoubtedly a difficult woman - but as the saying goes, well-behaved women rarely make history.
June 26, 2018
This book will open your mind to the precious gift of freedom and the capacity of totalitarian states to repress it. Rebiya speaks of her journey to survive and promote freedom of the press, of religion, of economic opportunity and of a fair trial.
October 6, 2018
This book was a very slow read for me but an amazing story about an amazing woman.
July 8, 2019
5 stars for the importance of the story itself, when so little is published about the Uyghur people. But overall 3 stars for the monotonous writing style and lack of analysis in the content.
February 17, 2020
The only book I could find in my local public library about Xinjiang and the Uighur people. Informative.
May 11, 2020
Es war spannend erzählt. Die Geschichte der Uiquren ist es wert gelesen zu werden und dieses Buch bildet ein umfangreichen Blick auf den Umgang Chinas mit Besatzungsstaaten.
September 25, 2020
Amazing story.. amazing woman. Definitely a captivating and interesting read. Highly recommended. Also very timely considering the genocide / ethnic cleansing is still occurring in China.
November 25, 2022
What an outstanding book and a must read.
June 6, 2023
East Turkistan forever in my heart💙
February 9, 2017
The endless expanse of the Gobi Desert, paradoxically ancient yet fragile and crumbling remains of Silk Road cities, Kashgar’s incredible carpet bazaar, the cool underground streams of Turpan on a sunny afternoon, a blood-stirring drum and fife sidewalk performance by local boys in Urumqi, the friendly welcoming smiles of new acquaintances, long hours on uncharacteristically (for China) empty trains; these are my memories of Xinjiang, western China. Rebiya Kadeer’s memoir recounts her experiences growing up and her life as a mother, entrepreneur, big business owner, government representative and, eventually, prisoner, in Xinjiang, and finally as a Uyghur activist from the other side of the world. It is an inspiring story of fortitude.
July 7, 2014
I am very inspired by this woman. I do not know much about communist China or indeed any of the ethnic groups which live within its borders, so the historical background to Kadeer's life was particularly interesting to me. I found her courage and her strength of will inspiring, and I don't know who wouldn't respect her resilience - regardless of whether you are sympathetic or not to her plight.
I like these types of biography because it brings to my attention just how much an ordinary, run of the mill, 'nobody' can be capable of not just of great economic or political success, but more so, capable of having the strength of will and determination against opposition from a world power.
I humbly acknowledge that I might not have had the self-mastery or will to face 'the Dragon' had it in fact been me... so I read in awe.
I like these types of biography because it brings to my attention just how much an ordinary, run of the mill, 'nobody' can be capable of not just of great economic or political success, but more so, capable of having the strength of will and determination against opposition from a world power.
I humbly acknowledge that I might not have had the self-mastery or will to face 'the Dragon' had it in fact been me... so I read in awe.
January 26, 2015
We've all heard of China's issues with Tibet and Taiwan. In fact, they're quite popular subjects. What most people haven't heard about, a topic that is rapidly gaining attention, is the Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region of China. Rebiya Kadeer is aiming to continue to spread awareness by publishing her story. I did a report on the Uyghurs for my Pacific Rim class and, thus, read this book. As I continued to read I realized, she continues to play an active role in the movement. Learning about the abuse the Uyghurs go through by the hands on China angers me. If you read this book you WILL want to scream at least once, it's quite enraging. But, overall, it is a hopeful book and Dragon Fighter is a rather befitting name for it.
May 11, 2010
I gave myself a week off from teaching and dissertation work to recover from the semester and read, and this was first on my list. I am humbled and a little awed, as I always am by the stories of strong women. Autobiographies are always tricky (the whole genre calls into question compelling issues of honesty-- what does one write, what does one leave out), but this was nothing if not enlightening and inspiring and... scary! Never piss off the Chinese government! Dang! I found out I can study the Uyghur language (which is a Turkic language with elements of Persian, written in the Arabic script! Cool!) at good ol' Indiana University! Adding it to the bucket list...
December 14, 2012
This book has shown to the world China's secret. I was deeply hurt by most of the pages of this book. Beneath the lines you could hear the voice of people who are currently treated badly in most of China's prisons, you could feel the sorrow of the people living in their country, however they can't say it's name,and you could be guided to the way that leads you the truth. This book has taught me that a human by his/her way of thinking and by his/her actions can be the source of sorrow to many people, and a human by his/her unbelievable sacrifices can be the source of hope for people.
We make our choice !
Thank you Rebiya !
We make our choice !
Thank you Rebiya !
Want to read
January 16, 2009'A remarkable autobiographical journey from humble beginnings to a position as a powerful figure fighting for her nation's self-determination' (Norton Reviews). A dedicated nonviolence advocate, she worked as a Chinese official, was a political prisioner, and now lives in exile in DC. She is an unofficial diplomate for the Uyghurs people.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews