Will the Boat Sink the Water?: The Life of China's Peasants

by Guidi Chen, Chuntao Wu, Wu Chuntao

The Chinese economic miracle is happening despite, not because of, China's 900 million peasants. They are missing from the portraits of booming Shanghai, or Beijing. Many of China's underclass live under a feudalistic system unchanged since the fifteenth century. They are truly the voiceless in modern China. They are also, perhaps, the reason that China will not be able to make the great social and economic leap forward, because if it is to leap it must carry the 900 million with it. Chinese journalists Wu Chuntao and Chen Guidi returned to Wu's home province of Anhui, one of China's poorest, to undertake a three-year survey of what had happened to the peasants there, asking the Have the peasants been betrayed by the revolution undertaken in their name by Mao and his successors? The result is a brilliant narrative of life among the 900 million, and a vivid portrait of the petty dictators that run China's villages and counties and the consequences of their bullying despotism on the people they administer. Told principally through four dramatic narratives of paricular Anhui people, Will the Boat Sink the Water? gives voice to the unheard masses and looks beneath the gloss of the new China to find the truth of daily life for its vast population of rural poor.

Genres: China, Nonfiction, History, Asia, Politics, Sociology, Society

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Chinese: 陳 桂棣

Reviews

[Jaidee · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 "important information but poorly executed" stars !!

I cannot in good conscience give this book more than two stars. This is information that needs to be shared with the world but the experience of this book was mostly tedious and often frustrating. I am unclear whether it is the writing style or could it possibly be the translation?

This book cannot afford to be poorly written as it is about the experience of 900 million people in China. Those sheer numbers blow me away. That is the population of thirty Canadas. Wowowow!!

The book is centred in Anhui province. More information on this province can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhui

A population of 58 million and one of the poorest in China. This is about rural China and the peasants that live in abject poverty and since becoming Communist have been been taxed excessively by the local communist thugs often without the consent of the Central government. Whenever the people revolt or want accountability they are beaten, tortured and given trumped up criminal charges.

This book has been banned in China but apparently has sold ten million copies on the black market.

The main issue I had with this book that it was written in vignettes that were told like moralistic, simplistic and dogmatic fables. The oppressed were all good and noble and the local governments were the devil himself. This constant David and Goliath telling left no room for nuance, understanding and actually made much of these vignettes seem almost unbelievable.

When I was a teen I read a fair number of books of Christians that were persecuted in the Soviet Union and the larger than life depictions appealed to my adolescent idealism whereas now I think I would be frustrated and want a more muted and balanced account.

The last chapter was the most helpful when finally statistics and possible solutions were presented on these huge and important social problems.

I am sorry that so many rural Chinese are suffering so greatly and I strongly feel that there could be a much better sharing of their stories to the rest of the world.

[Rebecca Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sold over 150,000 copies in just one month. Then, it was removed by Chinese authorities.

To understand this book, you *must* keep this in mind -- The authors intended to move urban Chinese to act on the injustices experienced in rural areas. This book was not written to a Western audience. It was written in hopes of circumventing censorship. It was written to shine a light on an issue that has been politicized in Chinese daily life since the 1950s.

For Chinese readers, the moralizing language is a callback to decades of political language around the suffering of peasants. The good-vs-evil framing probably also helped the book circumvent censorship at the start. It is not a simple task to circumvent censorship -- this book has layers.

I have not yet finished this book. The violence is overwhelming. In the face of such violence and exploitation, the bravery of many Chinese is worth learning from. The brave are both conflicted and persevering, heroic and limited.

[Azia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apa yang kamu ketahui tentang China? Shanghai..Jackie Chan...Film Kung Fu…Shaolin..Produk murah..atau pertumbuhan ekonominya yang fantastis menyaingi Amerika Serikat...Hal-hal tersebut juga terlintas dipikiran saya..Seperti kata pepatah, air sungai tenang menghanyutkan..sungguh yang terlihat dari China hanya di permukaannya saja yang tampak tenang-tenang..tapi jauh kedalamannya terdapat tekanan yang begitu kuat..Dan ibaratnya sebuah buku, Cover yang menarik hati bisa saja menipu pembaca.

Yang tak pernah terungkap ke dunia internasional adalah bagaimana China meraih kegemilangannya. Pembangunan China dibangun atas kerja keras, pengorbanan, bahkan darah dari petani-petani China. China Undercover yang dikarang Chen Guidi dan Wu Chuntao ini mengejutkan dunia, termasuk saya, pemerintah China sendiri dengan cepat menarik peredaran buku ini di China.

Ada berbagai macam pajak berlaku di China. Petani adalah subjek pajak yang utama. Pajak panen sehabis musim panen, Pajak kebijakan-satu-anak, kalau lebih dari satu anak dikenakan denda, Jika memelihara babi ada pajak-babi-hidup, dan jika menolak membayar pajak pada saat petugas datang ke rumah, kena lagi, namanya pajak sikap. Wow..semuanya di pajak kecuali bernapas dan kentut. China memisahkan ”kota” dan ”desa”, hanya penduduk kota yang dapat izin tinggal di kota, penduduk desa tidak akan bertahan lama di kota, tidak bisa memperoleh izin kota, cara jitu merantai petani dengan tanah desa.

Jika semuanya berjalan dengan semestinya dimana semua birokrat dan pengurus partai komunis melakukan peraturan yang telah dikeluarkan oleh pusat. Buku ini tak akan ditulis. Karena justru ketidakadilan lah yang mewarnai kehidupan desa-desa terutama propinsi Anhui, suara jerit hati petani yang kelu dan tertahan di pangkal lidah tidak pernah tersampaikan. Pajak yang ditanggung oleh petani terlalu berlebihan jumlahnya tergantung kehendak sang penguasa partai di desa-desa. Cerita-cerita yang ada dibuku ini adalah mengenai perjuangan petani untuk meraih keadilan..mengenai kemiskinan didesa yang jauh berbeda dengan kota...perjuangan untuk sebuah tranparansi keuangan dan perjuangan itu mahal harganya.

Uang begitu menggoda manusia. Siapa yang terpikat akan menjadi ambisius. Dengan kekuasaan di tangan, uang di kantong, hasrat tersebut semakin menjadi-jadi..jadi lupa diri..jadi lupa saudara..jadi lupa istri..jadi bengis..bahkan bisa jadi diktator. Petani China diharuskan membayar sejumlah uang untuk cadangan kas desa. Namun pajak plus-plus siluman banyak ragamnya. Dan penyelewengan uang kas desa untuk keperluan pribadi pengurus partai dan desa ditemukan sang penulis, ada dimana-mana di wilayah propinsi Anhui. Itu Cuma satu propinsi di China lho...tapi petani desa yang berpendidikan tidak mau tinggal diam. Mereka menginginkan kebenaran..Mereka menginginkan audit..Mereka sungguh capai bertahan hidup..kelaparan sementara didepan mata makanan berlimpah ruah. Tak semudah di Indonesia, jika kasus korupsi terungkap, ada KPK..ada pers yang bawel (good job!). Di China, misal bos partai desa X korupsi, petani lapor ke ketua partai kecamatan..lalu kabupaten..lalu prefektur..lalu propinsi..namun jika keluhan petani tetap tidak dihiraukan.maka jalan satu-satunya adalah pergi ke ibukota Beijing, melapor ke komisi pengaduan. Jalan perjuangan petani tersebut tak semulus kulit bayi. Sekembalinya ke desa, justru harus berhadapan dengan petugas keamanan, diteror, ditahan, disekap, dipukuli beramai-ramai, disetrum pentungan listrik, dan pulang ke rumah dengan peti mati. Suatu desa bisa digempur polisi jika ada yang berani mengusik kenyamana pengurus partai. Tak peduli tua renta, wanita atau anak-anak apalagi laki-laki..ditempeleng sama keras! Sungguh menyayat hati!

Salah satu ciri dari ekonomi terpusat adalah semua sendi kehidupan dikendalikan oleh negara. Dan hal yang mengejutkan, wanita untuk hamil ada jadwalnya...bergiliran jika ada yang hamil duluan sebelum gilirannya tiba, mending diomelin, ditahan! Seorang pejabat desa nun jauh di China mengatakan saya lebih senang melihat tujuh gundukan tanah dibanding lahirnya seorang bayi. Tujuh gundukan tersebut adalah wanita yang meninggal dunia karena aborsi. Mengerikan bukan...

Kejadian-kejadian dalam China Undercover merupakan kisah nyata. Nama tokohnya juga asli, tidak pakai inisial dan tidak pakai kamera tersembunyi (lho?). Penulisnya sendiri harus berhadapan dengan bos-bos partai atau kepala desa yang di pengadilan dengan tuduhan pencemaran nama baik, kambing hitam kebenaran.

Buku yang bagus, sayangnya menurut saya, penulis kurang dapat menulis dengan indah, kaku, entah karena buku yang saya baca adalah terjemahan atau aslinya memang ditulis seperti ini.Coba pakai gaya jurnalisme sastrawi, makin mantap dibaca.. Tapi overall, buku ini menggugah siapa saja yang ingin mengetahui China luar-dalam. Selamat membaca!

[Andrés · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book is informative, nonetheless the translation was spotty and it suffers from the illness that plagues all journalists: it is more focused on stories than about analysis. Unfortunately, many of these stories already appeared in China's domestic press, so while they may be new to foreign eyes the authors' reporting was not particularly original. In addition, the authors seem to make every person in their reporting two-dimensional: either good or evil. Nuance or careful analysis will not be found in this book.

Unfortunately, these stories initially lack much context: it is not until the fifth chapter that a post-1949 history of Chinese agriculture is given. This makes the stories of countryside tragedy appear as isolated instances of malfeasance rather than as examples of a systemic political problem.

While the sixth chapter supposedly offers possible remedies for the problems of China's countryside, in fact they don't. Simply saying that there should be better policies or better cadres implementing those policies is not, in fact, a substantive contribution to the debate. Unfortunately, one suggestion that would have been useful was not proffered: giving Chinese peasants oversight over their local governments by giving them the right to choose their representatives in those governments. It seems to me that many problems in the countryside arise from the fact that cadres are more interested in what their superiors think than in the realities of those they are governing. If your incentive is to impress an official in the faraway provincial capital or even further away national capital, then of course you will do everything in your power to prevent any bad news from escaping your locality. Until this basic dynamic is broken Chinese peasants will continue to be mistreated by the authorities regardless of the political system under which they live.

[Christopher Rex · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book gets 3-stars b/c it is a "black market" book in China about Chinese peasants written by Chinese peasants who lived it. If it was some pencilneck, ivory tower dweeb who wrote it, it would be 2-stars. It's interesting and very enlightening to the plight of the Chinese peasantry (numbering 900million) and tells quite a bit about the HOW and WHY of the Chinese economic boom (as well as the brutal costs). But, it spends too much time "storytelling" about "this bad thing" and "that bad thing" that happened to various people in various villages. There's not nearly enough overarching analysis, though I'm not 100% sure that was/is the point. The last chapter wraps a nice bow around all of it to give some analysis, but it is too little too late. A VERY important read for a greater understanding of the brutalities of China today and the "dark side" of their economic "boom". The title comes from the saying that "Water holds up the boat, but it can also sink the boat" with the "water" being the peasants. It seems China's policies are intent on "sinking the water". Sucks to be a Chinese rural peasant, that's for sure.

[Jose M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very educative book in the current political system of China and its history. An eye opener for an average European reader with an interest in political systems and history of different countries.

This book shows the other face of China. The one that most people aren't aware of. The other China, the second China. Really, it is another country within China. Another country whose citizens - the peasants - are regarded as second class citizens for the rest of the Chinese people.

The book shows how, even in the 21st century, there are people in China - the cadres - who rule like in the Middle Ages. And what's more, China is full of them, now more than even. One may think this is because of Communism, but it is actually something a problem that goes back to many generations and dynasties, as the writers show.

The first chapters of the book include examples to illustrate how the cadres abuse of the peasants. These examples will make your blood boil if you have any empathy for these people. If you think your own country is corrupted, read this book and you will see what a real problem of corruption is.

The last chapters of the book are an analysis of the roots and the consequences of the peasants' burden, and the possible ways this problem can be solved in the future.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this work of reportage for a Chinese history class, and quite honestly it's a book I lend out regularly to people who want to hear about the "average Chinese person" after the communist revolution.

[Lex van Groningen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good insight into Chinese society abd economy dealing with the huge farmer workforce. Over-taxing and intimidating farmers seems to have heen common practice for many decades. I wonder if the farmer's situation has improved at all since the book was published.

[Lilly Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Understanding a China it would prefer not to discuss - worth a read.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough look at the taxes, corruption, and agricultural systems that oppress china’s peasants. Very brave book. Dense but interesting and of course depressing

[Magdaléna Kudrnáčová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, an intriguing book; however, there was something about the way it was written that I didn't enjoy. Nonetheless, I would still recommend that anyone interested in the subject matter reads it.

[Gabriella Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a crazy story to read about. Sad that it actually happened but retold so well. Loved

[Arief Bakhtiar D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

DING

REVOLUSI, kata Leon Trotsky, adalah sebuah resiko. Dan setiap revolusi, lanjutnya, meskipun begitu, memiliki kemungkinan akan menang yang besar.

Tapi siapa yang menang? Dan untuk siapa?

Yang menang, dalam sejarah Tiongkok adalah, setidaknya, yang mengamalkan ajaran ketua Mao. Dan untuk siapa, Komunis Cina telah mengatakan kepeduliannya pada para petani sejak meraih kekuasaan tahun 1949. Namun realitas sosial Cina pra-1949 memang berkata lain tentang petani. Pajak yang tinggi, dihisap oleh kelas atas—kaum petani adalah korban paling menderita dalam sejarah Cina modern.

Tapi bukan itu saja yang membangkitkan revolusi. Chiang Kai-shek yang bersekutu dengan pemimpin-pemimpin militer serta pemilik modal yang besar dari awal memang tak berniat me-revolusi kaum tani. Pemerintahan Guomindang, kata Buck, “menjadi sebuah pemerintahan dari dan bagi kelas pemilik tanah dan melawan kaum petani”.

Kaum petani, yang pada tahun 1930-an memang tak masuk dalam daftar utama dalam pembangunan, terpinggirkan. Ada kepentingan sekelompok orang di “daftar-daftar prioritas pembangunan”. Pengabaian terhadap kaum tani ini menyebabkan niat reformasi era Guomindang, kata Buck lagi, hanya sebatas “memperbaiki”.

Bersamaan dengan segala kebobrokan itu datanglah Jepang menjajah daratan Cina. Jepang mencaplok Manchuria dan mendesak masuk ke Cina Utara. Kaum nasionalis Guomindang tak mampu bertahan. Mereka lari. Meisner dalam Mao's China and After: A History of the People's Republic mengungkapkan bahwa dampak peperangan itu telah membuat kekacauan ekonomi dan korupsi yang parah—bergerak secara nyata ke arah “demoralisasi total”. Chiang Kai-shek pada akhirnya menyerah untuk tak melanjutkan gerilya.

Terang saja hal itu membuka jalan bagi Tentara Merah yang komunis untuk memperkuat posisinya di mata rakyat (yang kira-kira 80 persen petani itu). Komunis terus, dan satu-satunya yang, melakukan gerilya melawan pendudukan Jepang, terutama di wilayah timur dan utara. Tahun 1934, Mao melakukan long march dan mendirikan basis gerilya di Yanan.

Dari sinilah sedikit kata-kata dari prosa André Gide berjudul Le retour de l’enfant prodigue menemukan bentuknya pada petani Cina: L’homme a besoin d’un toit sous lequel reposer sa tête—manusia membutuhkan atap di mana di bawahnya ia bisa menaruh kepalanya.

Para petani pun segera melakukan identifikasi: sang patriot sejati telah muncul, dan itu adalah kaum komunis, Mao dengan Tentara Merahnya. Frustasi dan keputus-asaan selama ini segera bergerak ke arah nasionalisme mempertahankan negeri. Para petani—dan jumlah ini meningkat luar biasa pesat 1000 persen beberapa tahun kemudian—bergabung dalam Tentara Merah.
Hal yang pas antara komunis-petani adalah bahwa Mao memang menerapkan revolusi berbasis petani yang berisi tiga: petani yang kuat sebagai inti Tentara Merah, strategi gerilya, dan kemandirian ekonomi di daerah yang diduduki.

Nampaknya kisah ini akan berakhir bahagia seperti cerita-cerita superhero. Tapi belum tentu. Memang, Mao akhirnya dikenal sebagai bapak revolusi, dan meskipun terjadi tragedi Revolusi Kebudayaan, orang kini masih sulit untuk melebihkan jasa-jasa Deng Xiao Ping dibandingkan jasa-jasa Mao.

Sampai hari ini masalah kaum tani pedesaan adalah “tugas historis utama”. Dan kita akan saksikan kisah seorang petani Cina dalam buku Will The Boat Sink The Water?: The Life of China’s Peasant.

Nama: Ding Zuoming. Ia petani biasa Desa Luying, suatu daerah terpencil yang terkenal sangat miskin di Kabupaten Luxin, Provonsi Anhui. Ia sangat cerdas sebenarnya. Namun karena hanya lulusan sekolah menengah lokal ia gagal meneruskan ke jenjang kuliah di Beijing atau Shanghai.
Ding termasuk yang peduli terhadap berita-berita koran, siaran radio, dan lebih penting lagi: ketidakadilan. Untuk itu, ketika menemukan kesalahan penarikan pajak dari kepala desa yang lebih tinggi 5 kali lipat dari yang ditentukan Dewan Negara dan ‘perampokan pajak’ anak Camat yang semena-mena, ia protes.

Tapi protesnya membawa mara bahaya: dengan sebuah fitnah, ia ditahan. Ia disuruh “jalan kuda” tapi menolak. Kemudian, seperti tak ada ampun, Ding dipukuli hingga tewas.

Kematian Ding oleh sebab yang tak wajar itu ditutup-tutupi. Meski Komite Pusat Partai kemudian mengetahui kabar itu, kaum tani terlanjur bimbang dan takut. Apakah Ding seorang revisionis yang harus dihukum mati? Apakah seorang yang menuntut kejelasan undang-undang adalah orang yang mengirim dirinya ke kematian?

Maka, mungkin benar kalau ada yang berkata “surga itu tinggi dan kaisar berada di luar jangkauan kita.” Tapi tak terintimidasi juga bukan hal yang salah ketika Ding Zuoming menukas, “Kekuasaan, tidak selalu benar.”

Ding mati, tanpa sebuah pesta makan malam seperti kata Mao. Begitu pun keluarga yang ditinggalkannya. Lalu di masa depan manakah kau berpesta, Ding Zhuoming?

Ia telah mati. Ia tak menjawab. Ia tak mungkin bisa mengatakan apapun, serupa dengan kisahnya sebelum mati: usahanya tak mengubah. Tak berarti.

Ya. Kekuasaan tidak selalu benar. Dan itu membuat kisah tentang keadilan sering invalid.

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite depressing, because all too real. Like Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quijote's adventures : the same senseless and cyclical repetitions of experience, yet in the case of Will The Boat Sink The Water, the experiences are corrupt, perverse and deadly. The book presented well-researched facts, and, sadly, the facts themselves are dismal. Should people read it ? Yes.
I appreciated that it included an index / glossary of the terms used with their corresponding Chinese characters — more books in translation should do this.

[Foxears · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Will the Boat Sink the Water?" är en bok jag inte skulle ha läst på fritiden främst på grund av att boken behandlar ett ämne jag inte är jätteintresserad av att läsa om. Med denna inställning till boken kanske det inte är så konstigt att jag blev positivt överraskad. Trots att boken innehåller en del krångliga ord är den lättläst tack vare alla utförliga exempel. Dessutom blir boken intressant när man får exempel att relatera till för att förstå problemet. Det gör att boken kommer närmare och att man kan känna starkare känslor inför orättvisorna som annars inte skulle betyda mer än siffror och procenttal på ett papper.

Den som är det minsta intresserad av att lära sig lite om de kinesiska böndernas liv och deras ekonomiska tillstånd bör absolut läsa den här boken. Det är en lättläst och intressant bok, om ett ganska tungt ämne, som jag absolut rekommenderar!

[Roos · Rating 3 out of 5]

1949 - 2001, Ternyata memang perjuangan yang lama untuk rakyat China mencapai kemajuan seperti sekarang ini, terutama buat para petani, yang ditekan sedemikian rupa untuk keuntungan bagi oknum-oknum pemerintahan yang berkuasa.

Jadi ingat film-film Mafia-nya Andi Lau waktu dulu, dibuku ini para petani yang membangkang dihajar habis-habisan sampai mati bahkan mayatnya pun bisa tidak dikenali saking parahnya pembantaian, dan yang lebih menyebalkan adalah cerita sebenarnya bisa dibelokkan sedemikian rupa.

Penulis buku ini pun menghadapi masalah serupa ditekan dan dipaksa meninggalkan pekerjaan mereka, rumah dilempari batu oleh orang tak dikenal. Salut juga nih perjuangan penulis yang berani menguak cerita " rahasia " dalam buku ini.

Gimana dengan Indonesia ya?

[Meiqimichelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started and finished this book yesterday (silly due dates at silly libraries). This is the English translation of a book called 中国农民问题调查 that made waves in China a few years ago (2004-ish I think). It was banned a month after it was released on the mainland but went on to sell something like 7 million copies in pirated form. Really interesting and heart breaking, the authors investigated cases of local corruption in tax and fee collection in villages across Anhui Province, one of China's poorest. Long story short: peasants have it worse now in many ways than they had before the so-called People's Revolution because of exploiting cadres and their heavy taxes and fees (much heavier than city people's tax burden).

[Jmurray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it was the 'chinese-ness' of the narrative, but I just didn't like this book. Yeah, they're poor and their lives are difficult, but was expecting a bit more of an overall point from this book. I guess (spoiler alert!!!) the point is that the size of the country, poor infrastructure, bureaucracy and some not so nice provincial officials make life miserable for the chinese peasantry. There's a bit about the history of their plight and the broken promises of the central gov't, but it's just sortof a narrow scope. I didn't end up caring very much. But then again I'm a lousy person.

[dunianyawira · Rating 3 out of 5]

buku yang mengisahkan sisi lain dari kemajuan bangsa cina yang spektakuler sekarang ini
membuktikan bahwa kehidupan selalu punya dua sisi bertolak belakang yang justru semakin membuat hidup ini lebih berarti
membaca buku ini membuat kita menyadari juga bahwa revolusi apa pun bentuk dan alasannya selalu memakan korban tapi itulah harga yang harus dibayar untuk menghasilkan suatu perubahan

sekali lagi saya membaca buku terjemahan yang membuat buku ini mempunyai keterbatasan dalam penyampaian cerita sesungguhnya

lumayan baguslah buat menambah pengetahuan

[Samantha Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

Considering the amount of time put into research for this book and the importance of the topic, it is a shame that it is so difficult to read. The first half of the book is so laden with cliches and hyperbole that the truly tragic stories are overshadowed. Fact and opinion are mingled, personal stories and interviews are intertwined with economic facts. I'm glad I read the book, as it will serve as a starting point to learn about the peasants of China, but so much more could have been done with the years of journalistic study.

[Daryoush · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the worst beach read I ever chose, as it inflamed me against a totalitarian state that kills the spirit and then the body of over 800 million people. Completely incongruous with the sun, sand, sea, and seduction all around me. I couldn't put it down though. Therefore, no flirting on the beach, and thus saving the relationship with the woman who is now my wife. If the reds knew this, would they still ban the book? Probably, and that's why they're reds!

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a great untold stories about China's farmers. There are chapters that explore the suffer of China's farmers (because of the unlimited taxes) in different districts, showing how they manage to survive and how they struggle to get their rights back. In these contents, this book is amazing. But, I'm really confortable with the plot. Ini the middle of the content, I felt so boring because the each story has almost the same matters.

[Nurudin Hanif · Rating 4 out of 5]

China Undercover: Rahasia di Balik Kemajuan Cina
by Guidi Chen, Chuntao Wu, Lulu Fitri Rahman (Translator)

sebenarnya judul aslinya itu,, tapi entah kenapa ga bisa ditulis review nya. mungkin karena di negara aslinya Cina, buku ini sudah dilarang beredar..

buku ini menceritakan tentang penderitaan petani Cina yang dibebani dengan pajak yang sangat banyak oleh partai berkuasa, dari jaman ke jaman..

[Sav · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a great deal about the Chinese political system. For instance, the US has a three tiered system whereas China has a five tiered system. The burden that the Chinese peasantry must bear to support this bloated bureaucracy is excessive as are the local cadres methods of squeezing the peasants for money. I knew this book would be good since it is banned in China. I was not disappointed. It takes a truthful, fair look at one area of modern China that needs A LOT of improvement.

[Krayfish1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories about local government in Anhui gone wrong (tax collecting leading to death and injury) followed by discussion of the huge number of bureaucrats at the township level (1 per 67 or 1 per 40 of the population where the average was 1 per 7000 and 1 per 2000 for most of Chinese history). Interviews conducted in 2001-2004 about events that happened in 1991-1995 turned into a narrative style means it's hard to evaluate how many of the details are accurate.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably.

This is a good book, and the final chapter highlights some of the inherent contradictions in solving the problem of the Chinese peasant farmer - tax reformation eases the burden on the peasants but impoverish the rural government at the same time. Definite medicine to counter the "China fever" that affects much of the Western media world.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first few chapters are horrifying stories about what peasants have been going through over the last ten years including over-taxation, corrupt leaders, murders, other bad things...

The last two chapters, I thought lacked direction. And the message about what the peasants should do was only suggested at the last few pages. Left me wanting more. The translation is mediocre.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very important stories about how China's government can easily become corrupt on the local, village level as the power officials wield approaches 'absolute' given the lack of checks and balances. But help me god, it is boring - largely a recitation of all the petty squabbles that only Chinese villagers could have.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is maybe a little too serious for the casual reader with no knowledge of modern China. It is, however, very important for the world to read in order to understand the plight of China's peasants and to see that the images of development in the news really only represent the situation for those lucky enough to hold an urban residence permit.

[Sunny San · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm...
Such a controversial book... :)
The authors are vvv brave 2 write all datas 'n crucial information regarding China's governmental bureaucracy in grassroots level...
Yup...
We may see the other side of China centralized government...
Overall, it enriches our perspective in understanding China's internal society...