Bruce Bian

Little Mao Bruce Bian

In a different time, Little Mao's family would have been celebrated by the people of China. The Bians are an old and prestigious family full of traditional culture and creativity. Their artistic talent and hunger for knowledge served them well in the past decades, but the 1960s hold only terror and persecution for the Bians.

The Cultural Revolution is upon them, and the family immediately becomes a target for political persecution. A personal vendetta by a powerful party secretary brands them as counterrevolutionaries. The Bians are exiled to the countryside.

Little Mao, one of the youngest Bians, doesn't yet fully understand the price his parents have paid in their exile. In this eye-opening memoir, Little Mao recounts the Bians' new life in an impoverished village and their new role as powerless peasants. Little Mao's story includes haunting depictions of the primitiveness of village life, but it is also a story of family, inspiration, and hope. Little Mao was able to seize an amazing opportunity and escape an unfortunate fate. As you follow Little Mao's journey, you will gain new insight into the challenges millions of Chinese citizens faced as their country and culture changed forever.