Book Review: The Good Women of China

This book presents stories of women in China in the last few decades of the twentieth century. As a document of what transpired in China, this is an important book for times to come. The writing is lucid and full of emotion although the author has tried hard to maintain a dignified composure. The journey of documenting the lives of women must have been disturbing and it comes out several times during the book. I admire the author for reliving these accounts more than once and I am sure there would be many stories that weren’t told because they were too painful to be repeated.


Sitting at a distance created by both time and space, I was left to wonder by many of the stories that the time and space hasn’t changed as much as it appears to be. Several decades on and the stories seem to still be true in many parts of India. I am not sure what is the status in China. Here, I must credit the author for having the courage to write these. As she points out, if she had stayed on in China, she may have never written these. The world would have been even more unaware of what transpired and continues to transpire in the most populated nation. 


There was more than one story which left me wondering about what happened next. I am particularly intrigued in wanting to follow up on life in Shouting Hill. I am also wondering if people in China are still living a life that is quite different. Xinran points towards the ‘modern women’ in cities in China, studying in Universities and open towards the world. This was in the nineties. I am completely clueless if things have improved for women students. Going by what is presented in popular media, I doubt if any changes have taken place in terms of exposure and awareness of alternative life styles. It also makes me wonder if Xinran was right in not informing many of the women of the world that could be for them. That choice is probably the toughest. 


This book is a reminder of not just the possibilities of gender discrimination and imbalances but also of the impact of political power and blind belief in those who are in power. The entire dehumanizing impact of the cultural revolution is unbelievable. It is a reminder of what humans can become. And thus, I believe this is one of the books that we must keep reading to remind ourselves of what not to become.