Sky Burial by Xue Xinran
In the early 1960s a rumour circulated through China that one of its soldiers in Tibet had been brutally fed to the vultures. Xinran was a little girl: the tale frightened and fascinated her. She knew nothing about the Tibetan custom of laying out corpses so that sacred vultures could carry their souls to paradise - indeed few Chinese at the time knew or understood such rituals. But thirty years later, Xinran met a Chinese woman who could tell her the astonishing story that lay behind a legend. Her name was Shuwen and she had spent most of her adult life lost on the Tibetan plateau. In 1958, Shuwen was twenty-six. She and her husband Kejun were young medical students, fired with the hope and enthusiasm of the early Communist years. It was this idealism that led Kejun to join the army as a doctor. But, only a few months after her marriage, Shuwen heard that her husband had been killed in action in Tibet. Refusing to believe the news, she too joined up as a doctor and set out for Tibet in search of him. To her horror, instead of finding a Tibetan people welcoming their Chinese 'liberators', she walks into a bloody conflict. Before she can know her husband's fate, she is taken hostage and embarks on a life-changing journey through the Tibetan countryside - a landscape that nothing had prepared her for in all its beauty and brutality.

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I'm not sure how to describe this book. It's fascinating, as is the way Xinran found the story.

I visited Tibet in 1995 & found that the Chinese had done their best to wipe out the Tibetan culture altogether. There are few monasteries left & all the wealth that was contained within has since found its way to Chinese coffers. Having read this book, there was obviously some sympathy for Tibetan culture among the Chinese at some time, but the Party wanted it wiped out. Luckily, it's not all gone & the Potala still stands - most of its treasures gone, but it's still there.

There were a couple of lines from the book that I wanted to quote here, but you'll just have to read it yourself. I think I'll have to read The Good Women of China at some stage.

Once I've read this book I'm going to open it up for a BookRing. This is particularly for those who need an X author for the A-Z Challenge.


Participants - AU/NZ only:
sally906, NT
amberC, NT
tantan, QLD
groovyjoss, VIC
gwilk, NZ
Pluisje, NZ
JessVB, NZ
gabbysmum,QLD
cathyinoz, VIC
jackiea, NSW uncontactable
jubby, NSW
Funkybamboozle, NSW removed by request
celestewa, WA
Purple-lilly, SA has own copy now 3/5/6
Sujie, NSW
star1978, ACT too busy
catsalive, NSW arrived home 13/10/6.

Will be posted to sally906 on 18/2/5.

Whoo Hoo - my X book for the a-z challenge and a story set in a part of Asia that has long fascinated me. A double whammy :)

Looking forwards to reading this

Wow - this book is great. Such a moving story - I shed a little tear at the end. What a fascinating part of the world.

Thank you catsailve for sharing this - and like you I am going to look for her other book The Good Women Of China

Will pass this on to amberC at our mini-meetup on the 12th

RELEASE NOTES:

Handing on to amberC

received from Sally over coffee this morning.

i'm not sure how to describe this book.

it is one womans extraordinary journey from China to Tibet and back. a story of love, loss, loyalty and above all survival.

i would love to know the rest of Wen's story.

my daughter (16) is also reading this book. she wasn't going to, picked it up, read a few pages and didn't want to give it back.

will be posted to tantan as soon as i have an address.

Received in the mail today thanks to amberC. I've got a couple in front of this one, but it looks like it should be a quick read once I get to it. I'm looking forward to this book.

My apologies for holding this bookring up. I have started this book today, and it shouldn't take me long to get finished. Sorry!!

Wow!! I absolutely loved this! Shu Wen's story is absolutely amazing, and I just hope that one day the author will be able to find more information about where she is now. Shu Wen is an incredible woman!

This will be heading off to groovyjoss as soon as I have an address.

Recieved today, will attempt to read ASAP.
GJ

I will pm gwilk now and send this on asap.
This was a really great book and read it really quickly.

Received this book in the mail - thanks. Looks fascinating.

Unbelievable story - literally. If you gave it to me and told me it was a work of fiction I would not have liked it because it is too far fetched. As it is, the story just blew me away. The universe, once again, is stranger than I can suppose.

Posted yesterday to Pluisje.

I have read a few books about China-Tibet lately, but have particularly been looking forward to this book.
Thank you for sharing catsalive.

I loved this book. I would not know how to describe it.
This is definitely a book I would like to read again at some stage or would love to have myself to share with friends.

Thank you very very much for sharing Catsalive

I pm-ed the next one on the list and will send it as soon as I receive the address.

10/11/05 Mailed out today to JessVB

Apologies for the tardy entry - I received the book just before we headed off on a 2 month trip through Vietnam and it completely slipped off my 'to do' list before we left.

Having just travelled in that part of the world I'd love to read this but will pass it along as I've had it for far too long already, and I'll try to find a copy locally. Sounds like it'll be well worth it from the other entries!

Received just now.Will start reading it this afternoon.

I really loved this book.Wen's unfailing love for her husband and the lengths she went to looking for him.She never gave up hope and her love never failed.

RELEASE NOTES:

So sorry for the delay,my memory is hopeless but it is now on its way to Cathyinoz.

This arrived safely in the post yesterday, thanks. I'll be onto it when I've finished my current novel.

This story has all the elements of an Arthurian legend or one the Irish quest story rings (Eg. The King of Ireland's Son). In fact it is so like those legends I am left thinking this is not a true story. A wonderful tale nontheless and I enjoyed reading it very much. I'll contact the next person on the list and will journal when I send it off. Thanks so much for sharing.

POSTED: 26/05/06

I started reading this book this evening.
I actually received this book during the middle of a busy working week, and I has been waiting patiently on the table for me...

I'm finding that I am having a bit of a 'Tibet' period at the moment - thanks to Tantan. I've got 'Seven years in Tibet' in my tbr pile, and recently read 'Hotel on the roof of the world'.

A fascinating place - Tibet that is. And what a story! I love my husband, but I doubt I would have the stamina or courage to live such a story! I adore the wonder writing style and format that Xinran employs.

Have PMed celestewa for postal details.
Plan to finish reading this weekend, and post/journal on Monday.

This was such a moving story.
I wouldn't say that I greatly enjoyed it, but it was incredibly moving.

What love!
To give up everything, and just follow a brief message to find the one you love - and for years too.

I'm off now to google Shu Wen and see if Xinran ever did find her again.

Thank you for sharing this story with me.

RELEASE NOTES:

Popped into the post for Celestewa.

Soryry, I didnt realise that I hadnt logged receiving this book. Will try to get to it ASAP, had a pile of rings arrive at once

Just finished this book. It was a very interesting read. I know very little about Tibet and its people, a very fascinating insight.

Have posted this off.

Have just received this (yesterday) in the post. Look forward to reading it.

I haven't been to Tibet but loved the descriptions of the grassy plateaus and the hard, simple life of the Tibetan nomads. The story sometimes seemed far-fetched to me, almost a fairytale and told with the dream-like detachment of a religious parable, but it was haunting nevertheless, and I would love to know what happened to Shu Wen. Will she ever contact Xinran? That loss and separation seems more heartbreaking and real than Wen's separation from Kejun to me.
Contacting Star1978 for address now. Thank you, catsalive for making this book available.

Heard from star1978 today that she is too busy to accept this book so shall post back to you, catsalive when I get address. Thanks again!

Thanks everyone for making this a successful bookring. Everyone seemed to enjoy it & now my book looks well-read & well-loved.