Tiananmen Square
Lai Wen
A stunning, deeply moving autobiographical novel about growing up in Beijing in the 1970s and 80s and taking part in Tiananmen Square protests
It is Beijing in the 1970s, and Lai lives with her parents, grandmother and younger brother in a small flat in a working-class area. Her grandmother is a formidable figure – no-nonsense and uncompromising, but loving towards her granddaughter – while her ageing beauty of a mother snipes at her father, a sunken figure who has taken refuge in his work.
As she grows up, Lai comes to discern the realities of the country she lives is: an early encounter with the police haunts her for years; her father makes her see that his quietness is a reaction to experiences he has lived through; and an old bookseller subtly introduces her to ideas and novels that open her mind to different perspectives. But she also goes through what anyone goes through when young – the ebbs and flows of friendships; troubles and rewards at home and at school; and the first steps and missteps in love.
A gifted student, she is eventually given a scholarship to study at the prestigious Peking University; while there she meets new friends, and starts to get involved in the student protests that have been gathering speed. It is the late 1980s, and change is in the air...
A truly remarkable novel about coming to see the world as it is, Tiananmen Square is the story of one girl's life growing up in the China of the 1970s and 80s, as well as the story of the events in 1989 that give the novel its name: the hope and idealism of a generation of young students, their heroism and courage, and the price that some of them paid.
Duration - 15h 20m.
Author - Lai Wen.
Narrator - Jocelyn Tam.
Published Date - Thursday, 04 January 2024.
Copyright - © 2024 Lai Wen ©.
Location:
United States
Networks:
Lai Wen
Jocelyn Tam
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Description:
A stunning, deeply moving autobiographical novel about growing up in Beijing in the 1970s and 80s and taking part in Tiananmen Square protests It is Beijing in the 1970s, and Lai lives with her parents, grandmother and younger brother in a small flat in a working-class area. Her grandmother is a formidable figure – no-nonsense and uncompromising, but loving towards her granddaughter – while her ageing beauty of a mother snipes at her father, a sunken figure who has taken refuge in his work. As she grows up, Lai comes to discern the realities of the country she lives is: an early encounter with the police haunts her for years; her father makes her see that his quietness is a reaction to experiences he has lived through; and an old bookseller subtly introduces her to ideas and novels that open her mind to different perspectives. But she also goes through what anyone goes through when young – the ebbs and flows of friendships; troubles and rewards at home and at school; and the first steps and missteps in love. A gifted student, she is eventually given a scholarship to study at the prestigious Peking University; while there she meets new friends, and starts to get involved in the student protests that have been gathering speed. It is the late 1980s, and change is in the air... A truly remarkable novel about coming to see the world as it is, Tiananmen Square is the story of one girl's life growing up in the China of the 1970s and 80s, as well as the story of the events in 1989 that give the novel its name: the hope and idealism of a generation of young students, their heroism and courage, and the price that some of them paid. Duration - 15h 20m. Author - Lai Wen. Narrator - Jocelyn Tam. Published Date - Thursday, 04 January 2024. Copyright - © 2024 Lai Wen ©.
Language:
English
Opening Credits
Duration:00:00:13
Part One: Chapter 1
Duration:00:26:28
Chapter 2
Duration:00:25:43
Chapter 3
Duration:00:21:47
Chapter 4
Duration:00:26:01
Chapter 5
Duration:00:34:41
Chapter 6
Duration:00:09:42
Part Two: Chapter 7
Duration:00:28:28
Chapter 8
Duration:00:18:50
Chapter 9
Duration:00:22:08
Chapter 10
Duration:00:17:47
Chapter 11
Duration:00:22:36
Chapter 12
Duration:00:29:40
Chapter 13
Duration:00:10:31
Chapter 14
Duration:00:19:38
Chapter 15
Duration:00:25:01
Chapter 16
Duration:00:16:35
Chapter 17
Duration:00:27:16
Chapter 18
Duration:00:18:36
Chapter 19
Duration:00:27:26
Chapter 20
Duration:00:18:03
Chapter 21
Duration:00:19:12
Chapter 22
Duration:00:27:38
Part Three: Chapter 23
Duration:00:27:06
Chapter 24
Duration:00:23:07
Chapter 25
Duration:00:18:11
Chapter 26
Duration:00:23:59
Chapter 27
Duration:00:21:13
Chapter 28
Duration:00:28:18
Chapter 29
Duration:00:31:40
Part Four: Chapter 30
Duration:00:23:26
Chapter 31
Duration:00:20:00
Chapter 32
Duration:00:25:46
Chapter 33
Duration:00:20:17
Chapter 34
Duration:00:27:12
Chapter 35
Duration:00:19:21
Chapter 36
Duration:00:16:41
Chapter 37
Duration:00:35:49
Chapter 38
Duration:00:32:27
Chapter 39
Duration:00:22:19
Epilogue
Duration:00:08:13
Acknowledgements
Duration:00:00:24
Closing Credits
Duration:00:00:33