- Alai (author)
Alai is a Chinese poet and novelist of
Khampa descendent. He was also editor ofScience Fiction World .Novels
In 1998, Alai published his fictional novel "Red Poppies" (originally in Chinese, "The Dust Settles - ChenAi LuoDing") that describes
feudal life in Tibetan borderland, in the decade or so before the occupation ofTibet by thePeople's Republic of China in 1951. It brings the tales of a local family of chieftains, the Maichi family, prior to and during the turn of events. The story is narrated by the younger son of the family, who is considered as an "idiot" from very early in his life. The English title relates to the production of opium in these remote provinces, far away from the centers of control in Lhasa and in Beijing. In parts, this novels bares a controversial political message. The novel describes the administration of Tibetan provinces as cruel and full of intrigues, albeit romantic at the same time. The occupation ofTibet by thecommunists is presented as the liberation of peasants from humiliatingserfdom . This follows the official position of thePeople's Republic of China regarding Tibet. This contradicts the view of Tibetans in exile and of some western scholars, who claim such descriptions are biased exaggerations, and that serfdom was not prevalent in Tibetan provinces, whereasmutilation andcapital punishment have been abolished long before the Chinese occupation [”What were the conditions regarding human rights in Tibet before democratic reform?” By Robert Barnett in: "Authenticating Tibet: Answers to China’s 100 Questions", pp. 81-83. Eds. Anne-Marie Blondeau and Katia Buffetrille. (2008) university of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24464-1 (cloth); ISBN 978-0-520-24928-8 (paper).] [Norbu, Thubten Jigme and Turnbull, Colin M. (1968). "Tibet: An account of the history, the religion and the people of Tibet". Reprint: Touchstone Books. New York. ISBN 0-671-20559-5, p. 317.] [Laird, Thomas. (2006). "The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama", p. 244. Grove Press, New York. ISBN 978-0-8021-1827-1.] .External links
[http://mclc.osu.edu/rc/pubs/reviews/yue.htm Review by Gang Yue from University of North Carolina]
References
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