Product Description
An award-winning, internationally acclaimed Chinese bestseller, originally banned in China but recently named one of the last decade’s ten most influential books there, To Live tells the epic story of one man’s transformation from the spoiled son of a rich landlord to an honorable and kindhearted peasant.

After squandering his family’s fortune in gambling dens and brothels, the young, deeply penitent Fugui settles down to do the honest work of a farmer. Forced by the Nationalist Army to leave behind his family, he witnesses the horrors and privations of the Civil War, only to return years later to face a string of hardships brought on by the ravages of the Cultural Revolution. Left with an ox as the companion of his final years, Fugui stands as a model of flinty authenticity, buoyed by his appreciation for life in this narrative of humbling power.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 18 reviews)

Review of "To Live" by Yu Hua

To Live is a uniquely Chinese and very touching description of what life is really like in rural China during the last thirty years or so. It gets to the heart of Chinese life with all the pathos, the cruelty and the sensitivity. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in life in China.
October 17, 2008

Real Deal

This book is a great read and offers a much more realistic insight into China and Chinese peoples than other Chinese Novels I have read. As seems to be the case with a lot of Chinese fiction, it is very depressing, but well worth the read.
August 21, 2008

Powerful story of human struggles

Powerfully moving and engaging. One cannot help but respect the dignity with which the protagonist handles the numerous tragedies and struggles in his life. It makes us reflect on life itself and appreciate each moment of our short existence.
March 22, 2007

To Live.

I have read the book in both languages and I must say the original version is much more stunning.
Many see this book as critical of the Chinese government, which it is in some ways, but the human courage remains the central theme. Historic background is only background. The the evils of the Cultural Revolution is widely known in China as well as other historical backgrounds in the book. All I want is for readers to read this book as an individual, looking into the pain and suffering of other individual, instead from an Western ideology, American national narritive point of view.
The book is touching as a human epic.
November 25, 2006

To Live - An Amazing Book

"To Live" is a book that's hard to explain. The writing, at first, seems overly simplistic, but as you read, you find yourself carried along by the narrators unvarnished description of events. "To Live" is a book that will make you cry. I finished it in two days, and afterwards I felt like I was a mute, waiting for everything to sink in. That's the mark of an amazing book. Like all of Yu Hua's books, "To Live" is a story that sticks with you long after you close the covers and put it on your shelf.

Be warned though, "To Live" not a book for the faint of heart. This book hits you in the gut. If you don't mind a little literary pain, then "To Live" is more than worth it.
January 23, 2006

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Red Sorghum: A Novel of China
by Mo Yan, Howard Goldblatt

Chronicle of a Blood Merchant
by Yu Hua

Raise the Red Lantern: Three Novellas
by Su Tong

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress: A Novel
by Dai Sijie
by Ina Rilke

The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho