I read this as a buddy read with the amazing Kate and truly enjoyed both the book and the wide- ranging discissions it inspired.

This is an oral history of people living in the post-Cultural Revolution China. Obviously the government did not and does not allow this sort of discussion, so the interviews were held in a clandestine way, often inside prisons, and Liao Yiwu was himself imprisoned for his work getting this information out to the world. He now lives in Germany.

I lived in China around the time many of these interviews were conducted, and I was honored that so many people shared their stories with me and my now ex-partner (his Chinese was far superior to my own, so really they were trusting in him more than me, but I was lucky enough to ride shotgun.) The stories here are completely in keeping with what we heard, though they are even more brutal. This information is so important to all of us, to fully see the danger of strongman government, of deifying a leader and closing your eyes to his lies until it is too late, and also to pay respect to those who suffered, and to better understand China as it is today. Liao often shared his opinions in the interviews, telling people they were terrible or guilty, or that their actions or the actions of other were wrong, and that really bothered me. Still, I am so grateful for his immense personal sacrifice to bring these stories to the world, and amplify the voices of people who had so much taken from them. ( )

nonfiction/social history (various working class people providing oral histories involving the Cultural Revolution, famines and cannibalism, prison stories, persecution, and other bits of Chinese history)
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Wrenching Vignettes

Each ten to fifteen page chapter tells a vignette or a story from one person on the lower rung of society in China. There are twenty some chapters written in interview format (the author wrote each interview based on conversations during which he took notes). The people interviewed include criminals, beggars, and many people put out by the government. The author does not give much historical context, which is not necessarily needed because historic events (famine, political upheavals, etc) are explained through the interviews.

"The Corpse Walker" is very easy to read, even with the heart-wrenching stories. It goes quickly. I would love to read the other interviews that are available in the Chinese version. ( )

Great, revealing stories about "normal" Chinese people, especially those whose daily lives are rarely glimpsed by outsiders. ( )

A collection of interviews that Liao Yiwu has taken over a number of years. All of them are Chinese with varying backgrounds. Very thought provoking in that it is hard to believe people have lived like this! And the suffering and intolerances that have been put through. ( )

An intense and engrossing book full of interviews with people on the lowest runs of Chinese society. Liao's interviews are taken from a much larger collection (I would love to read more of these) of interviews. The stories the interview tell are infused with Chinese history, both recent and much older stories. Liao's interview style was quite frank and I really liked how the people he interview were willing to say what was on their minds (mostly, there were exceptions, of course). All of the stories were interesting, though many (if not all) were unpleasant in some way (which was unsurprising). I don't know if I can say that I liked the book, but I enjoyed reading the interviews and look forward to reading more of Liao's work. ( )

I learned more about China from reading Liao Yiwu's The Corpse Walker and Other True Stories of Life in China than I'd previously learned in a lifetime.

The book comprises twenty-seven true life interviews with Chinese citizens from all walks of life and Liao Yiwu has been imprisoned for 4 years for writing the truth and recording oral history. In fact, he is legally unable to leave China to promote his book or attend international literary festivals.

His collection takes its name from an old practice in China of 'walking a corpse'. When a person died far from home, the family would hire a corpse walker to transport the corpse home if they could afford to.

The corpse was covered with a huge dark robe including a hood covering the face. The 'corpse walker' walked ahead giving verbal commands to the corpse whilst holding a white paper lantern and tossing fake money every now and again to 'buy their way into the other world'. It appeared to anyone passing them on the road that the corpse was walking, however the secret was that there was a second corpse walker underneath and the corpse was actually tied to his back. Fascinating!

The author interviewed many interesting people and it was from reading these interviews and personal accounts that I learned about the Cultural Revolution in China, the Great Leap Forward and the Great Chinese Famine in detail. I was also able to understand how each related to the other and put the political pieces together. I was incredibly shocked to learn of the millions of Chinese who lost their lives in the Chinese Famine in the early '60s (approx 20-40 million people!) and to read of the cannibalism going on; families in rural areas killing their daughters to feed their families. Just unthinkable!

It was only in reading their individual stories that I realised just how ignorant I had been about the real China. It also highlighted to me how effective the Chinese Government has been in keeping the West in the dark and how thankful I am to author Liao Yiwu for taking the risks he has in getting them to us in the West.

It wasn't all doom and gloom though. There were some uplifting and inspiring stories too, stories of incredible strength, forgiveness and spiritual endurance.

The Corpse Walker and Other True Stories of Life in China is an incredible book written by a fearless author who was imprisoned for his work and beliefs. I can't recommend it highly enough. ( )

http://anzlitlovers.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/the-corpse-walker-by-liao-yiwu/ ( )

This book consists of 27 stories of people who were interviewed by Liao Yiwu. All the stories are in the form of formal interviews even though Liao in many instances had to reconstruct the interviews from memory, since he didn't or couldn't take notes during the interviews because the subjects could be intimidated.
They stories give a shocking perspective of life in China for those at the bottom of the ladder- and they are at the very bottom. We in the Western World hear about the low wages paid to workers in China, but Liao brings to life the real impact those wages have on people and their lives. Some of the people have been dealt a bad hand all their lives- bad luck is with them from the moment they are born. Being born to poor blind parents in a rural village in China is a case that happens to one, as is the case of "The Street Singer". But also being honest and hard-working, and by a stroke of bad luck run foul of the law only to see your whole life turned around such as "The Grave Robber" is another instance.
Throughout the stories, the brutality of the communist regime and its crooked and dishonest functionaires is a running theme. They are the elements that cause the life stories of these poor people, and in many cases extend their suffering. There is deep resentment among these people but, insterestingly, many of them seem to have hope for a better future. Although one wonders how can that happen given their poor background, strong adversitiy they face and, yes, their inherent bad luck. ( )

Excellent - I lived in Chengdu during some of the time he was conducting these interviews, so for me this speaks to some of the things that my neighbors told me, once we knew one another well enough for trust. Obviously, his interviews are far more in-depth, more frank; conversations that I can only listen in on with an appreciation that comes from having lived there. Glad this book made it out of China. Do read it. ( )

The simplest way to describe Liao Yiwu's book is as a Chinese version of a Studs Terkel oral history. The subtitle "Real Life Stories: China from the Bottom Up" might mislead a potential reader to expect personal stories of life in contemporary China. Instead, Liao's subjects primarily focus on their lives during the turbulent years of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution with little being said about today's China. Notable exceptions, however, include chapters titled The Tiananmen Father, The Falun Gong Practitioner, and The Migrant Worker.

The stories are quite interesting and often heart-breaking. For anyone unfamiliar with Maoist Chinese political reeducation practices, Liao's work will provide eye-opening testaments. Night after night, the "capitalist roader", the former big landowner, or some other "enemy of the people" are subjected to intensely personal criticism by their neighbors. The subjects are expected to engage in scorching self-criticism as well.

Liao does not provide much context of what China was like before the Revolution, the immense task the Maoists faced in wrenching China onto a new course, and how the material lives of ordinary people benefited (the catastrophically disastrous Great Leap Forward being a significant exception even on that score). Anyway, Liao's purpose is not balance, but to let his subjects tell their stories and in that he succeeds. Look eleswhere for a fuller picture.

Liao's work does not rise to the level of Terkel's best (e.g. Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do or Division Street: America), but is well worth a read for anyone with an interest in China during the Maoist years and beyond. Recommended. ( )