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Memories of an Eastern Sky
Publisher's Review
Memories of an Eastern Sky is an intriguing original fiction based on a true story that chronicles the extraordinary and disturbing life experiences of the main character. Born into a loving family in the freezing, lawless, and foreboding part of the Communist China, the main character quickly learns of the crushing power the government wielded. His father suspected of being counterrevolutionary, and the family makes the courageous decision to not succumb to the nefarious will of the ten-year Cultural Revolution that will eventually claim over thirty million innocent lives.
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About Harbin, China
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Memories of an Eastern Sky is taken place in Harbin, China. Harbin is a major Chinese city in the northeastern part of China. The government's statistic in 2006 shows Harbin's population is 9.54 million, of them 4.64 million live in the urban area. Harbin is a political, economic, scientific, cultural and communications hub for the region. Because Harbin is largest city near the Russian border, there is stronger Russian influence than other parts of China.
Winter in Harbin is very cold under the direct blow of strong Siberia wind. Since 1985, Harbin has become a major tourist spot for people to enjoy the colorful ice sculptures and winter sports. The parks near the Songhua River became the main attraction as hundreds of ice artists worked at their trade. Artists came from China, Russia, Japan, Korea, Canada, and the United States.
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From early December to early January, large blocks of ice are cut and moved from the river then transported to the parks. The artists use industrial saws to cut them into smaller ice bricks. Colored light bulbs are carefully planted into the ice bricks which are the building blocks of huge ice structures. Every year they build something different. I have seen a segment of the Great Wall of China in complete ice, ice palaces, ice pagodas, ice houses and temples, ice bridges, ice boats, and ice vehicles. Some structures are large enough to enter and walk around. Every year, some one builds a children’s playground with ice slides, ice animals, and ice playhouses.
Each ice structure is lighted with thousands of colored light bulbs built into it. When night comes, the parks light up with a vibrant and surreal colorful world of buildings and structures made entirely from ice. The ice structures are transparent and beautiful. As you roam through this city of ice, you easily forget the coldness of the winter and admire the creativity of artists. People from all over China as well as many countries come to Harbin to witness the wonder of the Snow and Ice Festival. They also come to Harbin for skiing, snow boarding, and riding the snow sleighs.
Harbin, like the rest of China, has been through remarkable economic and social transformation in the past three decades. You can find more pictures about Harbin and China at the Extras section.
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Book Synopsis
It was a cold winter night in Harbin, China, 1968; the snow was falling steadily. A woman was stuck at home and ready to give birth. While she was anxiously waiting on her husband to come home, he was arrested on counterrevolutionary charges and being detained, interrogated, and tortured.
Days later, she was separated from her newborn baby and imprisoned in a re-education camp. She was nearly sexually assaulted and forced to labor in harsh conditions. While her husband was still facing his uncertain future, and fellow inmates were being killed, they had to make the most difficult decision ever—whether to give up their baby.
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Awards
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