The Ultimate China Bookshelf #50: Lijia Zhang's Socialism is Great!

A Worker’s Memoir of the New China — Published 2008

"A sharply observant and admirably crafted memoir… A truly original contribution to our understanding of modern China." Jonathan D Spence 

"A literary gem… Zhang deftly crafts the journey of a whole generation, desperately yearning to break away from the ropes of tradition and living to dream the impossible. It's a book to relish, a volume to cherish and mostly, a life to celebrate." — Da Chen, author of Colors of the Mountain

"A beautiful memoir… Our current China literature is heavy with victim memoirs, but this is a true tale of aspiration: a young woman coming of age in a nation desperately trying to do the same."  — Peter Hessler

"Beautiful.... A remarkable memoir... A notable historical document and a vivid, affecting portrait of a young woman's resolve."  — Kirkus

Author Bio:

Lijia Zhang was born in 1964 and raised in Nanjing. After working in a local factory at age 16 and teaching herself English she eventually became a journalist and writer. Her articles have appeared in many publications, including the South China Morning Post, Japan Times, the Independent (London), Washington Times, and Newsweek. She is a regular talking head on BBC Radio and NPR. Her debut novel Lotus, concerning prostitution in Shenzhen, was published in 2017. Since 2018 she has lived full time in London and has attended Goldsmiths, University of London studying creative writing.