Ultimate China Bookshelf #54: William Hinton’s Fanshen

A Documentary of Revolution in a Chinese Village, Published: 1966

Fanshen is an extraordinary book. It will dispose of many myths, both those of the Left and of the Right. — C. P. Fitzgerald, The Nation

Fanshen is an important book… It is an arresting narrative [on] the agonizing story of rural China in turmoil… told with a remarkable evenness of temper and a rare understanding of human weaknesses and strengths. The lessons of Long Bow village, so movingly and compassionately recorded… should be studied and restudied by all. — C. T. Hsu, Saturday Review

A vivid and compelling 'grass-roots' account of life in the village precisely during the period in which the new Communist power was establishing itself… [A] unique contribution to our understanding of life in a northern Chinese village on the eve of the Communist takeover. —Benjamin Schwartz New York Times Book Review

One of the most important books about China which has been written since the Revolution… For anyone who wants to understand anything important about the Chinese revolution of our time, the reading of this book is an absolute necessity. — Joseph Needham, London Tribune