ExecutiveEditor:WenFang
Price:RMB128
Paperback,225pages
PublishedbyForeignLanguagesPress
AShumansholdcherisheddreams,sodonations.InanerawheneveryoneisdiscussingtheChinesedream,itisanecessitytounderstandthattheChineseDreamisinfactitspeople’sdream.Thisbooktellsthetalesof24Chinesepursuingtheirdreams,followingtheirtrialsandtribulations,ittakesthereaderonacaptivatingjourneyacrosstheirjoysandsorrows,tearsandlaughter,andindoingso,alsoreflectsthestoryofChina’sdevelopmentandtransformation.
Thebookisdividedintofivedifferentsections,whichareRecreation&Sports,Science&Technology,BusinessElite,GreatLove,andOrdinaryPeople’slives,eachrepresentingstoriesofChinesepeopleinthoseareas.AmongthemareMoYan,awriterwhowonthe2012NobelPrizeforLiterature;LiuYang,thefirstfemaleastronautwhosuccessfullycompletedanouterspacetaskfromthespacecraft“Shenzhou-9;”AngLee,renowneddirectorwhowonthe85thOscarAwardforBestDirectorandisthefirstAsiandirectortoreceivetheawardtwice;JackMa,anentrepreneurwhoisthefirstfromChina’smainlandtoappearonthecoveroftheU.S.financialmagazineForbes;YeShiwen,anathleteknownas“FlyingFishGirl”whobrokeworldrecordsandwontwoOlympicgoldmedalsatthe2012OlympicsinLondon;ZhangLili,ateacherpraisedas“TheMostBeautifulFemaleTeacher”wholostbothlegsinacaraccidentinordertorescueherstudents;PengYan,amilitarynursewhoisknownasthe“AlpineSnowLotus”;andChengJunrong,amigrantworkerwhowasalsoadelegatetothe18thCPCNationalCongress.
TheirstoriesarepiecedtogethertoillustratethecommonexperienceoftheChinesepeopleandgreattransformationofthenation:itsboomingeconomy,strengthinscienceandtechnology,people’scolorfullives,frequentbusinessandtradebetweennations,surginghappinessindex,andpeople’ssenseofgainandjoy.
Thebookisauthoredbyreporterswhotraversedacrossthecountrytodointerviewsinsidefarmer’shouses,atfactories,andonfarmlands.Theirloveforthemotherland,industriouswork,andvisionurgedthemtorecordthesestoriesontheirjourneys.Aswitnessesandnarrators,theirwritingsalsomakethesecharacterscomealive.
ChenXiaoqing,generaldirectorofafooddocumentaryABiteofChinawhichattractedgreatattentionfromhomeandabroad,isamajorcharacterofthisbook.
WhenChenwasaskedabouthispurposeforshootingthisdocumentary,hereplied,“WehopetopresenttotheaudiencetheChinesepeople’slivingconditions,therelationshipsbetweenfood,people,andsociety,aswellasmultipleculturaltraitsofChinesecuisines.”
Chenisatruegourmand,andisequallyhighspiritedwhenatwork.AftergraduatingfromtheBeijingBroadcastingInstitutein1989(nowtheCommunicationUniversityofChina)withamajorinphotography,ChenfoundajobinCCTVshootingdocumentaries.Atthattime,itwasaveryrewardingjob.However,after2000,documentarieshaddeterioratedandtheirbroadcastingtimewasreadjustedtomidnight,whichledhimtodepression.Evenso,Chenneverabandoneddocumentaryfilmmaking.Hewroteonhisblogthen,“Wearewillingtobelonelysinceadocumentaryitselfislonely.”Thingschangedin2003whenChinafacedanunprecedentedfightwiththeSARSvirusepidemic.ChenandhiscolleaguesfilmedSixtyDaysinDitanHospital,adetailedrecordofthestoryofChinesepeoplewhofoughtagainstSARStogether.Thisexperienceenabledtheworldtorealizethevalueoftheirdocumentaries.Theoldhigh-spiritedChenwasbackagain.
Chenwasalsogivenanickname“Streetsweepingmouth”byhiscolleaguesbecausehewouldliketoconductablanketsearchalongthestreetsofBeijing.Wheneverhefoundgoodrestaurants,hewouldfindanopportunitytotrythem,andcarefullyrecordtheirnamesandaddresses.HiscellphoneeventuallybecameatreasuretroveofnamesandaddressesofthebestcuisineavailableinBeijing.Thisin-depthknowledgeledChen’sdocumentarytobecomeaninstantsuccess.
Inthefirstweekofthedocumentary’slaunch,itsratingondoubanwasashighas9.6,higherthanmanyHollywoodblockbusters.Chen,withhisdistincttasteforfood,extensiveknowledgeofChinesecuisine,andprofessionalphotographyskills,presentedtheworldwithprofoundfoodcultureandmadethosewarmstorieswithaChinesetaste.
Besideswell-knownpublicfigures,ordinarypeople’slivesarealsoexaminedinthebook.“TheCommunity’sOldLady”iswhatChenFenglianiscalledbytheresidentsofthecommunitywheresheworks.Likemanywomenwhowerelaidoffbystate-ownedenterprises,Chenbegantolookforanewjobwhenshewasletgoin2002.Eightyearspassed,shehasgrowntobeanoutstandingcommunityworkerandthedeanoftheNeighborhoodCommitteeofthecommunity.
“Communityworkislikepassingathreadthroughtheeyeofaneedlewhichrequiresbothpatienceanddedication.”CreatingaharmoniouscommunityisthecoreofChen’swork.Asforher,acommunityislikeabigfamilyandacommunityworkerwhomanagesbigandsmallissuesshouldactastheheadofafamily.Everythingshesaysanddoesaptlyrepresentsanordinarycommunityworker’sdutyanddedication.
ManyforeignreaderscannotunderstandwhythetermChineseDreamingovernmentreportsisthecommonaspirationofeveryChineseperson.UponreadingthisbookdoesonerealizethatthemosaicofdiverselivesandhopesallcomestogethertoformthetapestryboundtogetherbythecommonChineseDreamoftherejuvenationoftheChinesenationanditspeople.C