Red China Blues

Lawrence T. Woods is an associate professor of International Studies at
the University of Northern British Columbia.

Red China Blues is an exquisite autobiography by The Globe and Mail’s
Jan Wong, who served as the paper’s Beijing correspondent from 1988 to
1994. Wong grew up in Canada but, as a young ideologue in search of her
cultural roots, sought to attend university in China. She even wanted to
engage in hard labor and was disappointed when the Chinese authorities
deemed this inappropriate for a foreigner. Unable to withstand Wong’s
perseverance and force of personality, they finally relented, but only
just as the shine was coming off the Communist paradise Wong had
envisaged. Her guilt over having snitched on a Chinese student for being
too interested in the West leads her to devote her memoir to all those
she caused trouble for in her idealistic past. As the book’s title
suggests, Wong evolves from champion of China to an insightful critic.
From her subsequent escapades as a journalist to lessons in toilet
training Chinese-style, there are few dull moments. The book is well
written and produced, with the photos of characters we meet along the
way bringing the text to life.

A useful complement to Harry Wu’s Troublemaker, this book will appeal
to scholars of China and to general readers who appreciate excellent
storytelling and writing.