Rao Pingru (1922–2020)

A memoir written and illustrated by Pingru about his relationship with his wife during Communist China, this book is quite stunning physically. It is truly just a beautiful bindup.

And it's a simple story. It is simply the story about how he came to meet his wife, the simple and common way they came to be together, the daily moments they shared, and the years they spent apart, writing letters back and forth. We get to see Pingru come back from the war, we see them raise their children, and we show more see the love and support they have for each other until her death.

While Mao's China roars in the background, Pingru makes no focus on it other than his mention of his role in the war, and he makes no political statement of any sort. I think Pingru's own words best describe what you'll find in his memoir:

For ordinary people like us, life is made up of numbers of small details that stay with us for no particular reason and, with the passing of time, turn into treasured memories.
pg. 174

So that is what this memoir is. Just moments. Mundane moments that accumulate and create a life, a life he shared with his wife in a turbulent time that they pulled through and managed together. show less

Una storia come tante, che attraversa la storia e i cambiamenti della Cina e che diventa esemplare anche grazie all'uso dei disegni di Pingru che ne illustrano ogni pagina. In Pingru e Meitang trovo quella combinazione di innocenza, casualità e grazia così vicina a quanto della Cina raccontava Parise alla fine degli anni '60 (e agli albori della rivoluzione culturale), inclusa la grande attenzione per il cibo che popola queste pagine. Una storia semplice, che qualcuno forse oggi show more connoterebbe con la parola di moda "resilienza" ma che a me viene anzitutto da associare alle parole accettazione e pazienza, che hanno reso possibile l'unione dei due protagonisti. show less

I took my time with this book due to its detail and essentially having a lifetime between its covers. It is a memoir of the husband of a couple in China that endured the early twentieth century to 2008. It's written in a straightforward simple manner which is definitely necessary for its level of detail. This also helps with the names of people that surrounded them and that came and went throughout their life together. A scene on a bridge near the beginning made me feel a twinge of nostalgia show more for Pingru's memories concerning it. This book is engaging and packs a punch. I would definitely recommend it. show less

Es como un catálogo de nombres de soldados y oficiales chinos de la segunda guerra mundial y la guerra civil, intercalado con la historia de un hombre que se casa con una mujer siendo jóvenes los dos... Nada más, casi nada de literatura. Solo listado de una cantidad llamativa de anécdotas insignificantes como "Fui a mandar una carta pero me faltó 1 centavo y no pude", pág. 256. O sea, digamos, la peor forma de biografía posible. Encima el único personaje interesante, Yutang, aparece show more muy poco y solo al principio.
Ya llegando al final, hay una anécdota realmente traumática (pág. 285) de la cual agradecemos que no haya ilustración respectiva, y un suspiro de literatura, el primero, en la página 287.
Los dibujos del propio Pingru, que si bien te rompe un poco el aburrimiento, son tremendamente insustanciales: "Un día vi un anuncio en un poste de luz", pág. 226.
Nada. Supongo que quienes disfrutan de las biografías lo encontrarán mejor. show less