Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet

If you ever had any doubt about the physical and mental strength of women or wondered about the depths of their love, look no further than Sky Burial by Xinran. Dr. Shu Wen was married to her husband Kejun for only 3 weeks when he was called to serve as a medic in the Chinese army in 1958. Within a few weeks she was notified that her husband was dead, no other information was made available to her. Is Wen satisfied with that meager message? Absolutely not! Determined to find her husband alive or the reason for his death, she enlists in the army as well. She is placed in Kejun’s former unit and is shipped off to the hinterlands of Tibet. As she struggles to keep herself alive, she comes to the aid of Zhuoma, a Tibetan of noble birth, show more who has been separated from the man whom she loves. Together, they search for the men who will make them whole again and if it takes thirty years to do so, then so be it.
I found Sky Burial to be a captivating read although much of the story involves Wen’s life as a houseguest of a Tibetan family and less time searching for her husband. The story not only includes interesting information concerning the lives of Tibetan nomads, customs and traditions but also questions what is really worth life’s struggles, be it transitory or eternal. show less

I just happened across this book and was captivated by the title and beautiful cover. It is a simple one day read, and pure pleasure. The story is of a Chinese woman physician who is in the military along with her physician husband. When she is informed of his death, she travels Tibet looking for him, hoping he is alive and wanting more information. During these twenty or so years of searching, she lives with Tibetans, learns their language, and we learn much about the culture and customs of Tibet along with her. She describes myths that both people have about each other, and their developing understanding of each other through their interaction.

Although some reviewers perceive this as a naive description of genocide, I experienced a show more different part of the story. Certainly horrendous genocide was committed. The story as I read it was more about the interactions of ordinary people and their ordinary lives and relationships between Tibetans and Chinese living in a war driven by politicians. Do you ever feel that way about other countries that your country is at war with? Did you ever wish Bush and Hussein would just go in a room alone and punch it out and leave the rest of us out of it? Working class people generally do not benefit from war, as the upper class does. Unfortunately it is too often, as described in this story, "uneducated, illiterate poor people" who are brainwashed into believing the myths about "the other" that the author points out, or are vulnerable to conscription due to poverty, and blindly follow their leaders into war and death. I hope this book will help us all to see more of the humanity in each other and our enemies alike. show less

En la China de 1958, Wen y Kajun, jóvenes estudiantes de medicina, deciden casarse. Pero en seguida Kajun se alista como médico en el Ejército Popular de Liberación de Mao y es destinado al Tibet. Antes de cumplirse los cien días de la boda, Wen recibe la notificación de la muerte de Kajun, sin especificar bajo qué circunstancias y sin haberse hallado el cuerpo. Incapaz de dar crédito a la noticia, Wen se alista como médico militar y parte al Tibet en busca de noticias sobre su marido. Allí se sumerge en un mundo para el que no estaba preparada, pero la determinación de encontrar a Kajun la impulsa a seguir adelante incluso cuando, al separarse de su regimiento, se pierde en la montañas del Tibet y es acogida por unos show more nómadas. Durante treinta apasionantes años de vida errante, Wen descubrirá las costumbres y rituales de una cultura extraña dedicada a la religión, una vida a menudo desconcertante en la que las mujeres pueden tener varios maridos, la costura es un oficio de hombres y los forasteros no pueden tocar objetos religiosos. Tras años de aprendizaje, de descubrimiento y de transformación personal, Wen dará con un eremita que solía contar la historia de un médico chino que, años atrás, puso fin a las hostilidades entre chinos y tibetanos, pagando por ello un precio muy alto. show less

Sky Burial by Xinran is a profoundly spiritual book, telling the story of one woman’s journey through the country of Tibet, searching for her missing husband and how she does eventually find some of the answers she was looking for as well as an inner peace and acceptance. .

Shortly after her doctor husband left with the Chinese Army for Tibet, Shu Wen received notice that he had been killed, although no details were given. Unable to come to terms with this and determined to find the truth behind her husband’s death, she, a doctor herself, joined a militia unit and travelled into Tibet. This was the beginning of a thirty year journey through that country ever searching for news of her lost love. During her sojourn she is befriended show more by some amazing and caring people who assist her in ways both spiritual and physical.

In this hauntingly beautiful story, Xinran describes the silence and emptiness that surrounds Shu Wen, as both she and during the same time period, the country of Tibet, embark on a journey to find peace, serenity and survival. This short book is beautifully written and for me, spoke directly to the soul. show less

From Amazon:
It was 1994 when Xinran, a journalist and the internationally acclaimed author of The Good Women of China, received a telephone call asking her to travel four hours to meet a woman who had just crossed the border from Tibet into China.

Xinran made the trip and met the woman, called Shu Wen, who recounted the story of her thirty-year odyssey in the vast landscape of Tibet. In Sky Burial, Xinran has re-created Shu Wen’s journey, painting an extraordinary portrait of a woman and a land, each at the mercy of fate and politics. It is an unforgettable, ultimately uplifting tale of love, loss, loyalty, and survival.

My Thoughts: I read this book for two reasons...the author's name began with an "x"...do you know how rare those show more are?...and the story took place in a country other that England. Love England all you Brits but I think I've read 6 books in a row that was set there. It filled several challenges that i didn't believe I would ever complete. To my utter amazement I really liked the book.

Here is an epic story of love, friendship, courage and sacrifice. Set in Chinese-occupied Tibet and based on a true story, Xinran's extraordinary second book takes the reader right to the hidden heart of one of the world's most mysterious and inaccessible countries. In March 1958, Shu Wen, a young woman and doctor learns that her beloved husband, an idealistic army doctor, has died while serving in Tibet not even a hundred days after their marriage. Unwilling to accept this as fact, she sets out to find out what happened to him by joining his regiment in Tibet. For over twenty years she walked, searching for her husband on a life-changing journey through the Tibetan countryside that leads her to a deep appreciation of Tibet in all its beauty and brutality. Sadly, when she finally discovers the truth about her husband, she must carry her knowledge back to a China that, in her absence, has experienced the Cultural Revolution and changed beyond her ken. Xinran has done an amazing job in depicting the vast Tibetan landscape to us. Be warned the end will bring a tear or two. show less

I had this slotted into March as a nonfiction read, only to discover after finishing it, that it's fiction. Weirdly, some sources on the internet still note it as NF, which is what it was originally published as, I think? Weirdness.

It's an interesting story, beautifully written in parts, about a Chinese woman who travels to Tibet in the 1950s to search for her husband, a doctor with the Chinese army. She ends up spending decades in Tibet, and the best part of the book, for me, was learning about the history and culture of the area. As a novel, it doesn't quite work because there are so many gaps in the narrative and Shu Wen is not fully developed as a character. But as a meditation on love, loyalty, and the essence of what makes us show more connected to others despite so many differences, it is a nice read.

3.5 stars show less

This book tells the (fictional) story of Shu Wen, a Chinese woman separated from her physician husband by military service during the Chinese-Tibetan war of the 1950’s. She spends thirty years searching the wilderness of Tibet to find out what happened to him. In the process, she lives with Tibetan nomads, and learns about their culture, religion, rituals, and ways of life.

My main issue with the book is that it appears to be marketed as non-fiction, but it is, in fact, historical fiction (as stated in the copyright page). The author is using a fairly common literary device, but I think it should have been clarified from the outset.

Once I realized this book is something different than expected, I very much enjoyed reading it. I do not show more often come across books set in Tibet that are not related to mountain-climbing. This region is now part of China, but it has its own distinctive culture, which differs significantly other parts of China.

It is not a typical love story. Love is the driving factor behind Shu Wen’s search, but the vast majority is spent on the journey, with very little devoted to the couple’s relationship. It reads almost like a fable, with the underlying message that despite our differences, down deep (in the areas of needs, desires, and feelings), we are all very much the same. show less