Bronze and Sunflower

Sunflower and her father move from the city to the countryside at the time of the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. When he disappears, Sunflower is taken in by one of the poorest families in the community. Bronze, who is mute, becomes a true brother for her and the story revolves around the bond between them. The family can only afford to send one of the children to school and it is Sunflower who goes. One of the most moving episodes in the book is when she passes on her knowledge about reading and writing to Bronze, a skill which is significant later in the novel. The harsh realities of contemporary rural life are integral to the tale as the community deals with wild weather and a plague of locusts.

See also: Feather, a picture book by Cao Wenxuan, illustrated by Roger Mello, translated by Chloe Garcia-Roberts (9780914671855), Elsewhere Editions £14.99.