New Releases by Ange Zhang

The amazing, dramatic, and painful autobiographical story of Ange Zhang as he came of age during the Cultural Revolution in China. When Mao’s Cultural Revolution took hold in China in June 1966, Ange Zhang was thirteen years old. His father was a famous writer. Shortly after the revolution began, many of Ange’s classmates joined the Red Guard, Mao’s youth movement, and they drove their teachers out of the classrooms. But in the weeks that followed, Ange discovered that his father’s fame as a writer now meant that he was a target of the new regime. When his father was arrested, he began to question everything that was happening in his country. Finally, Ange was forced to join many other young urban Chinese students in the countryside for re-education where he found the emotional space to develop his own artistic talent and to find that he, like his father, was an artist — except that Ange’s talent lay in painting and drawing. This dramatic, painful autobiographical story is complemented by photographs, many drawn from Ange’s personal collection, as well as a non-fiction section that explains the historical period and is also illustrated with archival images. Key Text Features author’s note glossary Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.7 Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

Published in celebration of the famous Yellow River Cantata’s 80th anniversary, this is the riveting history of how a young Chinese author and passionate militant fought using art to create a socially just China during the period of the struggle against the Japanese and during World War II. This is the fascinating story of how a young Chinese author, Guang Weiran, a passionate militant from the age of twelve, fought, using art, theater, poetry and song, especially the famous Yellow River Cantata — the anthem of Chinese national spirit — to create a socially just China. Set during the period of the struggle against the Japanese and the war against the Kuomintang in the 1920s and ’30s, this book, written and illustrated by Guang Weiran’s award-winning artist son, Ange Zhang, illuminates a key period in China’s history. The passion and commitment of the artists who were born under the repressive weight of the Japanese occupation, the remnants of the decaying imperial order and the times of colonial humiliation are inspiring. Zhang’s words and wood-block style of art tell us the story of his father’s extraordinary youth and very early rise to prominence due to his great talent with words. We see and hear the intensity of what it meant to be alive at such a significant moment in the history of China, a country that understands itself as the heir to one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever known. The humiliations and social injustice the Chinese people had endured in the colonial period were no longer bearable. And yet there were major factional differences between those who wanted to create a modern China. Ange’s words and art paint the picture for us through his father’s story, accompanied by sidebars that explain the historical context. The book ends in a burst of glorious color and song, with the words of Yellow River Cantata in Mandarin, as well as newly translated into English. This great song turns eighty years old in 2019, and will be sung and performed by huge orchestras and choirs around the world, as the Chinese diaspora has embraced the cantata as its own. Key Text Features historical context sidebars illustrations lyrics Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.7 Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

Un artista narra en palabras e imágenes su niñez y juventud durante la Revolución Cultural China. Su padre, un famoso poeta, es encarcelado, y a él se le echa en cara su origen social. Durante años, tendrá que realizar duros trabajos en el campo, alejado de toda formación escolar. Sueña con ser pintor. Y no dejará que nadie le arrebate ese sueño.

In 1966 Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution swept through China and transformed the life of Beijing teenager Ange Zhang. Ange longed to join the Red Guard with his classmates, but was denied membership after his father, a famous writer, was arrested and charged with being a counter-revolutionary. As Ange struggled to maintain his friends' respect, he began to question the Revolution and his role in it.

"Cuando en junio de 1966 trinfó la Revolución Cultural de Mao en China, Ange Zhang era un adolescente. Hijo mayor de un escritor famoso, vivía en Beijing con su familia, en una casa china tradicional, alrededor de un patio. Iba a la escuela y era muy bueno dibujando" -- First Paragraph Back Cover.

Ange Zhang n'est encore qu'un adolescent quand la Révolution culturelle éclate en Chine. Fils d'un écrivain célèbre, il voit son père, jusque là membre influent du Parti, se faire arrêter avant d'être humilié sur la place publique, et sa maison mise à sac. Bouleversé, le jeune homme n'a pourtant qu'un idée en tête : être comme les autres et donc... rejoindre les Gardes Rouges. A travers l'évocation de ses années passées, l'auteur témoigne avec sensibilité et pudeur de cette période dramatique (1966-1976). Accompagnant ses peintures, de nombreuses photos apportent un éclairage supplémentaire à son propos. L'édition originale de cet album a reçu, au printemps 2005, le prix du meilleur documentaire de l'année à la Foire internationale du livre pour enfants de Bologne.