The Temple of Memories
Book description
This study focuses on the politics of memory in the village of Dachuan in northwest China, in which 85 percent of the villagers are surnamed Kong and believe themselves to be descendants of Confucius. It recounts both how this proud community was subjected to intense suffering during the Maoist era,…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Temple of Memories as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
On a cold winter night in 1960 the families of Dachuan village were forced out of their homes to make way for the waters of a huge new dam. Some managed to retrieve a few bones from the family graves to take to their new homes. But the ancestral temple that had been at the heart of village life and identity for centuries was lost to the rising waters.
For decades Maoist policy suppressed all religious expression in China, but the reforms of the 1980s saw many forms of religious revival, including the triumphant reconstruction of Dachuan’s Confucius temple, its…
From Alexander's list on village lives as keys to history.
If you love The Temple of Memories...
Grand Old Unraveling
It didn’t begin with Donald Trump. When the Republican Party lost five straight presidential elections during the 1930s and 1940s, three things happened: (1) Republicans came to believe that presidential elections are rigged; (2) Conspiracy theories arose and were believed; and (3) The presidency was elevated to cult-like status.
Long…
Want books like The Temple of Memories?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Temple of Memories.
Share your top 3 reads of 2024!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,588
readers submitted
so far, will you?
