The Cowshed

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The Chinese Cultural Revolution, starting in 1966, unleashed a decade of Maoist terror, resulting in millions of deaths and widespread persecution. Ji Xianlin's harrowing account details his imprisonment in 1968 at Peking University, where he faced brutal humiliation and disillusionment with Mao's cult. As political chaos enveloped the campus, Ji, a professor of Eastern languages, became a target of both students and faculty. His home was ransacked, cherished possessions destroyed, and he endured grueling “struggle sessions.” Forced to build a cowshed—a makeshift prison for intellectuals deemed class enemies—he shared this space with former colleagues. His eyewitness narrative is rich with irony, empathy, and insights into a pivotal moment in Chinese history. In contemporary China, the Cultural Revolution remains a sensitive topic, yet Ji’s memoir is widely recognized as a crucial text. When published in 1998, it became a bestseller, reviving discussions on a largely forgotten era. Despite its success, authorities have sought to limit public discourse about it. The English edition, translated by Chenxin Jiang, is a significant addition to the literature on this subject, enhancing our understanding of this tumultuous period.