Forbidden City

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In 1960s China, a teenage girl becomes Mao Zedong's protégé and lover, embodying the Cultural Revolution in this poignant novel. On the brink of her sixteenth birthday, Mei aspires to be a model revolutionary. When the Communist Party recruits girls for a secretive role in the capital, she seizes the chance to escape her impoverished village. Upon arriving at the Chairman's lavish residence, she discovers that the girls' duty is to dance with Party elites. Ambitious and intelligent, Mei quickly focuses on the Chairman, becoming his confidante and lover. As he navigates political rivalries, Mei confronts schemers from the dance troupe and the Chairman's powerful wife, who has her own agenda. When the Chairman assigns Mei a political mission, she embraces it passionately, but the harsh realities of the revolution lead her to question her beliefs. This narrative offers an epic yet intimate look at one of history's most enigmatic leaders during a tumultuous time in China. Mei's harrowing journey of truth and disillusionment provokes reflections on power, manipulation, and faith, all through the lens of a passionate teenage girl.