Review: Little Emperors and Material Girls
Little Emperors and Material Girls shows a China that is full of contradictions. We are shown a land where there are thriving gay clubs, including a four story club, but children are afraid to come out to their parents due to family pressure. This is a land where cross-dressing has been part of the culture for hundreds of years, but yet the red-tape to go through a gender reassignment surgery is a hurdle too high for most to jump. A land where the rich children are looked down upon... and yet the author spends a decent amount of time showing us how they're good. Where woman are considered too old to marry after year 29, but yet so many of the people interviewed after close to that age or older.
Everything seems a little too sugarcoated in this book. While the author takes the time to tell us the downsides, the interviews and explanations seem to show that everyone accepts the world around them, or at least doesn't bother fighting? Censorship is briefly mentioned and just as quickly ignored. While there are many interesting points in this book regarding relationships, marriage, and a woman's place in the changing society, it seems that the author's self-proclaimed "love affair" with China has softened the edge of communism and the reduction of personal liberties. I would almost have expected this book to be written by someone in China, vetted by the Chinese government, rather than someone in the UK.
The end result is that this is a good book, with good information, but it seems to only tell half of the story, concentrating on the good in China and brushing over anything that would generally be considered negative. 3 1/2 Stars.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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