Forbidden City (novel)
Encyclopedia
Forbidden City is a novel
based on the events of the Tiananmen Square massacre
in 1989. It is a story of maturation/bildungsroman/coming of age.
, and travels to Beijing with his journalist father, Ted, to record some Chinese affairs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
and cover the student protests
. While they were there, they grasped the opportunity to record some peaceful student protesters, who were fighting for their human rights
and democracy. The protest escalates into a confrontation with the government at Tiananmen Square, and protesters claim they will not stop until the government gives in. The protests continue, then days before the Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev
is due to arrive, the students begin a hunger strike
, in order to embarrass the government, which declares martial law
. Then, on June 4, 1989, Alex and his father happen to be in the square when the People's Liberation Army
marches in and opens fire on the protesters, as a final attempt to quash the protests. Alex's guide and friend, Lao Xu is killed. He and his father are separated and Alex is shot in the leg by the soldiers. In an attempt to get the horrific events occurring in China broadcasted to the rest of the world, some of the university students take him in, and try to help him recover. They plan to get Alex to the Canadian embassy, where he will be safe from the PLA, who are hunting down foreign journalists. Unfortunately, he never gets there. Instead, Alex and his friend Xin-Hua are stopped by the soldiers, and Xin-hua is shot. They then push Alex into a taxi, which is heading for the airport. Once at the airport, he is reunited with his father, and they manage to get back to their hometown of Toronto,ON,Canada and tells his mother the story of his experience. Alex loses interest in war.
and American high schools.
In 2006 the book was banned in Mainland China.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
based on the events of the Tiananmen Square massacre
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
in 1989. It is a story of maturation/bildungsroman/coming of age.
Plot
This book begins with a 17-year-old boy named Alex who enjoys subjects related to military historyMilitary history
Military history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
, and travels to Beijing with his journalist father, Ted, to record some Chinese affairs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
and cover the student protests
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
. While they were there, they grasped the opportunity to record some peaceful student protesters, who were fighting for their human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and democracy. The protest escalates into a confrontation with the government at Tiananmen Square, and protesters claim they will not stop until the government gives in. The protests continue, then days before the Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
is due to arrive, the students begin a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
, in order to embarrass the government, which declares martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
. Then, on June 4, 1989, Alex and his father happen to be in the square when the People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
marches in and opens fire on the protesters, as a final attempt to quash the protests. Alex's guide and friend, Lao Xu is killed. He and his father are separated and Alex is shot in the leg by the soldiers. In an attempt to get the horrific events occurring in China broadcasted to the rest of the world, some of the university students take him in, and try to help him recover. They plan to get Alex to the Canadian embassy, where he will be safe from the PLA, who are hunting down foreign journalists. Unfortunately, he never gets there. Instead, Alex and his friend Xin-Hua are stopped by the soldiers, and Xin-hua is shot. They then push Alex into a taxi, which is heading for the airport. Once at the airport, he is reunited with his father, and they manage to get back to their hometown of Toronto,ON,Canada and tells his mother the story of his experience. Alex loses interest in war.
Awards
The book won the 1991 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award and several other awards.Curriculum
The book is included in reading material for some Canadian elementary schools and Highschoolsand American high schools.
In 2006 the book was banned in Mainland China.