The Lily Theater

"Lian is the daughter of intellectuals - high in the traditional caste system but the most despised class under Mao. At school she befriends Kim, a girl from the Beijing slums who is persecuted by the caste-conscious students, but they are separated when Lian's father is transferred to a remote province and her mother sent to a re-education camp. Joining her there, Lian comes into contact with some of China's foremost scientists, artists and scholars, including a brilliant historian who helps her distinguish truth from propaganda. In a quiet spot by a pond she calls her Lily Theatre, Lian recites what she has learnt to an audience of crickets and frogs, finding an outlet for her fear, anger and confusion and a refuge from the cruelty of daily life.". "When Lian eventually returns to her old school and to Kim, the principles of the Lily Theatre become increasingly hard to maintain as she tries like any teenager to find friendship and love, and when a new wave of terror envelops the country. But if she learns to live with lies, in her heart she stays true to herself and, her spirit unbroken, survives."--BOOK JACKET.