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The Diary of Ma Sicong (1965) – I Am Humiliated and Beaten.

My loss of favor in government circles was quick and sudden. I had survived as President of the Music Academy during some of Chairman Mao’s past, short-lived “thought-reform” campaigns. But this time was different. I was being attacked personally as a supporter of Western ideas in my music. I tried to avoid controversy by creating tatzepao (large handwritten posters) that enthusiastically supported the Cultural Revolution, although I refused to admit any wrongdoing.

Before long, the public humiliations grew angrier. I was derided by the Red Guards, some of which were my former students. Many intellectuals were rounded up and placed in re-education schools. Some, like myself, were beaten, while others mysteriously disappeared. There were tatzepao (large posters) written to criticize me, and I was dragged through public spaces and declared an enemy of the state.

My family and I lived every day in fear. We had no idea the worst was yet to come!



Read The King of Violins: The Extraordinary Life of Ma Sciong, China’s Greatest Violin Virtuoso by M.G. Crisci and Cheng Ken Chi, Ph.D., the heartbreaking story of China’s most celebrated violin prodigy, Ma Sicong, who composes his first concerto at the age of 12, becomes China’s most celebrated violin prodigy, and ultimately an enemy of the state.

“A perfectly balanced symphony that honors truth and dignity. You’ll feel as though you are sitting on Ma’s shoulder as his complicated life unfolds.”
– US Review of Books

“Remarkable. The bittersweet story of Ma Sicong’s dignified, often tumultuous life, and the way it was told, left me feeling I had met Ma–and was better because of it.”
– Independent Book Review

“The King of Violins is a must-read that will stay with you. It’s filled with so many involving themes and surprising twists that you’ll become engrossed trying to figure out what might be coming next.”
– International Review of Books

DATE: Dec.28.2020 | CATEGORY: Biography