Why a Booktrail?
1994, 2002: The devastating consequences of the one-child policy.
The Cry of the Silkworm
What you need to know before your trail
1994, rural China: Twelve-year-old Chen Di loves and protects her long-awaited little brother, but when she witnesses an unforgettable scene with her aunties and the authorities, everything she thought she knew about her community is ripped away from her.
2002, Shanghai: A gutsy young aikido-practising Chen Di is utterly transformed from her naïve younger self. Now hardened by experience, her determination to avenge her mother’s killer is stronger than ever – and she has steeled herself against affection of any kind. Alone in the big city, and with the unwanted attentions of a cocky, wise-cracking teenage boy and a martial arts teacher intent on peace over violence, her toughness starts being chipped away – planting a seed of doubt about going through with her plan for revenge.
Travel Guide
China
Spanning a decade at the turn of the twenty-first century, The Cry of the Silkworm is an emotional and thought-provoking tale of one young woman’s coming of age – and a stark look at the impact of China’s one-child policy.
The one-child policy was a population planning initiative in China implemented between 1979 and 2015 to curb the country’s population growth by restricting many families to a single child. The program had wide-ranging social, cultural, economic, and demographic effects.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: A Talent for Murder
Destination/location: China, Shanghai Author/guide: Shi Naseer Departure Time: 1994, 2002
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
