Son of the Revolution Analysis

Son of the Revolution is a biography about the experiences of Liang Heng, living under the totalitarian regime of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), led by the dictator, Mao Zedong.

Having grown up in a affluent family, Heng details his early childhood living with the blessing of the PRC. His parents worked as a reporter and a police bureaucrat, so he has a good place in the social ladder. However, this is all later destroyed during the Hundred Flowers Campaign, where Heng’s mother spoke critically of the PRC and as such, her family were ostracized and sent to live as peasants.

Heng’s fall from social grace meant he was at the bottom of the ladder and indeed he even worked in factories for a long time in order to generate an income for his family. However, with his determination he was able to attend university and became a basketball player, eventually migrating to the US with his later wife, to start a new life.