Growing Up in a Time of Unrest

As a result of her upbringing, Yuan Feng bears witness to a great deal that has adverse effects on her mental state. She grows up in China in the late 50s and 60s, during which there is a great famine and Mao's Cultural Revolution, which leads to high levels of scrutiny and oversight to ensure that people did not question the government in any way. Growing up during this time period has a literal physical effect on Yuan Feng, as the famine makes it nearly impossible for her to gain the nutrients that she needs as a growing child. She also has to endure the sight of her mother literally selling her own blood in order to pay for the things she needs to survive. Additionally, when her mother and Meng Long attempt to smuggle the three of them to...