Eating Grass, Drinking Wine

This book tells the story of Liu’s life under Mao and her subsequent struggle to achieve a better life in America. It sheds light on the monumental changes Chinese society experienced in the last century.

No matter how far a person has wandered and how high one has reached, ultimately people cannot transcend the boundaries of emotions of the soul. Liyan Liu’s short autobiographical prose writes about her passion for the land she lives, her love for the people she cares from afar, and the pain of her loss with piercing, heart-felt, penetrating, and yet gentle words. Her writing reveals the journey and reincarnation of a soul from the East to West. It is a woman’s reenactment and affirmation of humanity, life, and their meaning.

Liyan Liu is professor of history at Georgetown College and author of Red Genesis: The Hunan First Normal School and the Creation of Chinese Communism, 1903-1921.