The official website of The Doctor Who Was Followed By Ghosts: The Family Saga of a Chinese Woman Doctor
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Publisher: ECW Press
ISBN-13: 9781550227819
ISBN-10: 1550227815
6x9", 300 pages, cloth
Price: $26.95 CDN, $24.95 U.S.
November, 2007
History/Memoir
According to Chinese folklore, when his favorite daughter falls ill, Yanwang, the ruler of the underworld, sends his servants to look for a doctor who has as few ghosts as possible following him. This means that he is a better doctor than others, because when a patient dies, the ghost follows and haunts the doctor.
Li Qunying, a Communist doctor of great dedication, undoubtedly had fewer ghosts behind her. Yet her life was in many ways ill fated, as she struggled through the Anti–Japanese War, the Civil War, the Korean War, the great famine of the early ‘60s and numerous political movements, including the notorious Cultural Revolution. The Great Leap Forward Movement tragically took away her son Bingbing’s life, and the persecution of her husband during the Cultural Revolution took a serious toll on his health, and consequently led to his early death. Besides enduring personal misfortune, she also witnessed the suffering of the peasants, who were the majority of the population at the grass–roots level and whose sorrowful stories have rarely been told.
This haunting memoir traces all of the major events of brutal twentieth–century China, interweaving eyewitness history, folklore, superstition, and Dr. Li’s own first–hand accounts.
Dr. Li Qunying was born in 1926 in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, China. She joined the Communist army in 1945, and served as a medic during the Civil War and the Korean War. After her husband Han Wende was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution, she followed him to the countryside where she became a "barefoot" peasant doctor. Until her retirement, she worked as a doctor in various hospitals throughout Shandong Province. She now lives in Shandong Province, China.
Louis Han is the youngest son of Dr. Li Qunying. He was born in Shandong Province, China and grew up during the Cultural Revolution. He is now living in Vancouver, Canada with his wife. He encouraged his mother to recall her past and spent over seven years compiling her memoir.
"An eye-opening account from one who both participated in and questioned Communist rule...a fascinating tale of oppression and ambivalent participation." -- Quill & Quire (November 2007) Reviewed by Tara Lee, a writer with PhD in Asian literature.
"A memoir of Communist China from the viewpoint of a 'barefoot doctor' who lived through its main events and saw as much of the country as anyone at the time. Low-key, but eye-opening." -- Classic FM (UK): Newsnight Book Review with National Tokens. Reviewed and recommended by writer and books editor Chris Powling on January 16, 2008
"A son perseveres to tell his mother's story...Li Qunying has had an extraordinary life...A smooth-flowing story that speaks to the emotions." -- The Vancouver Sun. Reviewed by books editor Rebecca Wigod on March 8, 2008. This book was also recommended by The Vancouver Sun as Editor's Choice on Febuary 2, 2008. Read the article
"It's an eye opening account of life in Communist China. From foot binding to the Korean War, political persecution and the Great Famine." -- CBC Radio: On The Coast program hosted by Theresa Lalonde on April 30, 2008.
"A personal and yet detached memoir looks back on China’s 20th-century traumas...Richly detailed remembrance of life in Mao’s China...Rich in both medical and political history, Li's memoir details many of the unorthodox methods of the barefoot doctors...Li’s story is unique." -- The Georgia Straight. Reviewed by Allan Cho on May 1, 2008. Read the article
"Chilling memoir of being a doctor in China...Dr. Li Qunying offers a rare first-hand account of medical, military and Maoist atrocities...The Doctor Who Was Followed By Ghosts merits comparison with the work of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn." -- BC BookWorld (Summer 2008) Read the article
"This is one of the best Canadian books I've read in a long time." -- Alan Twigg, an historian and the publisher of BC BookWorld.
"(Dr. Li) has done a wonderful job remembering and (Louis) has done a wonderful job contextualizing her experiences and putting them into brisk, vivid English. Her life has been very hard. She has shown remarkable resilience." -- Professor Andrew J. Nathan of Columbia University, author of China's New Rulers:The Secret Files and China's Transition
"This is one of the best memoirs I have ever read. It's a fascinating story. Her story is evocative and moving and memorable." -- Dr. Patricia Anderson, author of When Passion Reigned and Passion Lost.
"It is a powerful story, and it gives a very three-dimensional look at a time and place. The book is very personal...well written and very engrossing...offers the reader a lot to reflect on." -- Emily Schultz, author of Joyland and Michael Moore
More reviews coming soon!
Copyrighted Material
Copyrighted Material
Canada: Your local independent bookstores; Chapters; Amazon.ca 
U.S.: Your local independent bookstores; Barnes & Noble; Borders Books; Books-A-Million; Amazon.com 
U.K.: Your local independent bookstores; WH Smith; Waterstone's; Blackwell's; Foyles; Borders; Amazon.co. uk 
Australia/New Zealand: Your local independent bookstores; Angus & Robertson; Borders; BuyAustralian.com; other online bookstores; Whitcoulls (in New Zealand)
Distributors:
United States / Canada: Independent Publishers Group
U.K. / Europe: Turnaround Publisher Services Ltd.
Australia / New Zealand: Unireps.
Interviews
- CBC Radio: On The Coast program interviews Louis Han at 4:20 pm on April 30, 2008. Listen at 690 AM Vancouver.
- Channel M interviews Louis Han. Watch the news at 8:00 pm on May 2, 2008.
- CBC: Asian Heritage Month program interviews Louis Han on May 4, 2008.
- Sing Tao Daily (B.C. Edition) interviews Louis Han on May 4, 2008. Read the article on May 5, A7.
- Global BC TV: Saturday Morning News program interviews Louis Han at 9:40 am on Saturday, May 17, 2008.
- World Journal (San Francisco Edition) news on August 5, 2008. Read the article in Chinese
- Watch for the upcoming interview of Louis Han on "Talk Tonight" KTSF Ch26 in San Francisco.
Presentations (with slide show)
- Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 7:00 - 8:30 pm at Poirier Branch of the Coquitlam Public Library (575 Poirier Street, Coquitlam, B.C.) Registration: (604)937-4155
- Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 7:00 - 8:00 pm at the Brighouse Branch of the Richmond Public Library (100 - 7700 Minoru Gate, Richmond, B.C.) Registration: (604)231-6412
- Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 2:00 pm at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden (578 Carrall Street, Vancouver, B.C.) Tel: (604)662-3207
- New! Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 2:00 - 4:00 pm at San Francisco Main Library (100 Larkin Street, San Francisco CA)
- New! Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 2:30 -4:00 pm at San Francisco Public Library Chinatown Branch (1135 Powell Street, San Francisco CA)
- New! Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 7:00 - 9:00 pm at Vancouver Central Library (350 w. Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia)
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©2007-2008 by Dr. Li Qunying and Louis Han. All rights reserved
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