My Inner Mongol

NPR will be turning to best-selling Chinese authors this week to gain some insight into the people’s perspectives on the People’s Republic during its controversial 60 years of rule. Today’s story, the first of the three parts, focuses on Jian Rong’s, Wolf Totem which I happened to pick up not too long ago, fascinated by the subject of Beijing intellectuals electing to go live with the nomadic people of Inner Mongolia and learning from their cultural adoration for the wolf. Turns out Rong saw this journey as an opportunity to spend a few years (turned into 11)  reading forbidden Classics of Western Literature, what an amazing concept. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of a self-imposed monkhood of sorts involving nothing but literature and isolation. And despite my homeowner tendencies, I’m also fond of the nomadic life (though it would be difficult with my 2 year old in tow) and believe my interest in Wolf Totem is due to my inner Mongol. Listen to the story and join in the conversation, here.