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Wuhan

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Wuhan

By: John Fletcher
Narrated by: Bruno Roubicek
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A multi-stranded historical epic set in China in 1937, when Wuhan stood alone against a whirlwind of war and violence.

Everyone's heard of Wuhan in connection with Covid-19. But 80 years ago it was equally famous as the first place on earth to decisively defeat fascism.

In 1937 Japan invaded China, slaughtering 20 million Chinese – mainly civilians. As vast swathes of the country fell to the invaders, Wuhan was appointed wartime capital and symbol of Chinese resistance. China, a medieval society, began a desperately needed reorganisation – transforming itself militarily, educationally, medically and culturally.

Their heroic efforts in Wuhan halted the Japanese.

Weaving together a multitude of narratives, Wuhan is a historical fiction epic that pulls no punches: the heart-in-mouth story of a peasant family forced onto a thousand-mile refugee death-march; the story of Lao She – China's greatest writer – leaving his family in a war-zone to assist with the propaganda effort in Wuhan; the hellish battlefields of the Sino-Japanese war; the approaching global war seen through a host of colourful characters – from Chiang Kai-Shek, China's nationalist leader, to Peter Fleming, British journalist based in Wuhan and a prototype for his younger brother Ian Fleming's James Bond.


2021 Head of Zeus©2021 John Fletcher (P)2021 Head of Zeus 20th Century Christian Fiction Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction China War Imperial Japan Heartfelt
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I recently listened to 'China' by Edward RutherfurdI, a good story line and narration of a story set 19th century fiction skillfully blending fact and fiction. I was hoping to experience something similar in 'Wuhan' as an account of the concurrent experiences of primarily a peasant family and a famous Chinese author (Lao She) during the first stages of the Sino-Japanese War 1937-45.

The story started off well enough but as real historical characters were introduced it went off the rails with compounding myths about well known personalities or giving them views which are difficult to believe. One myth that has been discredited is that of Feng, the Christian general who supposed baptised his soldiers 'en masse' with a fire hose. Not true according to contemporary sources. Another relates to NZ citizen Rewi Alley widely lauded as a great humanitarian. His initial life in China was creditable but he was, apart from Chairman Mao, one of the few to put on weight during the Cultural Revolution.

So, while the story had great potential and is a good value read/listen I found myself annoyed by historical inaccuracies or portrayals far from the truth. On a positive note I thought the descriptions of the battle of Taierzhuang and the plight of refugees fleeing the Japanese well covered. So, OK but fell short of the potential it promised.

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