Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

The novel, written by Dai Sijie, is about two teenagers, Luo and Mae (referred to as the narrator throughout the novel), who are sent to be reeducated in the wake of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. They are sent to the Mountain of the Phoenix of the Sky near Tibet, because their doctor parents have been declared "enemies of the people" and "reactionaries of the bourgeoisie" by the Communist state. There, while compelled to work in the coal mines and with the rice crop, they are captivated by and fall in love with the daughter of the local tailor, the Little Seamstress. At the same time, they meet Four-Eyes, the son of a prominent poet, who also is being reeducated. Although he is succeeding in reeducation, he is also hiding forbidden French, Russian, and English novels. The boys convince Four-Eyes to lend them a book, Ursule Mirouët by Honoré de Balzac. Later, when Four-Eyes's mother comes to take him back to the city, they steal the books.

These books inspire the narrator (called Ma in the film version) and Luo to use them to educate the Little Seamstress, whom they consider uncultured. Luo and the Seamstress's romantic relationship grows as Ma silently (and jealously) watches on the sidelines. This relationship, however, results in the Seamstress's unwanted pregnancy. Ma helps her to arrange an illegal abortion while Luo is away. Throughout the novel, the farming village of Phoenix Mountain delights in the storytelling of the two teenagers. They even are excused from work for a few days to see films at Yong Jing, a nearby town, and later relate the story to the townspeople. One of these films, a North Korean film entitled The Little Flower Seller and identified by the narrator as "a propaganda film like no other" (39), closely resembles the 1972 Korean film version of The Flower Girl (1972) in the melodramatic scene of the death of the eponymous character's mother.[1] Also notable among the stories they retell is Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. Ma mostly assists with the storytelling because Luo is more capable of moving the audience. Particularly inspirational to the narrator is the translation by Fu Lei of Romain Rolland's Jean-Christophe, which the narrator credits as giving him a newfound sense of individualism. Other talents and possessions of the two boys at which the townspeople wonder include Luo's clock and Ma's violin (on which they love to hear "Mozart Is Thinking of Chairman Mao," their improvised, Communist-friendly name for a Mozart Sonata).

Later, Luo's mission of educating the Little Seamstress backfires. At first, however, it seems as if his plan is working perfectly – she adopts the city accent and begins making modern clothing. Yet, one day, she leaves without saying farewell. This sudden change for the two characters leaves them heartbroken and plays a huge role in both of their lives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balzac_and_the_Little_Chinese_Seamstress