From a rising literary star, an epic historical novel, set against the tense backdrop of the Long March and Mao's
rise to power, that tells a powerful and moving story of two ordinary people
China, 1934: A naive orphan and shy gunsmith, Ping, has fallen in love with Yong, who is a sophisticated
veteran, a skilled marksman, and a true believer in Marxist ideology. Winning her affections will take an
ideological battle-something he does not understand. To make matters worse, Yong has shown interest in
Ping's best friend, Luo. On the eve of a great Communist defeat, Ping sabotages Luo's rifle, causing the bullet
to backfire into his friend's head. The army begins its year-long retreat, known as The Long March, and Yong
turns to Ping for comfort and companionship. Ping deeply regrets killing his friend, and as his relationship with
Yong blossoms, he is saddened that it will always be colored by guilt.
Yong soon becomes pregnant. She hates the way the baby inside is changing her, both physically and
emotionally. The Red Army can't retreat with a crying infant, so they need to find someone close to take the
baby in. Ping and Yong leave their son with a woman, promising to return once the war is won. When World
War II breaks out and Japanese soldiers arrive, their 12-year-old son decides to enlist in the Japanese army
to find his parents, though he quickly begins to fear for his life . . .
Deeply moving and brilliantly written, Michael X. Wang's Lost in the Long March is an exploration of how the
history of a country is always its people, though their stories are often the first to be lost.
