LITTLE LEAP FORWARD - Horse + Bamboo Theatre...

LITTLE LEAP FORWARD is inspired by Guo Yue’s real
experiences as a child growing up in China. Guo Yue was
born in 1958 in Beijing. His father was a violinist, and he
grew up in a traditional courtyard, with his five brothers
and sisters. In 1982, he came to England, to study the silver
flute at the Guildhall School of Music in London. As a
musician, he now travels the world performing, making
recordings and playing on film soundtracks. Guo Yue wrote
the book with his wife, Clare Farrow, a freelance arts writer.
It is the second book they have written together, their first
book was called MUSIC, FOOD AND LOVE.
WHY NOT? Think about who you know who
was alive in 1966 (the year when this story is set).
Interview family, teachers or friends asking them
what they remember about that time in their lives.
How was their life in 1966 different from Yue’s?
WHY NOT? Think about how important your
freedom is. In the book, Little Little says, ‘wouldn’t you
rather be free, just for a day than spend a life time in a
cage?’. Do you think this is true? Why?
WHY NOT? Draw a picture of your class, as if you
could only see the back of everybody’s heads. How many
different hair styles would there be in your picture? How
many people have different coloured ribbons, bobbles or
clips in their hair? Can you imagine what it would be
like if everyone was made to look the same? Draw the
same picture, this time with everyone’s hair cut so it is
exactly the same.
CHAIRMAN MAO AND THE
CULTURAL REVOLUTION
In the past, Emperors ruled China. The Emperor lived in a palace,
known as the Forbidden City, and from his palace he would
make rules and run the country. Emperors ruled China for
thousands of years, right up until 1911. The people of China were
poor, starving and unhappy. They felt their Emperor Pu Yi was
not helping them. They turned against him, and he was made to
give up his power. Two different groups fought to control China
in the Emperor’s place. Eventually, in 1949 the Chinese
Communist Party took control of the country. Their leader was
Mao Zedong – also known as Chairman Mao.
In the after-word to their book, Gue Yue and Claire Farrow
explain what living in China under Chairman Mao was like:
“…When Mao Zedong became leader of the Communist Party
and founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949, he
introduced socialist thinking, inspired by Russia’s revolution of
1917. Mao was from a poor family in the countryside and did not
trust intellectuals – people with knowledge and education. He
believed that land should be taken away from rich landowners
and that the countryside should be divided into communes –
groups of peasants working and living together. He thought
everyone should be the same…
…The Cultural Revolution, which began in Beijing on the 18 th
August 1966, was a further disastrous step in Mao’s thinking; he
wanted to punish intellectuals, artists, writers, composers,
people from wealthy backgrounds and anyone who criticised
him. A few months after the Cultural Revolution started, my
mother was accused of being a ‘counter-revolutionary’ and was
sent by the Red Guards to the countryside to be ‘re-educated’.
She had to dig heavy mud out of a river and work like a peasant
farmer in the fields. Every day she was publicly criticised. She
remained in the countryside for nearly three years. Only her
spirit was not broken.”
WHY NOT? Think about what makes you an individual – is it
the way you dress? The books you read? The music you listen to? If
those things were banned what would be left that is unique to you?
Write a poem, using these ideas. Start by listing the things that the
government could ban you from doing or having. You could research
the rules the Chinese Communist Party put in place to give you some
ideas. Next, list the things that can’t be taken away. To get you
started, you could include:
• An idea you had that you were really proud of
• A memory of a time when you felt special
• An imaginary friend
• A dream that you remember having
Imagine a place where you could hide
these parts of you – it might be a
place like the riverside in the play,
where you feel most yourself, or a
place you remember from being little,
or it might not be a real place at all – it
might be somewhere special in your
imagination.
PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHINA DURING THE
CULTURAL REEVOLUTION USED BY THE
COMPANY WHEN RESEARCHING THE PLAY