China Mountain Zhang

China Mountain Zhangis a 1992science fictionnovel by American writerMaureen F. McHugh.The novel is made up of several stories loosely intertwined.

China Mountain Zhang

Cover of 1993 Tor paperback edition
Author	Maureen F. McHugh
Language	English
Genre	Science fiction
Publisher	Tor Books
Publication date	March 1992
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages	313
ISBN	0-312-85271-1
OCLC	24670648
Dewey Decimal	813/.54 20
LC Class	PS3563.C3687 C48

Title

The novel's title derives from the name of the protagonist, a young gay man of mixed Chinese and Hispanic ancestry who goes by the name Rafael Zhang in non-Chinese contexts and Zhang Zhongshan in Chinese contexts. His Chinese given name, "Zhongshan", is written with the characters that have the primary meanings "center" and "mountain"; the Mandarin name for China also begins with the character meaning "center" or "middle". Thus, "China Mountain" is an alternate reading of his Chinese given name. As the novel explains, "Zhongshan" was one of the given names used by the Chinese revolutionary leaderSun Yat-sen,for whom the character is named.

Plot summary

The main story involves aman's maturationin a future dominated by China, where the United States has undergone a Second Great Depression, a Communist revolution and then a "Cleansing Winds Campaign" that resembled the Chinese Cultural Revolution. His personal evolution is paralleled in four interwoven side stories following characters progressing from outsiderdom to finding places in society.

Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science

The backdrop is a 22nd-century in which the Chinese Communist regime dominates the world. The novel is slightly unusual forscience fictionin that none of the characters cause any significant change in the world around them; nor does it use any standard science fiction tropes.

The New York Timessaid of the book when it first appeared: "A first novel this good gives every reader a chance to share in the pleasure of discovery; to my mind, Ms. McHugh's achievement recalls the best work ofSamuel R. DelanyandKim Stanley Robinsonwithout being in the least derivative. "

Connections to other works

McHugh's short story "Protection" is set in the same future history asChina Mountain Zhang,detailing the experiences of a petty criminal in a "Reform Through Labor"camp in Kansas under the future Communist system.

Awards and nominations

The novel was nominated for theHugo Award for Best NovelandNebula Award for Best Noveland won aLambda Literary Award,theLocus Award for Best First Novel,and theJames Tiptree, Jr. Award.