Novel set in Tibet- Love in No Man’s Land by Duo Ji Zhuo Ga

Submitted: 20th January 2020

A portrait of life in No Man’s Land

Novel set in Tibet- Love in No Man’s Land by Duo Ji Zhuo Ga – Tibet is a country shrouded in mystery at the best of times. IT’s a land of mountains, rural landscapes, rocks, pathways to fog covered hills and it’s more of a landscape right out of a fantasy novel than anything else.However, here is a novel that delves into the heart and soul of the country, its culture and its people.

Imagine a land where culture and monasteries are king and so when the Cultural Revolution hits China, the Red Guards march into Tibet and that’s where the real story starts….

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Setting: Mountainous region

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Novel set in Tibet- Love in No Man’s Land by Duo Ji Zhuo Ga

Tibet is a country I have never been to and I haven’t read many novels set there either. The country always seems mysterious and almost fantastical to me. I imagine it to be something like the landscape of a fantasy novel – rocks, mountains and pathways up to a cloud covered sky.

Reading this, it’s pretty much an accurate picture yet this is no fantasy story. It’s a very real portrayal of a family who live in the grasslands of the area. We start the story in 1967 and travel right through the years to the early 21st century.

Culture and pride, religion and faith are important to people here so when Gongzha in the novel is asked to hide artifacts from monasteries, he does so. The Cultural Revolution has just started in China and so the Red Guards there are trying to control life, destroy culture and stamp on their honour and pride in every way.

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The people here and their lives were fascinating to read about. Mosf of them live off the land, tending their yaks and sheep. They eat the meat but also use their skins for tents and other clothes so it’s a really interesting insight into life here. This really is life in a rural mountain environment where everything is created and controlled by strict community rules and expectations. It’s a land where tribes are family and where you get to see the real Tibet. It’s a breathtaking picture. Animals are at the centre of life.

IT’s an animal that is at the centre of the story infact. Gongzha rescues a bear which later brings danger to the village and to the girl he loves. When he sets out for revenge, the land becomes his hunting ground as well as that of the bear’s. Another woman from outside Tibet provides a storyline that takes Gongzha on yet another search. Again, the land provides the backdrop and also the centre of the characters experience and lifestyle. Where we are, who we meet and how we journey back to them are all messages that the novel carries well.

As I read, I really got a growing sense of the landscape and the people who live and survive here. How a raw and visceral place provides raw and visceral stories.Kudos to the translator as this is very lyrical and masterfully done. I can only imagine how brilliant it would be to read in the original!