Colors of the Mountain takes you through the journey of a young Chinese boy by the name of Da Chen. He is growing up through one of the hardest time in Chinese history, the Cultural Revolution. The great Chairman Mao was at power, and was determined to rid China of any capitalistic views, and turn them into a true communist empire. The book demonstrates the harsh ruling and cruelty of the Commune Party. Da belongs to a family doomed by his grandfather's history. His grandfather was a landlord, and when Chairman Mao started the Cultural Revolution, he aimed greatly at people who were landlords, or people who were of a landlord family. Da and his family are put through much torture and humiliation throughout the story. His father was sent continuously to work and live at labor camps in which he was not seen or heard of by his family for quite a while. The Commune Party that was set up in Da's hometown was cruel and unjust to all landlords and counterrevolutionaries. Da's grandfather was sent to work at labor camps where he was often beaten and treated poorly. Even though at school Da recieves high grades his teachers and classmates tortured him. He just did not fit in being the grandson of a landlord. Da went through many tough situations and came a long way from the when he was tortured in school when he was young, until Chairman Mao's death in 1976. He even ended up making it to college, which during the Cultural Revolution seemed impossible for someone with Da's background.
             The story took place in a small town called Yellow Stone. It doesn't seem like the poorest of cities, but is no where near the major cities like Beijing and Shanghai at the time. By capturing the reader's imagination, they are able to describe what it was like to live in a small town in china during the Cultural Revolution. Da's family did not enjoy the middle-class luxuries that they had before the Cultural Revolution. ...