Forbidden Tales

Da Chen was a brilliant story teller who wrote about the hardships he suffered as a child growing up in the middle of China's Cultural Revolution. As a child he was forced to watch both his father and grandfather often beaten and stoned in public.

After Mao's death in 1976, Da Chen took the country's college entrance exam, on which he scored among the highest in the country. He was admitted to the prestigious Beijing Language and Culture University; upon graduation he joined the faculty teaching English. Offered a scholarship to Nebraska's Union College, Da Chen arrived in the United States with little more than $30 and a bamboo flute. He supported himself as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant." He then received a scholarship offer from Columbia University in New York City.

Da Chen earned a law degree, then worked as an investment banker on Wall Street. He tried his hand at writing a legal thriller, but was unsuccessful. After his second attempt, his wife suggested he write the stories he'd told his family about his early years in China. The result was "Colors of the Mountain". His other books include Sounds of the River; Brothers: A Novel; Wandering Warrior; and his most recent work, Girl Under a Red Moon.

Da Chen passed away on December 17, 2019 at the age of 57.

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