A Stone Is Most Precious Where It Belongs Av Gulchehra Hoja

A powerful and urgent memoir by Uyghur activist Gulchehra Hoja - a remarkable woman who went from being a beloved star on Chinese children's TV to a journalist whose reporting on the oppression of her people led to her entire extended family being imprisoned. In February 2018, twenty-four members of Gulchehra Hoja's family disappeared overnight Among them were her elderly parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and their spouses; everyone she had left behind in UErumchi when she fled to a new life in the United States, arrested by the Chinese state as a direct retaliation for Gulchehra's investigations into the Uyghur plight for Radio Free Asia. For the Uyghur people, this kind of oppression is not unusual.A Stone is Most Precious Where it Belongs is Gulchehra's stunning memoir, an account of life under Chinese rule in East Turkestan. The grandchild of a renowned musician and the daughter of an esteemed archaeologist, Gulchehra grew up with her people's culture and history running through her veins. She showed her gifts early on as a dancer, actress, and storyteller, putting her on a path to success as a major television star.Slowly though, she began to understand what China was doing to her people, as well as her own complicity as a journalist. As her rising fame and growing political awakening coincided, she made it her mission to expose the crimes Beijing is committing in the far reaches of its nation, no matter the cost. Revelling in the beauty of East Turkestan and its people, A Stone is Most Precious Where it Belongs gives us a glimpse beyond what the Chinese state wants us to see, showcasing a woman who was willing to risk not just her own life, but also that of everyone she loves, to expose her people's story to the world