Born in Nanjing in 1961, Han Dong’s parents took him to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. He is a poet, essayist, short story writer and novelist. His chief works include: Dad’s Looking Down On Me From The Sky, Dynamics Of Love, Our Bodies, My Plato, Bright Scars, In The Western Sky, Banished!, Me and You, and A Small Town Hero Strides Forth. Banished! takes place during the Cultural Revolution. Tao and his wife are cadres uprooted and banished to the countryside, along with their son, young Tao. This apparently simple story touches on despair, parental love, and 'rootedness': ultimately, young Tao rejects tradition and defines his own roots, which are coloured by a lifelong memory of his childhood years in Sanyu village. Read excerpt of Banished! Contact author at: n.harman@imperial.ac.uk n.harmanic@gmail.com