We Served The People: My Mother's Stories; Emei Burell

A collection of moving stories passed from mother to daughter recounting life during China’s Cultural Revolution.

In China, an entire generation’s most formative years took place in remote rural areas when city-kids were sent to the countryside to become rusticated youth and partake in Mao’s mandated Great Leap Forward.

Debut cartoonist Emei Burell breathes new life into the stories her mother shared with her of growing up during mid-1960s Communist China. In an inspiring tale, her mother recounts how she ended up as one of the few truck-driving women during the Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside movement, which sought to increase agricultural outreach and spur social and ideological change amongst youth.

Burell’s stunning illustrations honor her mother’s courage, strength, and determination during a decade of tremendous political upheaval, where millions of lives were lost, and introduces us to a young Burell in a new era of self-discovery.

April 28, 2020

About the Author

I'm a Swedish illustrator and cartoonist currently studying at The Animation Workshop in Denmark.


With a focus on illustration and visual development, my work is a playful combination of the western comics and Asian influences. I love working with dynamic compositions, evocative pastel colors and first and foremost - humor.