Freedom swimmer

"This incredible story about two boys' swim from mainland China to Hong Kong in search of freedom from poverty and oppression is inspired by a true story. Ming survived the famine that killed his parents during China's 'Great Leap Forward,' and lives a hard but adequate life, working in the fields. When a group of city boys comes to the village as part of a Communist Party re-education program, Ming and his friends aren't sure what to make of the new arrivals. They're not used to hard labor and village life. But despite his reservations, Ming befriends a charming city boy called Li. The two couldn't be more different, but slowly they form a bond over evening swims and shared dreams. But as the bitterness of life under the Party begins to take its toll on both boys, they begin to imagine the impossible: freedom"--From the publisher's web site.