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The story of a family in modern China with a history of deceit,
betrayal and political intrigue, and the communist party's long
shadow over them, from the Cultural Revolution to today. Following
the lives of military intelligence officer Jie and his wife Moon,
The Book of Secrets weaves recently found material into a narrative
that not only illuminates the shadowy world of intelligence in
China, but also the emotional tragedies that political extremism
inflicted on those working within. Drawing on Jie’s own vivid
biography of his youth, Xinran pieces together his trajectory as he
joins the great hope of the Chinese young – the Communist Party
– and becomes a loyal cadre until the late 1970s when, as a chief
in the security forces, he makes a decision that will poison his
family against him. This is a totally unique behind-the-scenes
account of a family torn apart by the Tiananmen Square massacre and
the attempts of Jie to finally open up the Chinese system to the
people, pieced together from an extraordinary archive of personal
diaries and letters.
At the start of the twentieth century in China, the Hans were
married in an elaborate ceremony before they were even born. They
went on to have nine children and chose colours portrayed in some
of their favourite poems as nicknames for them - Red, Cyan, Orange,
Yellow, Green, Green Tangerine, Purple, Blue and Rainbow. Fate, and
the sweep of twentieth-century history, would later divide them.
Xinran begins with the magic and tragedy of one young couple's
wedding night in 1949, and goes on to tell personal experiences of
loss, grief and hardship through China's extraordinary century. A
spellbinding and magical narrative, this is the story of modern
China through the women who lived through it.
At the start of the twentieth century in China, the Hans were
married in an elaborate ceremony before they were even born. While
their future was arranged by their families, this couple had much
to be grateful for. Not only did they come from similar backgrounds
- and as such were recognized as a good match - they also had a
shared passion in their deep love of ancient Chinese poetry. They
went on to have nine children and chose colours portrayed in some
of their favourite poems as nicknames for them - Red, Cyan, Orange,
Yellow, Green, Ginger, Violet, Blue and Rainbow. Fate, and the
sweep of twentieth century history would later divide these
children into three groups: three went to America or Hong Kong to
protect the family line from the communists; three were married to
revolutionaries having come of age as China turned red; while three
suffered tragic early deaths. With her trademark wisdom and warmth,
Xinran describes the lives and loves of this extraordinary family
over four generations. What emerges is not only a moving,
beautifully-written and engaging story of four people and their
lives, but a crucial portrait of social change in China. Xinran
begins with the magic and tragedy of one young couples wedding
night in 1950, and goes on to tell personal experiences of loss,
grief and hardship through China's extraordinary century. In doing
so she tells a bigger story - how traditional Chinese values have
been slowly eroded by the tide of modernity and how their outlooks
on love, and the choices they've made in life, have been all been
affected by the great upheavals of Chinese history. A spell-binding
and magical narrative, this is the story of modern China through
the people who lived through it, and the story of their love and
loss.
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