Coming from the South City: A Biography of Lin Haiyin

Author: Xia Zuli
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Beijing was where Lin Haiyin grew up in her childhood, experienced her youth, got married and had children, and stayed until she was nearly thirty before leaving. It was also the place she cherished throughout her life. And this book, From South of the City Wall – A Biography of Lin Haiyin, becomes the author’s—Lin Haiyin’s daughter—journey of introspection and root-seeking in life. Beijing was where Lin Haiyin grew up in her childhood, experienced her youth, got married and had children, and stayed until she was nearly thirty before leaving. It was also the place she cherished throughout her life. And this book, From South of the City Wall – A Biography of Lin Haiyin, becomes the author’s—Lin Haiyin’s daughter—journey of introspection and root-seeking in life. The greatest feature of this biography is that it is narrated in two voices throughout. One voice is that of a critic, using the standards of literature and history to discuss the subject’s works, actions, personality, and environment, citing other literary references, and presenting a well-structured argument. Interwoven in each chapter, however, is another voice: in the first-person perspective of the daughter, speaking with a natural and intimate tone, recounting the smallest details with the elegant Beijing dialect she learned from her mother, vividly portraying a mother Lin Haiyin who loved life, cherished life, and was willing to make sacrifices.