By Water, Reflecting Flowers: The Legend of Eileen Chang

Author: Wei Kefeng / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-01-01
Features: In 1920, in a traditional garden villa in Shanghai, a baby girl was born. In her loud cries, this girl connected to three noble families seemed to announce her identity and the era she would witness. She was named Zhang Ying, but only gained another name—Zhang Ailing—when her mother secretly took her to register for a transfer to Huangshi Primary School. In the turbulent times, the illustrious heritage of her ancestors and the refined culture of scholars allowed Zhang Ying to witness endless splendor and decline, experiencing the ups and downs of life. Her early wisdom and keen mind transformed these stories of rise and fall into words that were both stunning and sorrowful.
Zhang Ailing, the ever-blooming legendary flower in literature; her artistic and literary awakening in childhood, her early and rebellious youth, and the romance with Hu Lanqing that once made her "bloom from the dust" but ultimately withered; and her later years of withdrawing from the world, solitary and aloof—her rich life was like a flower's reflection in water, seemingly real yet illusory.
In 1920, in a traditional garden villa in Shanghai, a baby girl was born. In her loud cries, this girl connected to three noble families seemed to announce her identity and the era she would witness. She was named Zhang Ying, but only gained another name—Zhang Ailing—when her mother secretly took her to register for a transfer to Huangshi Primary School. In the turbulent times, the illustrious heritage of her ancestors and the refined culture of scholars allowed Zhang Ying to witness endless splendor and decline, experiencing the ups and downs of life. Her early wisdom and keen mind transformed these stories of rise and fall into words that were both stunning and sorrowful.
Zhang Ailing, the ever-blooming legendary flower in literature; her artistic and literary awakening in childhood, her early and rebellious youth, and the romance with Hu Lanqing that once made her "bloom from the dust" but ultimately withered; and her later years of withdrawing from the world, solitary and aloof—her rich life was like a flower's reflection in water, seemingly real yet illusory.