We Three: Yang Jiang's Memoirs

Author: Yang Jiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: A long, searching dream of longing and searching, a simple and warm scholar family, supporting and helping each other, gathering and parting. "I alone miss our trio," after the pain fades, only a profound and optimistic understanding of life and death remains on the pages. Mr. and Mrs. Qian, respected figures in academia, are renowned for their bestsellers Fortress Besieged and The Washing. However, little is known about their family life. In 1998, the passing of Mr. Qian left the cultural world deeply sorrowful. But little-known is that their only daughter, Qian Yuan, had passed away before them (in 1997). The loss of their lifelong partner and only daughter left Mr. Yang in a situation beyond ordinary comprehension. Four years after the departure of her husband, at the age of 92, Mr. Yang meticulously recorded the 63 years of joys and sorrows of their special family, compiling the memoir We Three.
This book is divided into two parts. In the first part, Mr. Yang, with his usual wisdom and unique style, narrates the emotional experiences of the three of them relying on each other in the last few years through the form of dreams. The second part, written in simple yet touching words, records the little-known hardships of their family from 1935, when the couple studied abroad in the UK and gave birth to their beloved daughter at Oxford, until 1998, the passing of Mr. Qian. Their journey spans half the globe and traverses half a century of turbulent changes: war, illness, political storms, and the pain of parting. No matter how fierce the storm, they supported each other, and their beautiful family became a safe haven for Mr. Yang and his family.
Heaven and earth, yin and yang—though separated, their deep affection cannot be severed. Alone by the dim lamp, Mr. Yang silently pours out his heart to his loved ones across the river. As a traditional intellectual, his words are restrained yet full of emotion. The indescribable family bonds and sorrow permeate every line, moving every reader. The meaning of life does not change with the rise and fall of the body. The warm family love, stable above the uncertainties of the world, has forever bound them together. The significance of home is fully explored in Mr. Yang’s book.