Lonely Yun Garden

Author: Shu Siqing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-01-01
Features: The author makes their debut here, interweaving the stories of several generations of the Huang family through their interactions with Huang Die Niang, the great-granddaughter of Huang De Yun. By chance, Huang De Yun becomes the mistress of Lo Shou, a director of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, and rises to prominence in high society. Her son, Huang Liqia, becomes a leading figure in the real estate industry, and his son, Huang William, grows up to become a renowned judge in Hong Kong. The family's generations of joys and sorrows, entangled relationships, and unspoken grievances are all told in a non-linear narrative. The Cloud Garden, built by Huang De Yun on the hillside, remains desolate for many years before being demolished during Hong Kong's economic boom. Meanwhile, the wayward Huang Die Niang is portraying the tragic and resentful story of her great-grandmother on television.
This is not a purely fictional novel, nor is it simply a family history as it appears on the surface. The author has meticulously researched history, focusing on the customs, atmosphere, and background of that era. Key events in Hong Kong's century, such as the 1894 plague, the 1898 British lease of the New Territories, the two major strikes in Hong Kong, the Japanese occupation, the rise of the middle class in the 1970s, and the economic boom—all are intertwined with the characters in the book, interspersed with strange anecdotes and legends. As the story progresses through the decades, it aims to encompass Hong Kong's century. The book also vividly portrays foreigners living in Hong Kong in different eras, detailing their lives, customs, and mindset. The descriptions are not only vivid but also deeply insightful, something rarely seen in contemporary literary works.
I think I moved to Hong Kong to get to know Huang Die Niang. To trace the later life of her great-grandmother, Huang De Yun, I persuaded my husband to take up a job at the bank, and we moved the entire family to Hong Kong.