Daughters of Shandong
In 1948 the ruling Nationalist party is losing ground to the Communists in China; the country is torn by fighting and disorder. Families like the Angs, wealthy landowners, are most at risk. Teenage Hai, the eldest of the Ang daughters, is forced to flee with her mother and sisters.
Caught by an enemy group, Hai is brutally tortured; had it not been for the family’s loyal workers, she would have been killed. After her recovery, the little group sets off to try to reach Taiwan, where they believe their father is living.
This novel is a vivid, heart-wrenching tale of survival during their journey: always on the verge of starvation, scrounging for even the most meagre food and shelter. They join thousands of others, equally wretched, heading south to the strait and the haven of Taiwan.
While the story itself is immersive, written with passion and insight, the underlying theme – the worthlessness of women in Chinese society – is portrayed in heartbreaking clarity. Hai’s mother is treated worse than a slave in her own house because she has borne no son.
The author has included notes at the beginning and the end. These provide familial and social context that add poignancy. The protagonist Hai, grandmother of the book’s author, was regarded as valueless compared to a male heir, despite her strength and resilience during the life-threatening trek across China. The author, herself a human rights lawyer, still feels this. This powerful novel is invaluable in revealing and breaking this chain of discrimination. It also has relevance in today’s geopolitical situation.
