Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden

Two Sisters Separated by China’s Civil War

By: Zhuqing Li

Narrated by: Nancy Wu

Sisters separated by war forge new identities as they are forced to choose between family, nation, and their own independence.

Scions of a once-great southern Chinese family that produced the tutor of the last emperor, Jun and Hong were each other’s best friends until, in their twenties, they were separated by chance at the end of the Chinese Civil War. For the next thirty years, while one became a model Communist, the other a model capitalist, they could not even communicate.

On Taiwan, Jun married a Nationalist general, established an important trading company, and ultimately emigrated to the United States. On the Communist mainland, Hong built her medical career under a cloud of suspicion about her family and survived two waves of “re-education” before she was acclaimed for her achievements.

Zhuqing Li recounts her aunts’ experiences with extraordinary sympathy and breathtaking storytelling. A microcosm of women’s lives in a time of traumatic change, this is a fascinating, evenhanded account of the recent history of separation between mainland China and Taiwan.

©2022 Zhuqing Li (P)2022 Spotify Audiobooks

Incredible story

A gripping story of an amazing pair of women that illustrates the pain caused by China's policies and the separation of Taiwan. I could not put it down.

Very engaging story!

I typically like Fictional stories, and every once in a while, I enjoy a biography. But this story was so moving and engaging. It makes you feel for the people who actually suffered through those times. And then, it’s really cool to find out about the descendents of those people.

very informative

this was a real education on what obtains in the closed world. Self discipline and endurance are key to survival.

Breathy overly dramatic reading of an excellent book

Listening was not enjoyable but the story of sisters torn by war was riveting. I learned so much. I am going to reread the book just because.

Excellent story

A powerful story that paints a landscape of China and its rich history while sharing the profoundness of personal consequences of its turmoil. I learned so much through the author’s vivid recollection and remarkable depth of research. The narration was a bit distracting for me personally, but I found that reading the actual book was 10x better. An excellent read!