Ancestors: The Story of China Told through the Lives of an Extraordinary Family - Softcover

Ching, Frank

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846041775 ISBN 13: 9781846041778

Publisher: Random House UK, 2010

Synopsis

Frank Ching brings to life 900 years of Chinese history through his own fascinating family tree. Beginning with his search for the grave of his first-recorded ancestor, the 11th-century poet Qin Guan, and ending with a moving account of his relationship with his father, a victim of China's historic upheaval, Frank Ching introduces a colorful cast of characters. His unbroken family line includes—among many others—a lovelorn concubine, a traitor, a military hero, an imperial ghost-writer, a minister of punishments, and a woman noted for her skills in both verse and martial arts. There is scarcely an aspect of Chinese life, from shamanism to violent rebellion, that Ching doesn't touch upon in this fascinating work. Through his vivid and personal portraits of his ancestors, the history of China itself unfolds: from the days of the ancient empire to its radical transformation today.

About this title

About the Author

Frank Ching worked as a journalist for the New York Times before setting up the Wall Street Journal's first bureau in Beijing. He also worked for Far Eastern Economic Review and the South China Morning Post. He is the author of China: The Truth About Its Human Rights Record.

From Publishers Weekly

In Chinese tradition, to forget one's ancestors is contemptibleyet to trace them back to the 11th century, as the author has done, is quite a feat. Ching, who grew up in Hong Kong and is now an American citizen, began his quest in 1979, when he was the Wall Street Journal's Peking correspondent. Focusing on some 20 members of his family, prominent figures all, and with the aid of a 17-volume family record that survived the Cultural Revolution, Ching has produced what virtually amounts to a social and political history of China. Among the family members are a romantic poet, a military hero, an imperial ghost-writer, a minister of punishments and a woman noted for her skills in both poetry and the martial arts. And there's scarcely an aspect of Chinese life, from shamanism to bloody rebellion, that Ching doesn't touch upon in this engrossing narrative. Photos.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House UK
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1846041775
• ISBN 13: 9781846041778
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 544