Book description
Mei is a modern, independent Chinese woman; she runs her own business
in Beijing, working as a private investigator, owns a car, and even has
that most modern of commodities, a male secretary. One day, ‘Uncle’ Chen
-- no relation but a close friend of her mother’s -- approaches Mei and
asks her to find the Eye of Jade. A Han dynasty artefact of great value,
the Eye of Jade was taken from a museum during the years of the Cultural
Revolution, when Red Guards swarmed the streets.
The case forces Mei to delve into a dark part of China’s history --
Mao’s labour camps and the countless deaths for which no-one was ever
held responsible -- and exposes the agonising choices made during the
Revolution. But Mei’s investigations also reveal a story that has far
more to do with the past, and her own family history, than she could
ever have expected.
Liang has captured Beijing’s bustle and noise perfectly and, with its
rich cast of characters, The Eye of Jade
offers a fascinating glimpse of city life in modern China. Diane Wei
Liang was born in China in 1966, the year the Cultural Revolution began.
She was studying at Beijing University in the 1980s but was forced to
leave and continue her studies in the USA because of her involvement in
the students' revolt that led to the Tiananmen Square massacre. She now
lives in London, where she teaches business management at Royal
Holloway, and is married with two small children.
