Remembering Shanghai : a memoir of socialites, scholars and scoundrels

°°° A high position bestowed by China's empress dowager grants power & wealth to the Sun family. For Isabel, growing up in glamorous 1930s & '40s Shanghai, it is a life of utmost privilege. But while her scholar father & fashionable mother shelter her from civil war & Japanese occupation, they cannot shield the family forever.When Mao comes to power, 18-year-old Isabel journeys to Hong Kong, not realizing that she will make it her home—and that she will never see her father again. Meanwhile, the family she has left behind struggles to survive, only to have their world shattered by the Cultural Revolution. Isabel returns to Shanghai 50 years later with her daughter, Claire, to confront their family's past—one they discover is filled with love & betrayal, kidnappers & concubines, glittering pleasure palaces & underworld crime bosses.Lavishly illustrated & meticulously researched, Remembering Shanghai follows five generations from a hardscrabble village to vibrant Shanghai to the bright lights of Hong Kong. By turns harrowing & heartwarming, this vivid memoir explores identity, loss & the unpredictable nature of life against the epic backdrop of a nation & a people in turmoil.°°° Isabel Sun Chao passed away peacefully on 3.13.23, the day after her 92nd birthday. “I was born in what they now call ‘Old Shanghai’ but, to me, it was just my beloved home. I became one of the last to live that legendary lifestyle, as my childhood coincided with the last 18 years before Mao came to power. My family’s experiences are not ours alone, but of many who fled under more dramatic & distressing circumstances. Even if the specifics may differ, I hope this gives voice to all those in my generation who suffered, survived, & re-invented themselves.”Claire Chao:“Growing up in 1960s—’70s Hong Kong, I was educated in British- & American-run schools, & identified as Shanghainese. Winner of over 20 awards including Rubery Award BOOK OF THE YEAR and Writers Digest GRAND PRIZE ... An Extraordinary Multigenerational Saga. A high position bestowed by China's empress dowager grants power and wealth to the Sun family. For Isabel, growing up in glamorous 1930s and '40s Shanghai, it is a life of utmost privilege. But while her scholar father and fashionable mother shelter her from civil war and Japanese occupation, they cannot shield the family forever. When Mao comes to power, eighteen-year-old Isabel journeys to Hong Kong, not realizing that she will make it her home--and that she will never see her father again. Meanwhile, the family she has left behind struggles to survive, only to have their world shattered by the Cultural Revolution. Isabel returns to Shanghai fifty years later with her daughter, Claire, to confront their family's past--one they discover is filled with love and betrayal, kidnappers and concubines, glittering pleasure palaces and underworld crime bosses. Lavishly illustrated and meticulously researched, Remembering Shanghai follows five generations from a hardscrabble village to vibrant Shanghai to the bright lights of Hong Kong. By turns harrowing and heartwarming, this vivid memoir explores identity, loss and the unpredictable nature of life against the epic backdrop of a nation and a people in turmoil. Outstanding Memoir winner and Book of the Year, second place, awarded by the Independent Author NetworkA high position bestowed by China's empress dowager grants power and wealth to the Sun family. For Isabel, growing up in glamorous 1930s and '40s Shanghai, it is a life of utmost privilege. But while her scholar father and fashionable mother shelter her from civil war and Japanese occupation, they cannot shield the family forever. When Mao comes to power, eighteen-year-old Isabel journeys to Hong Kong, not realizing that she will make it her home--and that she will never see her father again. Meanwhile, the family she has left behind struggles to survive, only to have their world shattered by the Cultural Revolution. Isabel returns to Shanghai fifty years later with her daughter, Claire, to confront their family's past--one they discover is filled with love and betrayal, kidnappers and concubines, glittering pleasure palaces and underworld crime bosses. Lavishly illustrated and meticulously researched, Remembering Shanghai follows five generations from a hardscrabble village to vibrant Shanghai to the bright lights of Hong Kong. By turns harrowing and heartwarming, this vivid memoir explores identity, loss and the unpredictable nature of life against the epic backdrop of a nation and a people in turmoil "A high position bestowed by China's empress dowager grants power and wealth to the Sun family. For Isabel, growing up in glamorous 1930s and '40s Shanghai, it is a life of utmost privilege. But while her scholar father and fashionable mother shelter her from civil war and Japanese occupation, they cannot shield the family forever. When Mao comes to power, eighteen-year-old Isabel journeys to Hong Kong, not realizing that she will make it her home--and that she will never see her father again. Meanwhile, the family she has left behind struggles to survive, only to have their world shattered by the Cultural Revolution. Isabel returns to Shanghai fifty years later with her daughter, Claire, to confront their family's past--one they discover is filled with love and betrayal, kidnappers and concubines, glittering pleasure palaces and underworld crime bosses. Lavishly illustrated and meticulously researched, Remembering Shanghai follows five generations from a hardscrabble village to vibrant Shanghai to the bright lights of Hong Kong. By turns harrowing and heartwarming, this vivid memoir explores identity, loss and the unpredictable nature of life against the epic backdrop of China in turmoil"--Page 4 of cover "A high position bestowed by China's empress dowager grants power and wealth to the Sun family. For Isabel, growing up in glamorous 1930s and '40s Shanghai, it is a life of utmost privilege. But while her scholar father and fashionable mother shelter her from civil war and Japanese occupation, they cannot shield the family forever. When Mao comes to power, eighteen-year-old Isabel journeys to Hong Kong, not realizing that she will make it her home--and that she will never see her father again. Meanwhile, the family she has left behind struggles to survive, only to have their world shattered by the Cultural Revolution. Isabel returns to Shanghai fifty years later with her daughter, Claire, to confront their family's past--one they discover is filled with love and betrayal, kidnappers and concubines, glittering pleasure palaces and underworld crime bosses. Lavishly illustrated and meticulously researched, Remembering Shanghai follows five generations from a hardscrabble village to vibrant Shanghai to the bright lights of Hong Kong. By turns harrowing and heartwarming, this vivid memoir explores identity, loss and the unpredictable nature of life against the epic backdrop of China in turmoil"--Book website 018 Independent Author Network OUTSTANDING MEMOIR, BOOK OF THE YEAR 2nd place. 2019 Reader Views Literary Awards MEMOIR, GLOBAL AWARD 2019 IPPY Independent Publisher Book Awards BEST FIRST BOOK, BEST E-BOOK DESIGN, COVER DESIGN 2nd place 2019 Eric Hoffer GRAND PRIZE Finalist, FIRST HORIZON AWARD Finalist, CULTURE 2nd place 2019 Next Generation Indie Awards HISTORICAL NON-FICTION Finalist, MEMOIRS Finalist, BEST COVER DESIGN NON-FICTION Finalist 2019 National Indie Excellence Awards BOOK COVER DESIGN NON-FICTION FinalistOutstanding Memoir winner and Book of the Year, second place, awarded by the Independent Author Network A high position bestowed by China's empress dowager grants power and wealth to the Sun family. For Isabel, growing up in glamorous 1930s and '40s Shanghai, it is a life of utmost privilege. But while her scholar father and fashionable mother shelter her from civil war and Japanese occupation, they cannot shield the family...