Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden
China Taiwan

Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden

by Zhuqing Li

Family & Heritage Non-Fiction Memoir History Family Saga 2023

Summary

Born into a prominent family in southern China, sisters Jun and Hong grow up inseparable in the 1930s, surrounded by the traditions and privileges of a world on the brink of transformation. But when the Chinese Civil War ends in 1949, fate divides them between two rival political systems. Jun settles in Taiwan, marries a Nationalist general, and builds a successful business, while Hong remains on the mainland, where her family’s political background makes her vulnerable to suspicion and persecution. Despite decades of separation and silence, both women forge remarkable lives under vastly different circumstances. Drawing on family memories and historical research, Zhuqing Li tells a deeply personal story of sisterhood, resilience, and the ways political upheaval reshapes families and identities.

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About the author
Zhuqing Li
Zhuqing Li

Zhuqing Li is a professor of East Asian Studies at Brown University and a faculty curator at the university’s Rockefeller Library. Born in Fuzhou, in China’s Fujian province, she grew up during a period of profound political upheaval. Her parents were sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, and she spent much of her childhood moving between relatives. Li later built an academic career specializing in Chinese linguistics, authoring four scholarly books before turning to her family’s history. Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden is her first work of family history and memoir, recounting the extraordinary lives of her maternal aunts, Jun and Hong, whose separation reflects the political divisions between mainland China and Taiwan. Combining historical scholarship with intimate family recollections, Li explores the lasting effects of revolution, exile, and divided national identity.

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Details
Published
2023
Author
Zhuqing Li