J anie Chang asserts herself as an exciting, relatable voice ... a voice that requires us to re-examine our relationship to place, identity, and ancestry" - Quill and Quire
Dragon Springs Road
In early 20th century Shanghai, an ancient imperial dynasty collapses, a new government struggles to life and two girls are bound together in a friendship that will be tested by duty, honour and love.
Abandoned in the courtyard of a once-lavish estate outside Shanghai, seven-year-old Jialing learns she is zazhong—Eurasian—and thus doomed to face a lifetime of contempt from Chinese and Europeans alike. The Yang family, new owners of the estate, reluctantly take her in as a servant. As Jialing grows up, her only allies are Anjuin, the eldest Yang daughter, and Fox, an animal spirit who has lived in the courtyard for more than three hundred years. But when a young English girl appears and befriends the lonely orphan—and then mysteriously vanishes—Jialing’s life takes an unexpected turn.
Three Souls
We have three souls, or so I'd been told. But only in death could I confirm this ...
In 1935 China, the ghost of a young woman named Leiyin watches her own funeral from the rafters of a family temple. While she lived, she was trapped between passion and obedience. Now that she's a ghost, she must learn how to atone for the death of her lover or remain trapped forever on this earth. Accompanied by her three souls—stern and scholarly yang; impulsive, romantic yin; and wise, shining hun, Leiyin delves back in time to review her life and sees the spoiled and privileged teenager she once was.
When she discovers what she must do to be released from limbo into the afterlife, Leiyin realizes that the time for making amends is shorter than she thought.
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My new novel is based upon a chapter in history unknown to most people outside China. Sign up for my newsletter and be among the first to get more descriptions and dates for (the yet-untitled) Novel Number 3.J
anie Chang draws upon family history for her novels, incorporating tales of life in China before the Second World War and legends about ancestors who encountered dragons, ghosts, and immortals.
Born in Taiwan, Janie has lived in the Philippines, Iran, Thailand, and New Zealand. She now lives in Vancouver with her husband and the rescue cat known as HRH Mischa, Queen of the Universe. MORE ...
