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Mei Wang has left her old job at the Department of Public Security. Staying there would have involved more compromise than she was willing to make. Instead, she has set herself up as a private investigator-- but since that activity is illegal, she has registered herself as an 'information consultancy' (whatever that means!) Mei is approached by a friend of the family, 'Uncle' Chen. He tells Mei that a ceremonial bowl, a very valuable antique, has been sold in Hong Kong. The Luoyang museum had previously owned it, but the museum was burned down during the Cultural Revolutions and Chen feels that other items, especially one very valuable piece, might also turn up in Hong Kong, and he wants Mei to investigate, to be sure the jade seal remains in China. Mei is the elder sister in her family. Despite this, her younger sister, Lu, is favoured by their mother, the artist Ling Bai. Lu is glamorous and a TV star. She has married well and is the wife of a wealthy, successful businessman. The girls have no father, as he was placed in a labour camp, where he eventually died. Mei attempts to investigate, but meets with a wall of studied ignorance. Then her pursuit is disrupted when her mother is felled by a near-fatal stroke. Despite Mei's proving beyond all doubt that the welfare of her mother is more important than anything in her own life, Lu continues to be the favoured child. But Mei carries on. Her investigation takes her to the seedier parts of Beijing, but she also comes to learn more about the past. As she draws closer to a solution of the mystery of the missing antiques, she must also confront some hard truths about her own family's secrets. This is a delightful tale. Just as Donna Leon’s Venice becomes remarkably familiar to her readers, so does Diane Wei Liang’s Beijing become far less foreign to her readers. The city takes on a life of its own -- as does the historical aspect of both the Long March and the Cultural Revolution. The author’s prose is charming. It lacks the savagery of a lot of contemporary Western literature. The story of Mei’s absorption in family matters is as interesting as the mystery of the missing antques. Liang provides us not only with sharp characterizations but vivid descriptions of contemporary Beijing, especially of food, which sounded so good that I had to go out for a meal at a local Chinese restaurant after I finished the book. For anyone ignorant of the history of China, this book is a valuable aid to understanding. The discussion of Chinese antiques, too, is very interesting and could well prove a guide to a prospective collector.
Reviewed by Denise Pickles, April 2008
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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