Dec 13, 2021
Charlie and Janie Chang (The Library Of Legends) discuss the incredible journeys made by Chinese university students, during the 1937 Japanese invasion, as they evacuated their campuses and made their way on foot to safer areas of the country. We also discuss the Shanghai International Settlement and Janie's compelling family history.
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Janie's article on the TIME website,
'The Risky Journey That Saved One of China's Greatest Literary
Treasures'
Blog post: The Difficult Daughter
(about her paternal grandmother)
Blog post: The Idle Son (paternal
grandfather)
Blog post: The Years of War
Blog post: The Village Doctor (Dr
Mao)
Blog post: The Origins of Nightmares
(father's university years during the war)
Du Fu
Pinghu
Sophie's Choice, named after the book and film, relates to making
an impossibly difficult choice, which is forced on a person.
The Shanghai International
Settlement
Empire of the Sun (film)
About the monument honouring Chinese
workers in WW1
Question Index
00:44 [This becomes a longer discussion] Can
you tell us about your blog, which is filled with your family's
stories?
11:36 Your father and uncle were university
students who were evacuated like your characters?
16:49 How do the myths and legends in your book
align to the myths and legends told in real life?
18:41 Within the fantasy of your book, what would
have happened to the gods in regards to the progress of science and
so forth?
21:45 Were the students all okay - did they get
through the war?
24:12 Was Doctor Mao and this side of the story
influenced by your mother's family history?
26:57 You've mentioned the International
Settlement - can you tell us more about it?
29:28 The stories in your book of refugee parents
leaving their children behind whilst on the road, did this happen a
lot?
30:57 In the history, a couple of years after your
book finishes, the International Settlement was invaded and taken
over. What would have happened to your characters?
33:03 Why was it important to have the romance in
your book?
35:48 What's next - what are you writing now?
Purchase Links
The Library Of Legends:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon Canada
Waterstones
Hive
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound
Indigo Chapters
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Photograph used with the permission of the author.