When the Purple Mountain Burns Book

No subject in modern Chinese history remains as explosive as the Nanjing Massacre. "When the Purple Mountain Burns" is an unprecedented historical novel by a native son of Nanjing, set during the first six days after the fall of the city to the Japanese Imperial Army in December, 1937. By introducing a rich, diverse cast of characters, including Chinese, Japanese, and Westerners, and by featuring actual historical figures such as Minnie Vautrin and John Rabe, who risked their own lives to save the Chinese in the city, Qi Shouhua weaves a complex, emotionally profound story using multiple, overlapping narratives. The result is a powerfully intimate portrait of a city and its people caught amid the turbulent fires of history, the horrors of war, and the prequel to genocide. Like no other work before, "When the Purple Mountain Burns" profoundly captures the struggle faced by generations of Chinese as they exorcise the demons of popular memory.Read More