Book:  Dragonfly Eyes by Cao Wenxuan translated from Chinese by Helen Wang

April 4, 2024

A family saga spanning fifty years and three generations, which takes the reader from the France of the Golden Age to poverty-stricken post-war Shanghai via the re-imagined rural China of the Cultural Revolution.

Ah-Mei and her French grandmother, Nainai, share a rare bond. Maybe because Ah-Mei is the only girl grandchild, or maybe because the pair look so alike – and because neither look much like the rest of their Chinese family. Politics and war make 1960s Shanghai a hard place to grow up, especially when racism and bigotry are rife, and everyone is suspicious of Nainai’s European heritage. Ah-Mei and her family suffer much in this time of political upheaval, and when the family silk business falters, they are left with almost nothing. But Ah-Mei and her grandmother are resourceful, and they have one another – and the tenderness they share brings them great strength. 

This is a beautifully told story about the Du family. It ebbs and flows like a river. It tells its tale through the changes in the seasons of life, always showing the beauty of love and family, despite the circumstances.

I was transported to a time and country that I knew so little about previously. I connected with this family. My heart was caught up in the beautiful start as the Chinese father and the French mother fell in love and had a lovely family. 

I felt sorrow for the loss of their peace due to the ignorance of people in Shanghai, who in their furor to rise up against exploitation, lost sight of all reason and human kindness. I felt sympathy for those who saw these things and, even though they yearned to stop the senseless violence, found themselves powerless. This all is narrated in a gentle and understanding voice, not seeking anger or revenge, just conveying sadness and loss.

I was further moved to think about the losses that ALL people suffer during revolutionary changes in politics. This was illustrated so well by the Du family as they experienced terrible injustices from the mobs that formed as a result of the cultural revolution in Shanghai.

Now finished with this book, I am left with the poignant, bitter-sweet feeling of loss in a story well-told that made a connection with my heart. I will think about this story for a long time.