Daughter of Good Fortune: A Twentieth-Century Chinese Peasant Memoir

by Chen Huiqin, Shehong Chen (Primary Contributor), Delia Davin (Introduction)

Daughter of Good Fortune tells the story of Chen Huiqin and her family through the tumultuous 20th century in China. She witnessed the Japanese occupation during World War II, the Communist Revolution in 1949 and its ensuing Land Reform, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the Reform Era. Chen was born into a subsistence farming family, became a factory worker, and lived through her village’s relocation to make way for economic development. Her family’s story of urbanization is representative of hundreds of millions of rural Chinese.

336 pages, Hardcover

First published March 26, 2015

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir about life in 20th century China was such an enjoyable and educational read. Chen Huiqin is a gifted narrator; her storytelling style was simple and straightforward, but you could feel the love and appreciation for her family shine through her accounts of quotidian events over the span of six or seven decades. The change that she experienced was so immense; I am in awe. What a portrait of the impacts of political and social change on every day people. Fascinating!

[Christina Morden (ClaryNathanWill) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for history class on the People's Republic of China.

I really enjoyed this memoir! I became so invested in Chen and her family's lives.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully mundane lived experience during a time of political and social upheaval.

[Maelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

if only I could do something like this for my mom's family