When The Purple Mountain Burns : A Novel

No subject in modern Chinese history remains as explosive as the Nanking Massacre. When the Purple Mountain Burns is an unprecedented historical novel by a native son of Nanjing (Nanking), set during the first six days after the fall of the city to the Japanese Imperial Army in December, 1937. By featuring historical as well as fictional characters, and by using multiple, overlapping narratives, it offers 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, Shouhua Qi¡¦s unique voice profoundly captures the essence of his hometown and the struggles faced by generations of Chinese as they exorcise the demons of popular memory.