{"product_id":"the-house-of-yan-a-family-at-the-heart-of-a-century-in-chinese-history-isbn-9780062899811","title":"The House of Yan: A Family at the Heart of a Century in Chinese History","description":"\u003cp\u003eThrough the sweeping cultural and historical transformations of China, entrepreneur Lan Yan traces her family’s history through early 20th Century to present day.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe history of the Yan family is inseparable from the history of China over the last century. One of the most influential businesswomen of China today, Lan Yan grew up in the company of the country's powerful elite, including Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, and other top leaders. Her grandfather, Yan Baohang, originally a nationalist and close to Chiang Kai-shek and his wife, Soong May-ling, later joined the communists and worked as a secret agent for Zhou Enlai during World War II. Lan's parents were diplomats, and her father, Yan Mingfu, was Mao's personal Russian translator.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInspite of their elevated status, the Yan's family life was turned upside down by the Cultural Revolution. One night in 1967, in front of a terrified ten-year-old Lan, Red Guards burst into the family home and arrested her grandfather. Days later, her father was arrested, accused of spying for the Soviet Union. Her mother, Wu Keliang, was branded a counter-revolutionary and forced to go with her daughter to a re-education camp for more than seven years, where Lan came of age as a high school student.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn recounting her family history, Lan Yan brings to life a century of Chinese history from the last emperor to present day, including the Cultural Revolution which tore her childhood apart. The little girl who was crushed by the Cultural Revolution has become one of the most active businesswomen in her country. In telling her and her family's story, she serves up an intimate account of the history of contemporary China.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis powerful memoir uncovers a century of Chinese political history through one family’s incredible story:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Secret History:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover the story of Yan Baohang, a nationalist who became a secret agent for communist leader Zhou Enlai during World War II.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eInside the Corridors of Power:\u003c\/b\u003e Get a firsthand account of life among China's elite, from Mao's personal translator to diplomats who knew Chiang Kai-shek and Deng Xiaoping.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Family Torn Apart:\u003c\/b\u003e Witness the night of the Cultural Revolution when a ten-year-old Lan saw her grandfather arrested by Red Guards, an event that shattered her family and sent her and her mother to a re-education camp.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eFrom Ruin to Resilience:\u003c\/b\u003e Follow Lan Yan's journey from a childhood torn apart by political turmoil to her rise as one of China's most influential and successful businesswomen.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"[A] comprehensive debut memoir… Yan expertly captures a tumultuous period in this smart, colorful family history.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A powerful memoir… A thoughtful, astute narrative that helps Western readers understand the rise of the new China from the ashes of terror.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A touching, essential account for anyone interested in 20th-century Chinese history and highly recommended for fans of personal family memoir.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Some of the most arresting passages are about the warmth of family life: homely activities like pickling cabbages together or cooking dumplings. You can almost smell the fragrant steam, and what happens when the familiar, the commonplace, is stripped away and existence loses all logic with book burnings, head shavings, ransackings and meaningless cruelties . . . . For its personal insights and universal warnings about what humans are capable of, both good and bad, Yan’s readable and touching memoir of her family deserves to be told, and she tells it well.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888992022757,"sku":"NP9780062899811","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062899811.jpg?v=1730230255","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-house-of-yan-a-family-at-the-heart-of-a-century-in-chinese-history-isbn-9780062899811","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}