The Concubine's Daughter

When the young concubine of an old farmer in rural China gives birth to a daughter and calls her Li-Xia, or "Beautiful One,' the child seems destined to become a concubine herself. But Li-Xia refuses to submit to her fate, outwitting her father's orders to bind her feet and escaping his silk farm with an English sea captain. Li takes her first steps toward fulfilling her mother's dream of becoming a scholar-but her final triumph must be left to her daughter, Siu-Sing, "Little Star," in a journey that will take her from remote mountain refuges to the perils of Hong Kong on the eve of World War II.

Drawing on years of immersion in traditional Chinese culture, medicine, and martial arts, PAI KIT FAI, who worked as a merchant marine, writer, and creative director for an advertising agency before marrying into one of Hong Kong's founding Eurasian families, delivers a mesmerizing tale of
passion and courage in this
debut novel.