Books by Feng Jicai

1900. For Tianjins European colonists a profitable new century is dawning, but for the citys downtrodden Chinese natives the Zodiac cycles end signals imminent catastrophe. Meanwhile the fearsome Boxer warriors said by some to be bulletproof are spilling in from the provinces. On restless streets, a dangerous liaison begins. Ouyang Jue, gentle layabout and heir to a merchant fortune, finds himself entangled with Xnia, a French officers daughter indulging every impulse on her first visit to China. Each sees liberation in the other a chance to leap through the mirror and escape the mundane. Separated by the widening divide between

In the gateway city, only the best stories surviveThe port of Tianjin is where the ancient Chinese empire met the sea. The turn of the 20th century was a tumultuous time for the city, with the Qing dynasty on its last legs and the Boxers unleashing their ill-fated rebellion against the European trading concessions that had colonised its streets.For Tianjin's inhabitants, daily life carried on. These hardy people were shaped by the bitter earth from which they sprang, and every once in a while, there would emerge someone so remarkable that a new name would be inducted into Tianjin's hall of fame.From a miracle doctor to an ill-mannered mynah bird, they came from every walk of life and in all shapes and sizes. Together, their stories make up the rich tapestry of a city that the modern world has washed away...