Diane Wei Liang Ordre des livres (chronologique)

Sullo sfondo della Pechino post-olimpica dei nostri giorni, una metropoli rumorosa e frenetica in cui ricchezza e povertà sembrano crescere a ritmo incalzante come le selve di grattacieli, il destino di Mei Wang, giovane detective privata, si incrocia con quello della potente famiglia Song, proprietaria della Casa dello Spirito Dorato, un’antica azienda farmaceutica che produce una pillola per guarire i cuori infranti. Ingaggiata dall’affascinante Wudan, avvocato del Sud che cura gli interessi della famiglia, e aiutata dal fidato collaboratore Gupin, Mei indaga sul complicato intreccio di interessi che sta erodendo la solidità finanziaria dell’azienda. Mentre le sue ricerche sono ostacolate dall’onnipresente e corrotta burocrazia cinese e dai suoi ispettori, che minacciano di far chiudere la sua agenzia, Mei si trova coinvolta in un intrigo che si tinge pericolosamente di giallo. Intanto, il tormentato rapporto con la madre e l’inevitabile confronto con la sorella Jin, celebre star televisiva, la costringono a stilare un difficile bilancio personale, tra le ferite, le ombre e i segreti di un passato famigliare segnato dal regime maoista, e l’instabilità della propria vita sentimentale e della relazione a distanza col fidanzato Yaping.

Set against the backdrop of modern China's tumultuous history, this narrative intertwines the author's personal love story with significant events, including the Tiananmen Square protests. Diane Wei Liang crafts a compelling exploration of romance amidst political upheaval, offering a unique perspective on how personal and national histories intersect. Through her experiences, she reveals the complexities of love and identity in a rapidly changing society.

In the outback of China, a political activist, arrested after the Tiananmen massacre, is judged to be a reformed character and released. But Lin is a changed man in more ways than one; haunted by memories of his time in prison, and the events (and people) that put him there, he heads for the country's capital, where he hopes to confront his demons once and for all. Mei Wang, meanwhile, is struggling to juggle the desires and demands of her family alongside the pressures of running her detective agency, and when her sister recommends her for a new case - the disappearance of a gorgeous young starlet called Kaili - she feels obliged to accept. It's a risky business, however, investigating the truth in a society that is still catching up with the secrets of its past. 'Mei Wang is a splendid heroine, brave and sensible. As she interviews witnesses and makes her deductions she shows her readers a fascinating glimpse of the China visitors don't see' "Literary Review"

Having her own detective agency would grant her the independence she craved and a chance to prove her worth to those who dismissed her. In present-day Beijing, Mei Wang is a modern, independent woman with her own apartment, car, and a business that includes a male secretary. Her experience with China's Ministry for Public Security has provided her with valuable insight into the complexities of law enforcement, but it is her intuition and ability to listen that establish her as Beijing's first successful female private investigator. Mei's past is marked by darkness; she last saw her father at a labor camp when she was six. This experience shapes her rejection of the power plays and cultural norms that her family embraces. When a family friend, "Uncle" Chen, hires her to locate a valuable Han dynasty jade believed to have been looted during the Cultural Revolution, Mei embarks on a delicate investigation. The search takes her through banquet halls, back alleys, and seedy gambling dens, revealing not only the jade's troubled history but also her family's hidden secrets and her own painful past. This first novel in a captivating detective series offers a thrilling mystery intertwined with a rich exploration of modern China.

Op de dag dat tanks het Tiananmenplein in Beijing op rolden, veranderde het leven van Diane Wei Liang voorgoed. Aan het eind van de jaren tachtig studeerde ze, evenals haar vriend Dong Yi, aan de universiteit van Beijing. Aan de oever van het Weimingmeer ,’het naamloze meer’, droomden zij over een betere toekomst. In juni 1989 namen Diane en Dong Yi deel aan de vredesdemonstratie op het plein, die na een paar dagen op hardhandige wijze door de regering uit elkaar werd geslagen. De dramatische gebeurtenissen van deze dag hadden hun directe weerslag op Diane en Dong Yi: ze werden gedwongen Beijing te verlaten en verloren elkaar tijdens hun vlucht uit het oog. Zeven jaar later keert Diane terug naar China, op zoek naar Dong Yi…