Set against the dramatic backdrop of China between the wars, this book tells the story of Kwan's life as a young half-caste boy in a Beijing household in the 1930s. He is an awkward, clumsy boy, abandoned by his Swiss mother and overwhelmed by the intellect and power of his father. China is about to be invaded by the Japanese, and when they finally do, with catastrophic force, young Kwan's life is thrown into further turmoil. He is spared the worst of it, though, thanks to his father's well cultivated connections as a railway administrator. However, Kwan's father is also active with the resistance.

Things That Must Not be Forgotten: A Childhood in Wartime China

Biographies & Memoirs

Michael David Kwan

Leaders & Notable People

Flamingo

Things That Must Not Be Forgotten is a beautifully written collection of Michael David Kwan's childhood experiences in China during the 1930s and 1940s. Born into privilege, David saw his pampered life disintegrate as the Japanese overran China. His father, the wealthy administrator for China's railroads, took a position in the pro-Japanese government to work covertly for the Chinese resistance. In Beijing, the Kwan household became a gathering place for resistance members. At their summer villa in Beidaihe, the family surreptitiously aided the guerillas in the nearby mountains. In Qingdao, the Kwans lived next door to a Japanese admiral and his wife. From a tree house overlooking their garden, young David enjoyed listening to the music they played, while his father worked secretly for the resistance. David's other memories (for example, cricket hunting with his father's tenant farmer, performing rituals as an altar boy, being tormented in school, gardening with the owner of an antique shop, and participating in Boy Scouts) provide fascinating insights into life in China during those turbulent times.
 In August 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Within days, Japan surrendered. Chiang Kai-shek's regime replaced the Japanese puppet government in Nanking. Chiang declared that all who had links to the defunct government would be considered traitors until proven otherwise. David's father was imprisoned. During the Japanese occupation, Chiang's Kuomintang and Mao Zedong's Communists had been united against the invaders, but once Japan was defeated, China moved toward chaos as the two factions vied for power. At age twelve, David was sent to live with relatives in Shanghai before being spirited out of the country, not knowing if he'd ever see his family again. Things That Must Not Be Forgotten will stay in readers' hearts and minds long after they've turned the final, wrenching page.
 Winner of the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize
 Title of related interest also from Waveland Press: Pa Chin, Family (ISBN 9780881333732).

Things That Must Not Be Forgotten: A Childhood in Wartime China

History

Asia

Waveland Pr Inc.

THINGS THAT MUST NOT BE FORGOTTEN: A CHILDHOOD IN WARTIME CHINA

Mainstream Publishing

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Books by Michael David Kwan