Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung

 

---

Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung – Emotional & Powerful Review (Spoilers!)

Rating: 5/5 stars

Full disclosure: I am a daughter of Shandong. Born and raised in Qingdao (which gets a major spotlight in this story), I couldn’t help but feel an instant connection to this book. My parents lived through the Cultural Revolution. We eventually escaped to the U.S., but reading Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung felt like stepping back into those generational memories — even though Chung’s family fled to Taiwan (while mine stayed in mainland China at the time), the hardships, fear, and resilience resonated deeply.

---

Quick Info

• Author: Eve J. Chung

• Genre: Historical Fiction / Family Saga

• Setting: Shandong, Qingdao, Hong Kong, Taiwan (1940s–1950s)

• My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

• Trigger Warnings:

  • Violence, executions

  • War and forced displacement

  • Death of children (tuberculosis)

  • Domestic abuse & verbal cruelty

  • Suicide mention

  • Gender-based discrimination (sons favored over daughters)

  • Poverty and starvation

---

Spoiler-Free Thoughts

I rarely hand out 5-star ratings, but this one hit home. Eve J. Chung delivers an intimate yet sweeping portrait of survival during the Chinese Communist Revolution, told through the eyes of a young girl named Hai. The novel’s emotional core — mothers and daughters navigating cruelty, displacement, and hope — had me crying one moment and raging the next.

However, there was one narrative quirk that tripped me up: Hai’s father’s side (wealthy Nationalists) are portrayed as cruel (especially Nai Nai, the nightmare grandmother), but later we’re also meant to see them as victims of Communist persecution. I felt conflicted — do I sympathize with them or not? It sometimes read like the book wanted to have it both ways. Still, the emotional journey outweighed that nitpick.

---

Full Spoiler Plot Summary

(Major spoilers ahead – don’t scroll unless you’re ready!)

The Ang Family Before the Storm

We meet Hai Ang, eldest of four daughters in a wealthy landlord family in Zhucheng, Shandong. Her father and grandfather are respected academics; her uncle Jian fights for the Nationalist Army. Unfortunately, wealth doesn’t mean love — Hai’s Nai Nai (paternal grandmother) is monstrously cruel, despising Hai’s mother, Chiang-Yue, for producing only daughters. When Hai’s little sister falls ill, Nai Nai refuses medical care — the girl dies, cementing the emotional brutality of this family dynamic.

---

Revolution Arrives

As the Communist Red Army advances, Nationalists flee — including Hai’s father and grandparents — abandoning Hai, her mother, and sisters. The Communists seize their property and drag Hai to a denunciation rally, where she’s humiliated, beaten, and nearly killed. This trauma hardens her perception of the Red Army, even as she later questions the hypocrisy of both sides.

---

Refugees in Their Own Country

The women forge papers and escape to Qingdao, but safety is temporary. When the Nationalists retreat, they travel further south, eventually reaching Hong Kong. In the refugee camp at Mount Davis (and later Rennie’s Mill), the family survives by sheer grit — Mom works in a match factory, Hai writes letters for money, and everyone hustles for scraps.

Their letters to Taiwan eventually reach Nai Nai, who coldly informs them that Hai’s father plans to remarry. (Because apparently abandonment wasn’t enough betrayal!)

---

Reunion & Resentment in Taiwan

Despite everything, Hai’s mother believes reuniting with the Angs will secure her daughters’ futures. They obtain permits and relocate to Taiwan, where Father is shocked but pleased to see them — Nai Nai, however, is still awful, calling them “savages” for surviving poverty. Hai, now stronger and more outspoken, talks back to Nai Nai (a gasp-worthy moment in the book).

Eventually, Father relocates them to another city, away from Nai Nai’s tyranny. Hai thrives academically, determined to gain independence and protect her sisters. Her mother eventually has another daughter — and finally, a coveted son, Ming, which reignites gender favoritism that wounds Hai deeply.

---

New Lives, Old Wounds

Hai marries Jia-Shen, a kind man who supports her ambitions. She raises her children (a daughter and two sons) with obsessive care, never forgetting her own years of hunger. In contrast, her sister Di struggles — love lost, resilience frayed, she disappears into her own quieter life.

In the end, Hai watches her own daughter leave for America, her heart swelling with pride. This departure — unlike her own flight from war — is chosen, safe, and full of promise. Generational survival has come full circle.

---

What Worked for Me

• Raw honesty: The depictions of gender bias, poverty, and trauma felt authentic — not melodramatic.

• Female resilience: Hai and her mother are powerhouses, even when crushed by patriarchal systems.

• Historical detail: The portrayal of Shandong, Qingdao, and refugee life in Hong Kong/Taiwan was vivid and personal.

• Emotional payoff: That final scene of Hai sending her daughter to America? Tears. Everywhere.

---

What Gave Me Pause

• Moral whiplash: The book condemns Communist brutality while painting the wealthy Nationalists as abusive. It left me conflicted: who am I supposed to root for? (Maybe that’s intentional — war rarely has clean heroes.)

• Pacing dips: The refugee chapters are harrowing but occasionally repetitive; some readers may feel bogged down.

---

Final Thoughts

Even with my quibbles, Daughters of Shandong is one of the most powerful historical fictions I’ve read this year. If you care about generational survival stories, women’s resilience, or simply want to understand this overlooked chapter of Chinese history — read this book.

---

Where to Buy Daughters of Shandong

Grab your copy here:
Buy Daughters of Shandong on Amazon (affiliate link – thank you for supporting the blog!)

---

If You Liked This, Try:

• The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See – Mothers, daughters, and cultural upheaval.

• Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu – Another stunning multigenerational China-to-U.S. migration story.

• Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang – Nonfiction but equally gripping.