Tides of Power in the Capital

Beijing Tides looks back at 1990s Beijing, where the clash between state-run and private enterprise unfolds into a sweeping tale of business and life.

Zhao Qixuan, raised in a Beijing hutong, uses his local know-how to build a business selling accessories from the south. He incorporates traditional crafts like cloisonne and palace lanterns into his designs, and works with his childhood friend Sun Peng to make “Beijing-style fashion” famous. But as his business takes off, family troubles follow one after another, and he and his wife repeatedly clash over their children’s education. After entering the luxury market, he goes from fierce competition to a budding romance with Shanghai businesswoman Ye Wanqing. Then, tempted by profit, Sun Peng betrays him and takes the company’s key resources, leaving the business on the verge of collapse.

With delicate prose, the novel portrays Beijing’s transformation from hutongs to commercial streets and depicts how its characters’ feelings change amid the tides of the times. Through Zhao Qixuan’s winding journey, it explores how the era reshapes personal values and prompts reflection on life, family, and career.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.