The Story Behind the Four Chinaberry Trees

Centered on the four chinaberry trees outside Xiao Liu’s maternal grandmother’s home, this story follows the tragedies that unfold in her family. It tells of the love between Xiao Liu’s maternal grandparents, the tragic fates of her eldest aunt, eldest uncle, second uncle, and second uncle’s wife, and the sorrowful romances of Shuisheng and Xiaolian, Chaxiang, Xiaomei, and Xiaozhu. The four chinaberry trees connect the hardships and triumphs of several generations, bearing witness to changing times and the characters’ turbulent fates. Though the trees are imbued with the symbolism of sorrow, their connections reveal the many faces of life and let readers feel the tragedy of the human world.