"Qianxi Family: The Watching History of Three Generations of Women" is a family epic novel spanning from the late Qing Dynasty to the turn of the century.
The novel begins with the memories of a seventy-year-old man at the bank of Qianxi River in his hometown. Through her perspective, it tells the story of the watch and struggle of women named Shen, Li, and Zhou Zhou who spanned a century and lasted for three generations. The story begins during the Guangxu period. Grandma Li supported her three daughters under the oppression of a patriarchal family; her daughter "mother" raised her children alone after losing her husband at a young age, and tried her best to protect the roots of the family in the storm of "breaking the four olds"; finally, the third generation woman "I" (Li Ailan) raised seven daughters in turbulent times and cultivated them into independent and self-reliant new women.
The book uses the old objects in the "camphor wood box" as clues to connect the drafting rings, jade pendants, diaries and other tokens of memory, showing how three generations of women protected their families and passed on their bloodline and dignity in the face of war, famine, political movements and other hardships with the belief "I would rather starve to death than have my descendants cut off their roots". They used their tenacious character and selfless love to turn suffering into hope, and finally ushered in the family's rebirth and prosperity, composing an affectionate ode to female power, family inheritance and life resilience.
