Book Review: Daughters of Yangtze by Chun Xiao Bleau
Title: Daughters of Yangtze
Author: Chun Xiao Bleau
Publisher: Pagoda Hill Press
Publication date: October 23, 2026
Genre: Historical Fiction
I wanted to read Daughters of Yangtze for personal reasons, so take my review with a grain of salt. As a Chinese American with one side of the family that fled China for Hong Kong to escape Chairman Mao, this story deeply resonated with me. I know extremely little of that part of China’s history, and have honestly always been a little afraid to know more. This story, one that follows two sisters who end up on different paths, was bittersweet and painful in so many ways, but there was always a flicker of hope.
In the late 1930s, the Japanese invaded China and sisters Mingyan and Shuyan were told by their father to jump in the well to preserve their honor if the Japanese made it to their village. Fortunately, the Japanese invasion ended, but Chairman Mao began his rise to power. While away at school, Mingyan fell in love with a young man, Ruifeng, already set on a path to support Mao and communism. When his work for the communists takes him to Shanghai, he brings Mingyan with him, where she finds work as a governess to two little boys. But Ruifeng’s work soon drives a wedge between them. When Shanghai becomes unsafe for Mingyan and the family she works for, she decides to go to Hong Kong with them, where her life is completely reshaped and she finds a future she never dreamed of having. Meanwhile, Shuyan has grown up enough to head for school. There, she meets an older student, Daoren, who eventually becomes her husband. But Mao’s policies prevent them from sharing a home until well after Shuyan gives birth to their daughter Lingling. Life isn’t easy for them, and they find themselves apart from their young daughter for long stretches of time, giving other caregivers the opportunity to ensure Lingling is a staunch supporter of communism. As time goes on, and Lingling grows up, Lingling begins to discover her parents’ family secrets and finds she must reconcile her beliefs with her family’s history even as events threaten to shatter everything she held dear.
The writing left a little to be desired, feeling more like it was mostly telling what happened to the sisters and keeping the story going instead of immersing me in their lives. But I still found myself enthralled by the sisters’ journeys. I do think this was mostly for personal reasons, as I tried to piece together part of my own family’s history that I’m not sure anyone’s left to really tell me what, exactly, happened during that time. But I found this story eye opening in so many ways. While I had hoped for the sisters to take turns telling their stories, it ended up being more chronological with the sister having the meatier story telling what was happening at that point in history. I was a little disappointed the times weren’t concurrent, but I suppose I can understand Mingyan’s story in Hong Kong while Shuyan lived under Mao’s rule wasn’t quite as exciting. The story flowed from the Japanese invasion in the 1930s to the rise of Mao during Mingyan’s student days to Shuyan’s life as a student and doctor in the 50s and 60s before finally settling on both sisters during the 70s. In the end, I was happy to get both of their stories, and I found the ending to be bittersweet but full of hope and love.
I enjoyed Mingyan’s story, and I would have loved more of how she and the Li family navigated life in Hong Kong. I really would have loved to see more of Hong Kong during that time. She experienced so much upheaval and uncertainty, but still managed to hold herself with grace. I especially loved her when she was with the two boys she worked as governess for. She was so calm and elegant, always keeping her head high when life threatened to hurt her. The way she was always able to carry on was extraordinary. I do feel like her romances didn’t quite do her justice, but she always felt content and I like to think she found her own version of happiness.
Shuyan’s story was really the meat of this book since she was trapped in communist China. The things she and her family were forced to go through were hard and heartbreaking, especially since the reader understands where she and Daoren were coming from and how their daughter was being raised. As much as it hurt to read about their tough lives under communism, it was definitely eye opening. I learned so much about that time period and the things the people had to live under. It was heartbreaking to understand the previous lives of Shuyan and Daoren and see their daughter set herself on a completely different path. At some point, this became less Shuyan’s story and more Lingling’s. It was rough to read about her ideologies and her disappointment in where she came from. But it was also beautiful to see her ideas change as events occurred. I loved the way she could be open and find the truth.
As tough as it sometimes was to read about Shuyan’s life, I really enjoyed Daughters of Yangtze. It felt like history and fiction merged into one in the best way. I don’t know if anything historical was exaggerated or altered, but I could completely believe all of it. It felt like I was reading about people who had actually lived during that time as they told their stories. I appreciated how historical events were folded into the story and helped drive the sisters’ stories forward. But what I really loved was the way this family held themselves together, as safe as they could be. It’s heartbreaking, but also hopeful, and I loved the way they were able to hold onto their family ties despite the distance and amount of time that passed.
How many cups of tea will you need?
4 cups
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
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