Flora Qian - "South of the Yangtze"

Tell Me Your Story

New York resident and author, Flora Qian was born and raised in Shanghai but has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong, where her ancestors had lived, and in Washington D.C. before settling in New York. This cross cultural and multilingual experience influenced her debut novel, “South of the Yangtze.” At once a coming-of-age story and a meditation on language itself, South of the Yangtze is Flora Qian’s award-winning debut novel that follows Yinan Qian, a girl growing up in Shanghai at the turn of the century. Set against China’s rapidly changing political, economic, and social environment from the 1980s to current day, South of the Yangtze is a thoughtful reflection on both physical migration and migration between languages. Layered with history, it provides a moving portrait of China’s only child generation and the meaning of identity. In an interview, Qian could discuss: WRITING: · South of the Yangtze is fiction but draws from Flora’s life experiences. Did this make it easier or more difficult to find Yinan’s “voice” while writing? · With language being such a central theme to South of the Yangtze, why did Flora choose to write the book in English? · The book frequently references Chinese words and history. How did Flora balance explanation for an audience that may not be well-versed in Chinese culture while remaining authentic to her vision? · Which books have influenced Flora the most as a writer? In South of the Yangtze, Dream of the Red Chamber has a special place for Yinan and her friend, Jie. What is its significance? CHINESE CULTURE & LANGUAGE: · Her experiences growing up in China during the only-child mandate, which lasted from 1979 to 2015. · Flora has lived in Shanghai and Hong Kong, as well as the United States. What were the major cultural differences? Did they inspire South of the Yangtze in any way? · Did Flora’s experience living in Hong Kong during the protests of 2019 – 2020 influence South of the Yangtze? · What it was like to witness enormous socioeconomic shifts in China through her childhood and into her adulthood. · One of the book’s main themes is how language shapes thought. With Chinese being one of the oldest living languages, is it especially poised to do so? Why did Flora choose to write the book in English? · Given how rapid the changes to China were following the Cultural Revolution, how does South of the Yangtze preserve a specific and unique moment in China’s history? · There are frequent references to Chinese folktales in the novel. How do they play a role in Flora’s writing life? · One of the early relationships the protagonist has in South of the Yangtze is with her Mandarin-speaking teacher, who was also an activist in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest. What is the significance of this character and their relationship? · Migration is one of the central themes in South of the Yangtze. Yinan is an emigrant (from China) and Simon is a first-generation Chinese American. They seem to share a special connection. How does Flora’s experience of being an emigrant inform the novel? [e-mail] or [e-mail] FLORA QIAN was born and raised in Shanghai. She received a bachelor’s degree in English from Fudan University in 2005. After graduation, she worked briefly in the publishing industry in Shanghai, where she was as an editor and an interpreter. In 2007, Flora moved to Hong Kong for a master’s degree in Translation at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. During that time, she translated Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic and Sister into Chinese, which was published in 2009. Afterward, she worked in the financial sector in Hong Kong for six years.