“We Three”: family is best shelter of life

A controversial auction of Qian Zhongshu’s private letters has been a hot issue in China recently. The family life of Qian, China’s prestigious scholar-novelist is also interesting to the public.

“We Three has been widely praised by literary critics and ordinary readers alike. It was a memoir published by Yang Jiang, widow of Qian Zhongshu, at the age of 92 in 2003. Yang wrote the book to fulfill the last wish of their cherished daughter, Qian Yuan, who died of cancer in 1997, even one year earlier than her father.

“We Three records their over 60 years' family life. In the first part, she uniquely describes a long dream in which the family members stick together and help each other in difficulties in their last years of life. In the second part, Yang naturally tells life of studying abroad in the Oxford with Qian, happiness with daughter, experience of wars, political oppression, as well as poverty, illness, and separation. The seemingly calm narration cannot hide the Yang's immense inner pain. No matter how hard the life was, family was always the best shelters of their life.

For many readers, Qian and Yang are known as a couple that represents the great achievements of modern Chinese literature. Their late daughter, Qian Yuan herself a scholar and writer, is less well known. “We Three reveals many real and detailed aspects of their life. The qualities of realism in this book, the mode of thinking and attitudes towards life have been highly appreciated by literary experts.

“We Three reveals many real and detailed aspects of their life. The qualities of realism in this book, the mode of thinking and attitudes towards life have been highly appreciated by literary experts.