Return to the Middle Kingdom by Yuan-tsung Chen

Chinese fugitive, turned immigrant, Ah Chen was born 180 years ago - a poor peasant who later fought in the Taiping Rebellion against the ruthless Manchu court which reigned from 1850 to 1864. Despite the rebellion's best efforts, the uprising was defeated and Ah Chen was forced to escape to Trinidad, the southernmost island in the Caribbean.

In Yuan tsung Chen's impressive true story, Return to the Middle Kingdom, Ah Chen's offspring, Eugene, broke through the poverty in which he was raised. He moved to London where he pursued the education that led him to become Trinidad's first Chinese attorney.

Later, Eugene would meet and become the trusted aide of Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Chinese Republic. Together, they would clandestinely open a dialogue with the Soviet Union. Eugene became caught up in the movement toward a "modern China," and eventually returned to his father's homeland to lead the 1911 revolution that ended dynasty rule in China.

Eugene's son, Jack, the late husband of Yuan-tsung Chen, was captured by the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution (1966 - 1976). Jack's first language was not Chinese, so his wife, Yuan-tsung became his translator during the hardnosed interrogations. Jack, with the help of Yuan-tsung was forced to write a confession based on the order, "Go back three generations to see what crimes your family has committed against the revolution!"

The Red Guards had no idea that this order would be the catalyst that spurred Jack and Yuan-tsung to research and write this remarkable history. Return to the Middle Kingdom tells the story of how Chinese revolutionaries, both in China and those living in the far corners of the world, helped to bring about the creation of what we know today as "Modern China."

Yuan-tsung Chen is an author who uses her expertise in Chinese history, culture and politics to weave tales that gives history a "human face. " Her autobiographical novel, The Dragon's Village has been translated in several languages and used in schools to tell the story of China's colorful -- and sometimes cruel -- history.

Yuan-tsung skillfully tells the story of her country's past as only an insider could do. She and her late husband, Jack, painstakingly researched the history of three generations of Chens. Return to the Middle Kingdom is the culmination of years of trials and tribulations as they struggled to bring this story to life.

Chen is an eloquent speaker who brings Chinese history to life with personal stories of a revolution and how it changed China and the world. Much propaganda has been written about Chinese politics and culture - but Chen tells the truth about a nation once mired in ancient myths and cruel traditions to help us understand how its present-day modernism came about.

If you're an avid reader or student of Chinese history or simply love a great adventure, you'll find Chen's biography, Return To the Middle Kingdom, a compelling and educational read.

Yuan-tsung Chen, which translates in Chinese to "First Pearl of the Chen family," was born in Shanghai and educated mostly in American missionary schools. She worked in Beijing's Film Publishing House as an editor and translator before moving to the U.S.A. in 1972.

Her first book, The Dragon's Village, is about land reform in China and paints a remarkable story of the struggles of poor and illiterate peasants.

In Return To the Middle Kingdom, author, Yuan-tsung Chen has meticulously chronicled the true life adventure of her ancestors' struggle to bring about change in the terror-filled reigns of China's rulers. Chen and her husband, Jack, risked imprisonment or possible death to journal the efforts of three generations of revolutionaries in their families.

China's history was being blotted from existence by the callous ruler, Chairman Mao Zedong while the Chens hid under the covers at night, using a torch light to illuminate the historical details they had relentlessly gathered from partially-burned magazines and books. The Chens' heritage is a valuable acknowledgment of China's past and they were determined to bring them to light. Return To the Middle Kingdom is the result of that determination and the true grit of three generations of revolutionaries.

Ah Chen was born 180 years ago and lived his life as a poor peasant until he fought in the Taiping Rebellion against Manchu's brutal court that reigned from 1850 to 1864. When the Rebellion was crushed, Ah Chen fled to Trinidad in the Caribbean. There he stayed and fathered his son, Eugene. Smart and ambitious, Eugene decided to go to London for his education and later returned to Trinidad to become its first Chinese attorney.

Through Eugene's friendship with the founding father of the Chinese Republic, Sun Yat-sen, the two men joined a powerful faction to help bring about modern China. Eugene later returned to his father, Ah Chen's, home and led the revolution in 1911 that finally put an end to China's rule by dynasties.

Eugene later fathered a son, Jack, who became the author's husband and together they joined the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976. Through numerous trials and tribulations the Chens persevered and decided to write about their experiences and their ancestors' struggles. Return To the Middle Kingdom is the well-written result of the Chens' determination.

Besides being an extraordinary documentation of a tumultuous part of China's nearly-lost history, Return To the Middle Kingdom is also the story of how three revolutionaries from one family helped bring about the modern China of today. This true adventure reads like a page-turning novel and reflects the details that author, Yuan-tsung Chen, brings to her historical writing.

Yuan-tsung Chen has proved herself to be an authority in Chinese history, culture and politics. She's also written an autobiographical novel about land reform in China titled, The Dragon's Village, and enjoys telling her personal stories to interested groups. Chen understands her country's past and cuts through the propaganda to tell the truth about China's past and the hope that lies in its future.