Hai is the eldest daughter of a wealthy landowner in Shandong, China when the People's Liberation Army begins sweeping through the country. As a girl in a traditional household, she, her sisters, and her mother are all second-class citizens, so when the decision comes to flee to Quingdao and eventually Taiwan, Hai's father and grandparents leave them behind to face the Communists and the hardships that come with being stripped of all shelter, food, and other necessities.
Daughters of Shandong tells of Hai's journey with her mother and youngers sisters to Taiwan, including their time begging for food, living in refugee camps, and walking hundreds of kilometers in the hopes of finding a relative who would take them in. It's an interesting personal experience of this slice of Chinese history, and is told almost like an oral history or memoir. While it's perhaps not my favorite historical fiction, I'd love to see more stories from this time period and experience.
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