"Remembering Shanghai" is written by mother-daughter duo Isabel Sun Chao and Claire Chao. It's fascinating to think that mother Isabel grew up in glamorous old Shanghai and is now in her 90's. She left Shanghai for Hong Kong in the 1950's, but her memories of a pre-communist Shanghai are rich.
Along with Isabel's account, her daughter Claire adds her own notes to clarify details. While life in old Shanghai was opulent, it was tainted by organized crime, betrayals, and an encroaching government threat. You can understand why she left for Hong Kong.
A great read for history lovers.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found the subject matter really interesting. The book was well written and easy to understand. I highly recommend this book.

I found this a captivating family memoir, the story of five generations of a wealthy privileged Shanghai family whose lives were upended by Mao’s Communist take-over of China in 1949. Isabel Sun relates her own life story along with those of the rest of her family and brings them all to life on the page. A wealth of illustrations and photographs enhance the narrative, as do short “interludes” at the end of each chapter explaining aspects of Chinese thought and culture. Not only is this an insightful and intelligent history of a family but also a nutshell history of China, Shanghai and Hong Kong during these turbulent years. Highly recommended.

When Isabel was 18 she went to visit her mother in Hong Kong for a few weeks but was never able to return to Shanghai because China became a Communist country while she was gone. This is a wonderful memoir about Isabel and her daughter, Claire's visit to Shanghai in 2008 to relive Isabel's childhood memories. I enjoyed reading this memoir. It was beautifully written. I learned a lot about Chinese history and culture. I would recommend this book to readers that enjoy memoirs or learning about Chinese culture.

Thank you to NetGalley and Girl Friday Productions for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

THis is a lyrical book that traces life in the tumultuous city of SHanghai, through 5 generations of Isabel Sun CHao's family. It takes in the ending of the Qing dynasty, the Japanese occupation, the rise of the Communist government and till modern day. Shanghai is an incredibly interesting city, and I love the effort taken over the gorgeous illustrations and photos in the book. I didn't know that Shanghai was divided into areas governed practically as independent little colonies by the British, French and the Americans, with the Chinese citizens requiring separate licenses and permits to enter, and the complete relaxation of laws and rules, and even the requirement of passports and visas. This, combined with an increasingly powerful local mafia, weak local governments and warlords controlling their own fiefdoms, made Shanghai a synonym for decadence and intrigue. As the writers so evocatively put it, practically every activity one undertook in Shanghai led directly or indirectly to filling the coffers of the mafia. Isabel Sun Chao was born into a life of privilege into a turbulent Shanghai, and while her early life was insulated from the chaos in the city, it eventually affected her as well. SHe left SHanghai for Hong Kong when she was 18, and didn't return till the 70s. Through her other siblings' lives, who were still in China, she chronicles the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the devastating impact on their lives. I loved the specificity of the book, and all the ways the grand sweep of history affected this one particular family, you don't get that very often. ANd unlike fictional epic sagas, the sheer lived experience of this lends it an immediacy and a poignancy that the others lack. While the narrator arguably led a comfortable life in Hong KOng, I can't begin to imagine the mental trauma of not knowing what has happened to your beloved father, and only being able to contact him intermittently through letters.
The book alternates chapters of memoir with chapters on aspects of Chinese culture that are absolutely delightful-on Chinese art collectors, mahjong, the Chinese language and script and its complexities, I particularly enjoyed her chapter on the conventions of Beijing Opera, 'Farewell my concubine' is one of my favourite movies!
The book ends on a note that's both absolutely heartbreaking but also lovely and hopeful.
One might think that personal is not political, but it always is, and the chaos of history will end up affecting you, no matter how insignificant you are to the grander scheme of things. No wonder 'May you live in interesting times' is considered a curse!

The authors are mother and daughter, Isabel being the mother who was born in Shanghai in 1931. Claire was born in 1961 when the family lived in Hong Kong.
Isabel’s father moved to Shanghai in 1913 when she was an infant, the only child of prosperous parents. During Isabel’s younger years, Shanghai was a haven for the displaced: Russians fleeing Bolsheviks, Jews fleeing Nazis, Communists in hiding and refugees seeking shelter. The city even had two different electrical systems with 110 volts on the French side and 220 volts in the International Settlement.
It's such a good memoire, I enjoyed it tremendously!

Told in a series of vignettes, Remembering Shanghai is both a memoir and a historical account. Isabel recounts her privileged life growing up in Shanghai in the 1930's and 1940's. She lovingly recalls details of her parents while sharing her perspective on her father's extra-marital affairs and the eventual divorce. She recalls watching her mother put on make up and perfume when she would wake after noon each day and before she would head out to enjoy an active social life. While she lived a glamorous life in their large house with servants and hand made clothing, in the background the Civil War and Japanese occupation are contributing to food rationing and poverty. When Isabel leaves at age 18, she doesn't realize that she will never see her father again. It is then that she is forced to confront her country's changing landscape and her family's history, including the dark corners, that make up her own identity. This is a vivid and personal book that any memoir lover will cherish.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the eARC.

This book was absolutely beautiful. I love memoirs and learning about history and this book does a great job at combining family history with a countries history. It's interesting to see how the Sun family was effected by major historical events. Definitely a book I would recommend.

Many classical works have told the rise and fall of China’s great dynasties. There’s this famous concept called the Mandate of Heaven in which during turbulent times this mandate moved from one dynasty to the other. The Shanghai of the 1930s where Isabel Sun Chao grew up was such a place, with areas carved by the foreigners in the International Settlement and the French Concession where foreigners and several Chinese misfits could lead lives immune from the Chinese law. Yet it was also the foreigners who turned Shanghai into a vibrant city, with its well-known nickname as the Pearl of the East.

The depiction of the 1930s Shanghai in this memoir kinda reminds me of Lisa See’s novel Shanghai Girls which also uses Shanghai during the 1930s as its setting. Unlike See’s novel though, this memoir misses a great detail of information about several historical events such as the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Battle of Shanghai but rather puts the emphasis more on the chronicle of the Sun family from Taiyeye (born in 1842) who brought the money into the family until his great-granddaughter Isabel grew up in the 1930s Shanghai. It compiles the four-generation history of the Sun family with frequent explanations by Claire Chao who provides the remarks on art and historical period, whereas Isabel focuses more on the personal history.

As the title suggests, this book is indeed a memoir of socialites, scholars, and scoundrels. The Sun family in this story built their fortunes in the second half of the nineteenth century, and we could say that Isabel grew up in a privileged household with her English-language schooling at McTyeire School and her family connection with several people we could only know from history books. However, her chronicle does not solely focus on family history alone, since there are many contexts provided to understand the Shanghainese culture, food, and tradition. There is even a lengthy explanation on why qipao is widely known as cheongsam in Hong Kong and its position as a feminist statement by women who wore them in the 1920s. Simply put, the story is not boring.

Art is also an important aspect of the story, since Isabel’s father, Diedie collected many Chinese classical artworks and admired them until they were confiscated by the Red Guards during the infamous Cultural Revolution. The illustrations provided in this book also help to understand the context, like for example some real photos of Shanghai during each part of the story as well as illustrations of classical artworks mentioned by the authors. It also helps that Claire Chao studied art and archaeology at Princeton with a thesis on the artworks of Wang Hui, something which gives a rich explanation to the story.

As with every memoir, there is an intention behind the book. It’s a record of the 1930s Shanghai which no longer exists, of turbulent times that saw the Japanese occupation and the Communist takeover of Mainland China that changed the landscape of Shanghai into a city that is now famous with its modern architecture and has finally returned to its position as the Pearl of the East. Both the book and the audiobook are equally good, they are complementaries to each other. I listened to the Spotify audiobook narrated by Rachel Yong as well while reading the book, and it bridges parts that are written by Isabel and parts written by Claire with nice divides. Some Chinese words, either they are in Mandarin or Shanghainese are sometimes mispronounced in the audiobook, however, it does not disturb the overall reading experience. If you have read any of Lisa See’s books, you will enjoy this memoir.

Remembering Shanghai is a captivating memoir spanning five generations of the Sun family. The story is told mostly from the perspective of Isabel, who was born in 1931 in Shanghai in a well-respected and wealthy household. Isabel recalls growing up in the 30s and 40s and leaving for Hong Kong, unaware that what she thought was a three weeks trip was actually her new beginning. Even though memoir isn't always my favorite genre and tends to be pretty hit or miss, I was mesmerized by the pictures of Shanghai and their family ancestry that Chaos painted. I especially loved the earliest chapters (and the ending! That ending absolutely broke my heart!) but it was also fascinating to read about Isabel's experiences with Mao's Cultural Revolution. The family falling from the glamor and splendor of their status into the harsh realities of Communism was painful to read when the earlier memories made me feel so attached to them. The chapters of the book are broken up by gorgeous illustrations and photos, as well as short columns of information about China's culture and traditions, which I found very interesting and a great help to better understand the history.

Remembering Shanghai is a part autobiography of Isabel Chao and her family, part cultural history of Shanghai and China at large. Taking place during some of the most tumultuous years in Chinese history, we see the rise of Isabel's family status and riches during the time of her great-grandfather's business acumen to the loss of everything in the hands of the communists. Many of Isabel's memories are put in the context of the larger Chinese history at the time (written by her daughter mostly in cursive), while every chapter finishes with a short introduction to an aspect of Chinese culture. Very well researched and written.

I loved this family memoir of Old Shanghai. It’s exquisitely written and very charming. It includes beautiful photos of the author and her family. If you have a fascination with China, you must read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Girl Friday Books for the opportunity to read Remembering Shanghai so that I may provide an honest review.

Remembering Shanghai is a combination of poignant memoir, compelling family history and recollection of a volatile period of time in the history of China. I am so grateful that Isabel Sun Chao and Claire Chao performed the exhaustive research to record their family history and also to capture Isabel's memories. It was fascinating and transportive and the photos and sketches that were included were a particular treat. The ebook didn't include all of the photos so I am anxiously awaiting the publish date so I can buy a copy and see what I missed. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Remembering Shanghai is the story of the Sun family over five generations, in a rapidly changing China. This memoir highlights the transformation of Shanghai from the advent of Communist rule in China, the Cultural Revolution, all interspersed with crucial moments in the lives of a wealthy Chinese family. In a time when books like Crazy Rich Asians portray the extravagant and glamorous lives of the Asian elite, Remembering Shanghai depicts the turbulent experience of an illustrious family grappling with change and the means through which they get by. The book is definitely well-researched. But it is a memoir, hence the primary focus is not to provide insights into the history of Shanghai, but the glimpses of historical elements in the book are artfully woven in. We were a little skeptical in the beginning of this book, particularly because of its slow start but this memoir is a wonderful glimpse into life in China throughout times that we have only encountered in history. It is also interesting how there are instances where the reality of the characters' experience is so dramatic it could pass off as fiction- maybe the fact is stranger than fiction!

All in all, this memoir was a great read, and for those who are more inclined to nonfiction and memoirs, do check this out!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the family history of the Sun family. I especially appreciated all of the extra tidbits about Chinese culture. It was heartbreaking to read about how things changed when the Communist party came into power and how the young red army terrorized those who held on to old customs and history or who were landowners. Sad to read about how successful or intelligent people were villainized. The author is a prolific writer, and she should consider writing fiction. I would love to read more of Claire's writing. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. 5 stars. Highly recommended

An absolutely captivating book! Thanks netgalley for the ARC. A memoir which is also thoroughly researched about the historical aspects. A book that spans a tumultuous course in the history of China. Remembering Shanghai follows five generations of the Sun family, from the poverty stricken village life to vibrant, prosperous Shanghai as the family reaches height of prosperity during the 18th century. By turns harrowing and heartwarming, this vivid memoir explores identity, loss and the unpredictable nature of life against the epic backdrop of a nation and a people in turmoil. A very endearing read. Especially loved the tidbits on Chinese language.