Not only was there the conflict with Japan, but there was also the Civil War that continued until 1949. This then is the backdrop for Peach Blossom Spring. Some 14 million Chinese died and up to 100 million became refugees during the eight years of the conflict with Japan from 1937 to 1945. ― Susan Sontag, Regarding the Pain of Others. That's what every soldier, and every journalist and aid worker and independent observer who has put in time under fire, and had the luck to elude the death that struck down others nearby, stubbornly feels. “We can't imagine how dreadful, how terrifying war is and how normal it becomes. It’s about the power of our past, the hope for a better future, and the haunting question: What would it mean to finally be home?

Spanning continents and generations, Peach Blossom Spring is a bold and moving look at the history of modern China, told through the story of one family. How can he keep his family safe in this new land when the weight of his history threatens to drag them down? Yet how can Lily learn who she is if she can never know her family’s story? Though his daughter is desperate to understand her heritage, he refuses to talk about his childhood. Years later, Renshu has settled in America as Henry Dao.

Relying on little but their wits and a beautifully illustrated hand scroll, filled with ancient fables that offer solace and wisdom, they must travel through a ravaged country, seeking refuge. But with the Japanese army approaching, Meilin and her four year old son, Renshu, are forced to flee their home. It is 1938 in China and, as a young wife, Meilin’s future is bright. 'Within every misfortune there is a blessing and within every blessing, the seeds of misfortune, and so it goes, until the end of time.' A 'beautifully rendered' novel about war, migration, and the power of telling our stories, Peach Blossom Spring follows three generations of a Chinese family on their search for a place to call home (Georgia Hunter, New York Times bestselling author).

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu