Night in Shanghai

The story of “Yunqi” begins in the 1930s. Yun Qinglang is a perceptive and precocious girl living under someone else’s roof. Her sister, Danqing, fleeing from an arranged marriage, takes Qinglang to the dazzling and chaotic city of Shanghai.

In the concluding chapter, various characters make their grand entrances. The renowned opera star Yuan Suhuai brings a secret to the Lu family. Meanwhile, Danqing starts using the warlord Wu Mengju to exact revenge on Huo Changyuan. After Qinglang reunites with her brother and sister, her uncle Lu Yunchi, under an alias, arrives from Hong Kong to Shanghai to negotiate a deal with Lu Renqing… The fates of these characters rise and fall in the turbulent era, and poignant romances unfold amidst the stormy times.

This is Jin Zi’s second “women’s book” after making a name for herself with “Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty” in 2006, leading a nationwide “time travel” craze in the book market. In the concluding volume, a variety of characters take the stage. The legendary performer Yuan Suhuai enters the Lu family with an unspeakable secret. Meanwhile, Dan Qing begins using Warlord Wu Mengju to execute a revenge plan against Huo Changyuan. After Qinglang and Moye reunite as siblings, their uncle Lu Yunchi suddenly arrives in Shanghai under an alias from Hong Kong to make a deal with Lu Renqing. The characters’ fates rise and fall in the tumultuous times, and poignant romances unfold in a stormy era. “Night in Shanghai” continues the tension and suspenseful narrative style of “Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty,” displaying humor in calm moments and composure in thrilling ones. As one fan puts it, Jin Zi’s novels are “ordinary but not vulgar, confident but not ostentatious, like an orchid quietly emitting its own brilliance.”