Best Selling Books by Ji-Li Jiang

The author tells about the happy life she led in China up until she was twelve-years-old when her family became a target of the Cultural Revolution, and discusses the choice she had to make between denouncing her father and breaking with her family, or refusing to speak against him and losing her future in the Communist Party.

As long as he can remember, Xian has wanted to be a great calligrapher, like his father. When he turns six, he''s finally old enough to start studying. Calligraphy is more than writing—it''s painting—and Xian learns how much work and creativity go into what look like effortless strokes. Based on stories still told about Xian and his father, famous calligraphers of the 4th century, Eighteen Vats of Water is about determination, creativity, and learning how to see, as well as the importance of family traditions.

When Tai Shan and his father, Baba, fly kites from their roof and look down at the crowded city streets below, they feel free, like the kites. Baba loves telling Tai Shan stories while the kites--one red, and one blue--rise, dip, and soar together. Then, a bad time comes. People wearing red armbands shut down the schools, smash store signs, and search houses. Baba is sent away, and Tai Shan goes to live with Granny Wang. Though father and son are far apart, they have a secret way of staying close. Every day they greet each other by flying their kites???one red, and one blue???until Baba can be free again, like the kites. Inspired by the dark time of the Cultural Revolution in China, this is a soaring tale of hope that will resonate with anyone who has ever had to love from a distance.

Lily loves her pet chicks, but they quickly outgrow her city apartment. And since her city bans barnyard animals like chickens, Lily has to make some tough choices to keep her hens and herself happy. When it''s time for them to spread their wings, she helps them find a new home in the countryside. Based on a true story, author Ji-li Jiang shares a memory from her own childhood.

A winter illness left Lotus, a little girl, without a voice and without friends. A hunter''s bullet left Feather, a crane, injured and unable to fly. As Lotus nurses Feather back to health, their bond grows. Soon Feather is following Lotus everywhere, even to school! The bird dances to the girl''s reed whistle, much to the delight of the other children. One day, when the village floods, Feather helps raise the alarm as Lotus and her grandfather urge their neighbors to get to high ground. Feather is a true friend to Lotus, but the time comes when Lotus must be a true friend to him--by encouraging him to migrate with the rest of the cranes. The next spring, Feather miraculously returns, and that''s not all . . . he has brought new life to the nearby lake. Inspired by the true story of a crane that rescued a Chinese village, and graced with sensitive watercolor illustrations, this lovely book about respecting nature offers deep emotion and delightful surprises.

Autobiografischer Roman über die Schrecken der Kulturrevolution Chinas aus der Sicht der 12-jährigen Chinesin Ji-li.