Novel based on events of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-76). Thirty years later in Hong Kong, a man is persuaded to talk to a beautiful German Jew named Margarethe about memories of China he has long suppressed. He traces his path through the perilous times and examines his relationships. Themes examined are human reactions in the face of calamity and love and desire. Author was born in eastern China and has a degree in French settling in Paris in 1987. He received the 2000 Nobel Prize for Literature for 'Soul Mountain'. The translator is Associate Professor of Chinese Studies at Sydney University and also translated 'Soul Mountain'. In 2001 she was awarded the New South Wales Premier's Prize for Translation and the PEN Medallion.