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The Song of Everlasting Sorrow
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Shanghai’s transformation through a beauty queen's tale.
If you're drawn to stories that entwine personal fates with vast historical canvases, "The Song of Everlasting Sorrow" might just resonate with you. It offers a window into a woman's life sculpted against the backdrop of a changing Shanghai, capturing the allure and pain of a bygone era with intimate storytelling. As Wang Qiyao's life unwinds through China's turbulent times, her pursuit of beauty and longing for the glamorous life become a poignant reflection of the universal quest for meaning amidst life's impermanence.
New
The Song of Everlasting Sorrow
Regular price
- Unit price
- / per
ISBN: 9780231143431
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Date of Publication: 2008-02-22
Format: Paperback
Goodreads rating: 3.92
(rated by 679 readers)
Description
Infatuated with the glitz and glamour of 1940s Hollywood, Wang Qiyao - a girl born of the longtang, the crowded, labyrinthine alleys of Shanghai's working-class neighborhoods - seeks fame in the Miss Shanghai beauty pageant. This fleeting moment of stardom becomes the pinnacle of her life. During the next four decades, Wang Qiyao indulges in the decadent pleasures of pre-liberation Shanghai, secretly playing mahjong during the Anti-Rightist Movement and exchanging lovers on the eve of the Cultural Revolution. Surviving the vicissitudes of modern Chinese history, Wang Qiyao emerges in the 1980s as a purveyor of "old Shanghai" - a living incarnation of a new, commodified nostalgia that prizes splendor and sophistication - only to become embroiled in a tragedy that echoes the pulpy Hollywood noirs of her youth. From the violent persecution of communism to the liberalism and openness of the age of reform, this sorrowful tale of old China versus new, of perseverance in the face of adversity, is a timeless rendering of our never-ending quest for transformation and beauty.
Condition guide
Book Condition Guide
Books in Like New Condition
This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
Books in Very Good Condition
This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
Books in Good Condition
We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
Books in Well Read Condition
This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.
*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.
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Shanghai’s transformation through a beauty queen's tale.
If you're drawn to stories that entwine personal fates with vast historical canvases, "The Song of Everlasting Sorrow" might just resonate with you. It offers a window into a woman's life sculpted against the backdrop of a changing Shanghai, capturing the allure and pain of a bygone era with intimate storytelling. As Wang Qiyao's life unwinds through China's turbulent times, her pursuit of beauty and longing for the glamorous life become a poignant reflection of the universal quest for meaning amidst life's impermanence.
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