Set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Four Treasures of the Sky is a heartbreaking story of Daiyu, a young Chinese girl who longs to be a calligraphist, but who encounters the worst of humanity, very far from home. There are moments of extreme beauty, particularly when Daiyu calls upon the lessons of calligraphy to face obstacles: "The inkstone asks for destruction before creation--you must first destroy yourself, grind yourself into a paste, before becoming a work of art." (307) Zhang illuminates Daiyu's "coming of age" within a tragedy, but the saving grace is Daiyu's own growth as a person. It is an important narrative that reflects the experience of far too many Chinese immigrants in the United States, and unearths a history that has been too often squelched. ( )

Devastatingly sad.

4.5⭐️

“My life was written for me from the moment the name was given to me. Or it was not. That is the true beauty. That is the intent. We can practice all we want, telling and retelling the same story, but the story that comes out of your mouth, from your brush, is one that only you can tell. So let it be. Let your story be yours, and my story be mine.”

Daiyu always resented being named after a tragic heroine of Chinese literature (Lin Daiyu from Cao Xueqin's classic 18th-century Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber), fearing that it would be ominous. Born to a family of tapestry merchants, her happy childhood is interrupted when at the age of twelve her parents suddenly disappear. Fearing for her grandchild's life, her grandmother dresses Daiyu as a boy and sends her to the port city of Zhifu. Once there, she, now calling herself “Feng”, is given shelter and work at the calligraphy school run by Master Wang. She develops an interest in the art of calligraphy and learns as much as she can eavesdropping while he instructs his students. The Master acknowledges her potential and here she learns about the Four Treasures of the Study, the principles of which have a deep impact on her and as the story progresses we see how Daiyu draws strength from what she had learned even in the darkest moments of her life. At the age of thirteen, she is kidnapped and trafficked to San Francisco (smuggled across the ocean in a barrel of coal) and sold to a brothel. As “Peony” she witnesses firsthand the violence and sexual brutality young girls like her are subject to and vows to find a way to return home. She manages to escape the brothel with the help of a kind patron who also gets her identification papers as “Jacob Li” but eventually betrays her. She moves on and ultimately finds herself in the employ of kind Chinese shopkeepers in the town of Pierce,Idaho. She intends to save enough from her earnings to buy herself a passage home. But the surge in anti-Asian sentiment fueled by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 triggers a series of events that changes her destiny irrevocably.

“Daiyu to Feng to Peony to Jacob Li. When will I be me again? And if I become me again, will I know who she is?"

Jenny Tinghui Zhang’s debut novel Four Treasures of the Sky is a tragic and heartbreaking story that combines historical fact, fiction, Chinese folklore and magical realism. The prose is beautiful and the characters memorable. Despite its slow start, the novel is evenly paced and at no point did I lose interest in Daiyu’s story. The episodes of brutality Daiyu witnessed and experienced in the course of her jouney are difficult to read. The author’s narrative tone in some parts might be interpreted by some as stilted or detached but I thought that the occasional factual, clipped tone of the narrative suited the story that was being told. I loved the segments on Chinese calligraphy and the description and symbolism of the different Chinese characters which are shared in the text. The author does a brilliant job in depicting Daiyu’s emotional growth through the years - from a trafficked child of thirteen in 1883 to a young girl who while admitting that she is safer dressed as a man also struggles with her feelings about Nelson, the young violin teacher she meets in Pierce. Daiyu’s interactions with the spirit of her fictional namesake Lin Daiyu that act as her inner voice and conscience throughout her journey, are depicted with much feeling and emotion as are Daiyu’s memories of Master Wang’s teachings and how she applies those principles in her life. The author also sheds a light on the xenophobia, racially-motivated violence and vigilantism that Chinese immigrants had to endure post the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 . The Page Act of 1875, which preceded the Chinese Exclusion Act and prohibited the entry of Chinese women into the United States is also mentioned. The author was inspired by true events, which she discusses in detail in her notes at the end of the book. Extremely well-researched and beautifully penned, this is a brilliant debut and I will be looking out for more of this author’s work in the future.

“A line can only be called strong when it has the conviction to stay on paper. Strong lines are important, but how does one make a strong line with a soft brush? Answer: resilience. A resilient brush is one that, after depositing ink on paper, can spring back up in preparation for the next stroke. But resilience is not achieved by pressing harder. No, the artist must master the art of releasing the brush, giving it the space and freedom to find itself again. Resilience is simple, really. Know when to push and when to let go.” ( )

Beautiful telling of what could be a true Chinese fable. ( )

This story is told in first person by an adolescent Chinese girl named Daiyu. After her parents are arrested for working against the government, her grandmother sends to the nearest large city to make her own way and save her from arrest. She is living as a boy named Feng and is just on the edge of starvation when she is kidnapped, taught English, and shipped to San Francisco to work in a brothel for a powerful tong. She manages to escape the brothel with her first customer who apparently doesn't have a taste for women. They go to Idaho so that they can earn money in the mines and so that Daiyu can earn her way back to China. The mines have played out, so she and Samuel part ways. Daiyu, now Jacob Li, ends up in Pierce, Idaho working in a general store owned by two Chinese men. When the owner of the competing general store is found dead, a group of Chinese are rounded up to answer for the death through vigilante justice. This book is based on a real incident that happened in Pierce. ( )