Peking Story

In 1946, David Kidd arrives in Peking after graduating from University of Michigan and two months before his 20th birthday. Classical China is on the verge of disappearing after the communist's ascension to power. Kidd describes his own wedding to a Chinese aristocrat, his numerous run-ins with the communist regime, and the eventual confiscation of his wife's family estate. Kidd's masterful storytelling injects a humorous side to each of these events, making Peking Story read more like a screenplay than a piece of non-fiction. The book is one of the few first person accounts of how China radically transformed itself during this hectic period from 1946 to 1950. This 2nd edition of the book is published bilingually in English and Chinese.