A Daughter Remembers is written by Li Lien Fung, born in wartime China , educated in the US, worked in Thailand and settled down in Singapore with her husband a diplomat.
It is a daughter’s search into the deep recesses of her memories to record her memories of her beloved mom and a father who abandoned them in war -torn China when he went to work in the United States in 1914.
It is a search to understand why her dad abandoned her mom and her after he went to the US to work and subsequently remarried.
It is clear from Li Lien Fung’s recollections that she loves her mom deeply.
It is equally clear that after reconnecting with her dad while studying in MIT and Cornell University she grew to love him.
This book is her English translation of her original memoir written in Chinese. It is a labour of love.
She completed it age 88 and sadly passed away shortly before this book went to press.
The story of the ordinary Chinese’s perseverance to succeed in a war-torn China against all odds is a story of grit and sacrifice.
It is good Li Lien Fung was able to complete her recollections to “exorcise her demons” and to set the record straight on her parents’ separation.
She had a good career. She married well. She was a prolific writer and wrote in both English and Mandarin for the newspapers in Singapore. One of her sons is Ho Kwon Ping. He is the executive chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings.