Unless you are Arundhati Roy, whose memoir on her relationship with her difficult but distinguished mom, ‘Mother Mary Comes to Me’ (published 2025), was reviewed extensively by the major newspapers before publication, most personal memoirs do not receive much publicity. They fly under the radar.
This is one of those memoirs.
When China opened its doors in 1979 after Deng visited Carter in DC, Dori Jones Yang, fresh out of university, was among the first American journalists to cover China under Deng Xiaoping.
Age 27, fluent in Mandarin, as she had anticipated China to be reopened to the world under Deng, by studying Mandarin in Singapore for 2 years, she got to know ordinary Chinese people who were embracing opportunities that had once been unimaginable in China.
This is a deeply personal story.
She was based in HK in 1982 and left just after Tiananmen in 1989.
She met a Chinese man whom she later married. Through him and travels with him to meet family, people, and relatives, she gained deeper insights into how Deng’s reforms led to hopes for better lives.
I find her memoir interesting as she also narrates the HK of the 1980s. She was told that a lot of foreigners shop at Stanley Market. (P 27).
I have fond memories of my bus trips from Central to Stanley Market in 1998 with a HK friend, and once thereafter with family, cousins, and my HK uncle.
The road is winding, and the view of the bays is beautiful. Back then, in 1998, Stanley Market was still a laid-back village. We could still have coffee under a big tree.
LWH, 7 Sep 2025