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1900s: The fisher folk of southern China
A House by the River
What you need to know before your trail
In the wild highlands of southern China, a tribe of fisher folk must venture daily on to a fearsome river. Into their world of struggle and superstition arrives a young couple, John and Grace Gerrard. Raised among the teeming streets of Hong Kong and Canton, they now confront a culture so alien that it challenges their love – and their lives.
John is soon enthralled by the fisher folk, swept up by their dark gods and the invigorating dangers of the river. Meanwhile, Grace’s missionary work only incites mistrust. Hoping to reconcile her Western religion with her Asian blood, she begins to develop an extraordinary theory . . .
But her insights provoke a murderous conspiracy. Parted by their enemies and the unforgiving river, John and Grace must find each other across the mountains and rapids of China’s secret heart.
Travel Guide
China
“The river runs for a thousand miles across south China. It rises in the outpost of the Himalayas and struggles for half its length among the rapids and gorges of the foothills. Hundred of miles from the source, it’s still swift and cold where it passes a pebble beach”
“Downstream the river escapes the hills. It slows in china’s subtropical plains and merges with the great estuary which borders Canton and Hong Kong.”
The fisher folk
“The fisher folk still slept in their boats, which were more precious than any dwelling, but now stayed at the beach through the winter, when snow in the mountains ceased to melt and there was less water to hide the fish.’
Booktrail Boarding Pass: A House by the River
Destination: China Author/Guide: Sid Smith Departure Time: early 1900s
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