A daughter hears her mother's blood-curdling cry in the night and vows to learn what torments the old woman. Thus begins one woman's journey deep into her mother's ancestral past. She learns of a spirit that defies evil and fights for good, accompanying a line of women throughout the course of their lives.
During the days of Manchurian rule, the good spirit inhabits Chan Yi, Governor of Fujian. Chan Yi leads a secret society engaged in rebellious activities. When the governor's son Chan Er assumes power, he leads the fight against opium, foreign invaders, and the oppressive, corrupt Qing government. When he mysteriously disappears, his daughter is left on her own, with only the good spirit of the governor to watch over her.
The good spirit stays with the daughter through the horrors of the Japanese invasion. And when the Japanese take her daughter captive, the good spirit follows, witnessing the atrocities the girl undergoes. As an old woman, the memories still haunt her. She cries out in the night, causing her own daughter to wonder what is behind her mother's torment-and who can bring her peace in her final days.
About the Author: Maryang Tan is a medical sociologist and practitioner in acupuncture, tai chi, chi gong, and meditation. Postgraduate studies in sociology led Tan to the belief that the understanding of a phenomenon can be revealed through the subjective telling of the story, modeling the style of The Spirit of the Governor around this belief.
Tan was born in Malaysia into a multicultural society. She then went to Australia on a Rotary student exchange program, where she pursued university studies, even winning a scholarship to China during the post-Maoist era. She was able to learn chi gong and tai chi in Beijing from the doctors and masters there.
Growing up during post-WWII in Malaysia enabled the author to give meaning to the backdrop and environment that part two of this book is based on.
