Remembering Shanghai

Isabel Sun Chao was one of the last of her generation to experience the legendary “Old Shanghai” of the 1930s. She left China on a spring holiday in 1950, not realizing that she would never see her father again, nor that three decades would pass before she returned. Making Hong Kong her permanent home, she worked as a cultural affairs specialist in the US Consulate General while raising three children with her husband, Raymond. Isabel passed away in 2023 after a happy retirement spent mostly at the mahjong table.Isabel’s daughter Claire Chao sought connections to her parents’ homeland throughout her youth. After thirty years in management with companies such as Tiffany and Co., Harry Winston, and Hill & Knowlton, she spent a decade creating Remembering Shanghai, uncovering an uncanny link with the grandfather she never met. She has been named one of Avenue magazine’s “500 Most Influential Asian Americans” and Hong Kong Tatler’s “Who’s Who in Hong Kong.” She graduated with highest honors from Princeton University and lives in Honolulu with her husband and a lovable chihuahua-pug.

“Beautiful and rich, with fascinating details—transports the reader to Shanghai and Hong Kong . . . this volume is a treasure." —Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of Shanghai Girls and The Island of Sea Women“Sparkling prose and enthralling stories catapult you into the inner life and doings of Shanghai’s cultured classes." —Helen Zia, author of Last Boat Out of Shanghai “This elegant family memoir transforms, transfixes, and educates.” —Pamela Rotner Sakamoto, author of Midnight in Broad Daylight“This memoir stands out for its creativity and artistry." —James Carter, author of Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai “A lovely jaunt to 1930s Shanghai." —Dori Jones Yang, author of When the Red Gates Opened“Mesmerizing stories; magnificent language.” —Betty Peh-T’i Wei, author of Old Shanghai“Whimsical brush paintings and evocative vintage photographs are a visual feast for the reader and heightens the feeling of having fallen through time.” —Alexandra A. Chan, author of In the Garden Behind the Moon“A volume that demands to be held." —Los Angeles Review of Books“An engaging and entertaining saga.” —South China Morning Post“The authors have brought warmly and vibrantly to life their family’s story of lowly origins, high office, austere scholarship, filial loyalty, vicious betrayal and fabulous wealth.” —Asia Literary Review“An unexpected gem. A thoughtfully written story, accessibly and touchingly told—represents a valuable addition to the canon of accounts of life in Shanghai.” —Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society China“A feast of winning elements . . . The icing on the cake is its warm immediacy, helped by the authors’ sunny dispositions and their storytelling skills.” —Bookish Asia“A well-told tale that is by turns jaw-dropping, exciting, touching, tragic, and insightful.” —Historic Shanghai“What distinguishes the story is the beauty of watching the bond between mother and daughter grow as they discover their often shocking ancestral secrets.” —Literary Mama“This book is beautiful. . . Illuminating details and a lovely walk through culture, family and personal evolution, always with gorgeous settings and realism in voice and story.” —Grand Prize Winner, Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards“A work of art. . . driven by compelling storytelling and packed with fascinating details.” —Book of the Year, Rubery Book Award“A masterpiece of storytelling and research.” —Non-Fiction Winner, Indie Reader Discovery Awards