Chefoo School in “The Bird In A Bamboo Cage”

The upcoming novel The Bird In The Bamboo Cage, by Hazel Gaynor, tells the story of the students and teachers at Chefoo School during Japanese occupation. I’m so pleased that story of Yantai is making it into the mainstream. The Bird In The Bamboo Cage will be released as When We Were Young and Brave in the US.

I worked as a teacher in Yantai, China for a year, so I’m always interested in the stories of the expat English teachers before me, and I’m so pleased to see this history getting more attention. Yantai, a coastal city in Shandong, China, was a treaty port in the Opium Wars. When I moved there in 2006, I’d expected there to still be some foreign influence, after all, Qingdao was held by Germany and has Bavarian style houses and the famous German brewery.  But in Yantai, there are still some remaining foreign houses in Yantai Park, but they’re not exactly a tourist attraction (like Shanghai’s French Concession), after being used as prisons for foreigners under the Japanese occupation of Shandong Province.  It’s discussed in this This American Life story. which talks about the Girl Guides under occupation.  There’s also an article in the Birmingham Mail about a British woman who was attending boarding school, and ended up in Chefoo Concentation Camp. These true stories of Girl Guides trying to keep cheerful was was drew me to this novel.

Fans of this one might also enjoy the nonfiction novel Lilla’s Feast, based on the author’s grandmother’s diaries and letters. This story covers years and years of Lilla’s real life, but one section involves expat life in Chefoo. British expat Lilla wrote an imaginary cookbook while she was held in the camp and surviving on small, unpleasant rations.

Check out more reviews of The Bird In The Bamboo Cage on the blog tour:

• The Bird In The Bamboo Cage on Beadyjans Book Reviews
• Emma’s Review: The Bird in the Bamboo Cage on Shaz’ Book Blog
• The Bird in the Bamboo Cage; evocative and emotionally charged on Novel Delights
• The Bird In The Bamboo Cage on Over The Rainbow Book Blog
• The Bird In The Bamboo Cage on Boon’s Bookcase