Moment in Peking is a historical novel originally written in English by the Chinese American author Lin Yutang. The novel covers the turbulent events in China from 1900 to 1938, including the Boxer Rebellion, the Republican Revolution of 1911, the Warlord Era, the rise of nationalism and communism, and the origins of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945.

The author tries not to be overly judgmental of the characters because he recognizes that too many issues were involved in the chaotic years of the early twentieth century China. There was no absolutely right or wrong character. Each character held a piece of truth and reality and a piece of irrationalism. In the preface, Lin writes that,this novel is merely a story of how certain habits of living and ways of thinking are formed and how, above all, men and women adjust themselves to the circumstances in this earthly life where men strive but gods rule.

Lin Yutang was nominated the Nobel Prize for Literature with this book in 1975.

Lin Yutang had originally wanted romantic poet Yu Dafu to do the translation to Chinese, but he had only completed the first section when he was killed in the Japanese invasion. His son Yu Fei finished the translation in 1991, but his version, while capturing the flavor of old Beijing, is not too widely read.

The novel has been adapted twice into television dramas, including the most recent version in 2004, starring Vicki Zhao Wei.

Moment in Peking is quite a rarity – it is a novel about Chinese social-history by a well-known Chinese author, but written originally in English and published first in 1939 in the US (where it sold over 50,000 copies in less than 6 months). Soon after, the book was released in China (in Chinese translation) where it was received with just as much interest.

Why is this book so popular in and outside of China? It is gives a comprehensive insight into an interesting period of 20th century Chinese history and social change. The novel spans almost 40 years – from the Boxer Uprising in the 1900s to the Second Sino-Japanese War in the late 1930s. The story is seen largely through the eyes of Mulan Yao, the daughter of a prosperous upper-middle class family who lose their wealth as a result of the wars.

But can this account for its success in the US? One (tenuous) reason could be that when it was published, Moment in Peking was billed by some American critics as a “Chinese Gone with the wind” – which had been released just few years earlier and was eagerly awaiting its transformation to the big screen. Could this popular hook be a reason why people bought this book in droves?   --Wenjun Shi