Eileen Chang's Novel "Love in a Fallen City": Summary and Analysis

The famous novella, Love in a Fallen City, is one of Eileen Chang’s most profound pieces of work. It doesn’t do justice to not state a brief history of Eileen Chang.

Chang was a Chinese writer whose life was significantly affected by the cataclysms of China in the 20th century. Her birthplace, Shanghai, was greatly affected by the instability of the nationalist republic. There was a constant battle between the modernists and the conservatives, and Chang’s early life orbited around this time of dangerous political upheaval. Chang’s father was an opium addict from an aristocratic lineage, a vicious man who often got in trouble for domestic violence against his family.

Chang’s mother, on the other hand, was quite open to Western ideologies. Although she abandoned the family and went to Europe due to Chang’s father taking in a concubine, after he went to the hospital for a morphine overdose, she returned for her daughter and had a powerful ambition for Chang to have a more liberal education. This included learning the English language, performing arts, and music.

But as fate would have it, upon her father’s deplorable return, the domestic violence and the entire vicious cycle had an unfortunate revival, which ultimately led to the divorce of her parents. As both parents had joint custody, Chang had to divide her time between her mother’s contemporary apartment and her father’s opium lair. Just as Chang turned 18, she escaped from her father’s brutality, but her story was far from over.

In 1939, at the University of Hong Kong, Chang studied literature. Only a few years later, in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, her literary career thrived. Despite all her achievements, in Shanghai, this type of profession was very much underrated. But this was no barrier for Chang. She stepped up and inaugurated many stories and essays, which became very popular. She did all this while staying out of trouble from the authorities, as she disguised her work and masked it as “unserious.” Finally, her very first fiction collection was published in 1944. It was called Romances. Take a moment to process this: entertain this fervent life of an uprising writer who gorgeously bloomed from all the other flowers, despite the harsh conditions. This finally takes us to her most renowned novella, Love in a Fallen City.

Love in a Fallen City: Themes and Characters

Love in a Fallen City is not a romance novel; it’s an illuminating narrative of love and longing, with a dark and melancholic tone. The lives of various women, situated between both the modern and the traditional, confined by very few options and social constraints, are coerced into finding an equilibrium between respectability and freedom. The main topic of discussion in this novel is the intricate relationship between Bai Liusu and Fan Liuyuan, our two main characters.

Bai Liusu: A Woman of Survival

Bai Liusu was 28 and had recently been divorced. Love wouldn’t reach her in its pure form because she needed to remarry to escape the Bai residence. Due to economic constraints, her family didn’t want her to stay at home. After attending a ball, she realized that her cousin, Baoluo, absolutely hated her. The line, “It doesn’t matter how great a woman is: if she can’t get the love of a man, she can’t get the respect of women,” epitomizes the harsh societal constraints placed on women. To gain respect from other women, Bai decided to go to Hong Kong with Mrs. Xu to try to win the love of Fan Liuyuan, a rich playboy from England.

It’s clear that Bai hadn’t fallen in love with Fan. Her intention for this trip was to marry him to gain recognition from other women, making it a gamble. Bai believed Fan was untrustworthy, as she suspected he always lied to women. To win Fan’s heart, she knew she had to “trade” her beauty and seduce him into marrying her.

Fan Liuyuan: The Disillusioned Romantic

Fan Liuyuan, on the other hand, had recently returned from England. He confessed, “I went through some hard times, but at last, I got the right to inherit my father’s wealth.” Despite being brought up in a foreign country, he held romanticized views of China and its women, saying, “Real Chinese women are the most beautiful women in the world.” Fan’s initial attraction to Bai stemmed from her unique blend of vulnerability and determination. However, he remained skeptical of her intentions, suspecting her motives were more transactional than genuine.

The Complex Dynamics Between Bai and Fan

Bai’s singular focus on marriage created tension in her relationship with Fan. At one point, Fan confessed, “I love you,” but Bai’s response was bitter: “Why not go ahead and just say, flat-out, that you don’t want to marry me, and leave it at that!” This reaction revealed Bai’s insecurities and her desperation to escape her precarious social standing. Her tears, described as falling because “she was starting to lose her youth,” highlighted her fear of becoming undesirable and socially ostracized.

Fan, however, sought a deeper connection, valuing spiritual love over material concerns. His statement, “Basically, you think that marriage is long-term prostitution,” underscores the transactional nature of their relationship. Despite his cynicism, Fan was drawn to Bai’s fragility, seeing in her a reflection of his own disillusionment.

Hong Kong: A City in Turmoil

The backdrop of Hong Kong during wartime added a layer of complexity to Bai and Fan’s relationship. The city’s fall during the Japanese invasion symbolized the collapse of societal norms and forced the characters to confront their vulnerabilities. The war served as a catalyst for their eventual union, as they realized the fleeting nature of life and the importance of companionship.

The Turning Point: War and Resolution

Amid the chaos of war, Bai and Fan’s relationship reached its turning point. Fan’s decision to return to Bai, despite his initial hesitations, marked a moment of clarity. The narrative poignantly captures this: “He reached out from the bedding and grasped her hand. They looked and saw each other, saw each other entirely. It was only one moment of deep understanding, but this moment was enough to keep them happy together for a decade or so.”

This moment of connection, born out of shared hardship, underscored the fragility of their bond. While the war brought them together, the question remained: Could their relationship, rooted in survival and compromise, endure?

Themes of Self-Interest and Love

Chang’s portrayal of Bai and Fan’s relationship reflects her broader commentary on human nature. Bai’s pragmatic approach to love and Fan’s cynicism highlight the self-serving motivations that often underpin relationships. As Chang observed in her own life, “everyone did everything for his or her own benefit.” This cynical view is evident throughout the novella, where love is depicted as a delicate flower, vulnerable to the winds of societal and personal turmoil.

Conclusion

Love in a Fallen City is a masterful exploration of love, survival, and societal constraints. Through the complex dynamics between Bai and Fan, Chang critiques the transactional nature of relationships and the pressures imposed by traditional norms. The novella’s enduring relevance lies in its unflinching portrayal of human flaws and its poignant reminder of the fragility of love in a turbulent world.

References

1. Chang, Eileen. Love in a Fallen City. 1943.
2. Hsia, C.T. A History of Modern Chinese Fiction. Yale University Press, 1971.
3. Widmer, Ellen. The Beauty and the Book: Women and Fiction in Nineteenth-Century China. Harvard University Press, 2006.