A famed writer's first historical novel examines changing times for the region in the decade after 1949. Liu Zhihua reports.

After having not published a book for more than a decade, legendary Hong Kong writer Leung Fung-yee has finally offered her fans a new title - via her first historical novel.

Leung launched the book, Our Stories - A Woman in Times of Turmoil: Hong Kong Stories in 1949-59 in Beijing last month. The event was attended by hundreds of fans and journalists who had come from all over the country.

Born in 1949, the year New China was founded, Leung is a legend in China's literary world, having written more than 140 books, dozens of them best-selling business-themed novels.

Leung is also a successful businesswoman in the publication industry and the creator of a Hong Kong-listed company, as well as a renowned philanthropist and social activist who has donated millions of yuan to education and charity.

Her new book, published in Chinese by the People's Literature Publishing House, her longtime publisher on the Chinese mainland, will be the first in a series to wrap up her writing career, Leung said at the launch.

She started writing novels in 1989. Most are based on her experiences as a businesswoman since the 1970s, and some are set during the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98.

In the 1990s, her publisher introduced more than 20 of her books to the mainland, and Leung became one of the most popular writers of that period.

Many of her books were adapted for TV dramas and films, and Chinese media called her a "cultural phenomenon". At one event, she signed books for her fans for six straight hours.

"She is well known for being productive, and I was very impressed by her energy and creativity when we were working together," says Zhou Xuanlong, deputy editor-in-chief of People's Literature Publishing House.

"She writes fast, yet all her books are fluently and beautifully written."

Since Leung decided to focus on her business career and halt her writing in 1998, the publishing house had been eagerly awaiting her next literary effort, Zhou adds.

The new book is set in Hong Kong during the years 1949-59, and was first published in Hong Kong last year.

It's a narrative of the ups and downs of a young and attractive woman's life during the decade, which saw profound social, economic and political changes in both Hong Kong and the mainland after the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

The protagonist, Gui Yuxin, is the concubine of a man in a wealthy family but has to struggle for a living in Hong Kong because of the social turmoil. She goes through all sorts of hardships, including being raped, and finally finds true love and lives a meaningful life as she accepts that her fate is tied to the mainland.

Praising the new novel, Zhou says: "The characters and their lives are well depicted. Although it is fiction, it tells vividly what happened to Hong Kong in 1949 to 1959."

"The book encourages readers to ponder Hong Kong's history and future."

It took Leung only 44 days to finish her new book, although she admits that it was hard to muster enough confidence to pick up writing again after the long hiatus.

Li Xin, the retired editor-in-chief of SDX Joint Publishing House, and a longtime friend of Leung's, points out that although Leung was immensely popular in the 1990s because of her signature business-themed love novels, her books are more than just the love stories of professionals.

They also reflect social reality and the influence of historical events, he says. So he is not at all surprised that Leung has come up with a new book reflecting on history and the times.

For Leung, writing this book had been a different experience from previous ones.

She spent much time researching and studying the history of that period before she worked on the novel. For earlier novels, she rarely had to do research because she had firsthand experience with the business world, she says.

She says that among all the books she has written, Our Stories - A Woman in Times of Turmoil: Hong Kong Stories in 1949-59 is her favorite.

Leung also says she plans to write several books set in Hong Kong in the coming decades.

Contact the writer at liuzhihua@chinadaily.com.cn

Hong Kong writer Leung Fung-yee (second from right) signs books for fans at the launch of her new novel, Our Stories - A Woman in Times of Turmoil: Hong Kong Stories in 1949-59 in Beijing. Photos Provided to China Daily

(China Daily 11/12/2014 page20)