BELMONT – Robin T.W. Yuan’s recent historical novel, “Red Bishop,” tells the story of our grandfather, Robin Chen, the last presiding bishop of the Anglican Church in China. Yuan charts the bishop’s detailed journey from his early years in an Anglican missionary school and conversion to Christianity to his final days under house arrest. Set in 20th century China, Bishop Chen becomes a Christian leader in an ever-shifting world where his perseverance, faith, and indomitable spirit empower him to overcome continual challenges. This novel’s “blending of personalities and the seething politics of 20th-century China is seamlessly done, and its heroic portrait of its central character is always admiring but never saccharine. A detailed and moving tale about a heroic bishop in atheist China.” (Kirkus Review)
Meticulously researched, “Red Bishop” is a deserving homage to my grandfather’s legacy. Centered on a very human story of one man’s quest to uphold and live out his Christian beliefs and humanistic values under the most challenging of circumstances, much of this story feels both timely and universal. My grandfather and his family’s efforts to both survive and thrive during the Japanese invasion and occupation was especially painful reading as we currently witness the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent carnage that continues unabated there.
I knew very little about my grandfather growing up. My mother spent decades separated from her family in China with communication cut off for significant periods of time. I learned that my grandfather was a significant historical figure who faithfully worked to sustain and elevate Christianity even during a time when it was most dangerous to do so. He played a critical role on a chess board of shifting political tides in a country consumed simultaneously by World War II and Japan’s invasion of China and the civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists, and later by the Cultural Revolution of the ’60s and ‘70s. A undeniable gift of this novel is how connected I now feel to my grandfather’s legacy, through the values he lived, and to my grandmother, who supported him and made her own sacrifice so he could follow his calling in life.
In addition, this novel is a gift to our family that unfortunately, neither of my parents ever had a chance to read. Written to chronicle our family’s legacy and to educate readers about contemporary Chinese history along the way, it has been received with appreciation by those who remained in China during the decades depicted in the novel. Compared to my cousins who were born and grew up in China, my siblings and I, born and raised in the United States, led lives sheltered from the reality of what was taking place in China during our youth. For my relatives in China who lived through these often-tumultuous years, it chronicles their experiences and what they endured. Knowing my grandfather and his family’s story bridges a gap between generations, and significantly, cousins living apart, separated by history and culture. Our life experiences could not have been more different, cemented by the decisions our parents made about the trajectory of their own lives.
Finally, a significant gift of this book for me has been the pleasure I have experienced in sharing this book with many of my friends, most of whom have remarked about how accessible it made learning about China’s history, in addition to the revelations about my own historical roots. Despite China’s substantial population and its outsized influence in the world, shockingly few Americans truly know the details of its recent history. Bringing Bishop Chen’s story to life has bestowed priceless gifts on me and for this, I thank my brother.
Robin Yuan will be speaking about “Red Bishop” at the Belmont Public Library in conjunction with the Maynard, Wayland, and Winchester Public Libraries at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 11. To register for this virtual book talk, go to: https://belmontpubliclibrary.net/events.
“Red Bishop” is available at Belmont Public Library or may be ordered through Belmont Books, Amazon, or through https://www.robinyuanauthor.com.
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