Duncan Jepson
All the Flowers of Shanghai

Duncan Jepson brings the intriguing world of 1930’s Shanghai to life with the tale of Feng, a young girl in a traditional Chinese family, whose destiny is to marry well and bear her husband a male heir. But Feng is not prepared to accept her fate, and is determined to follow her own path, no matter the consequences.

The Booklover caught up with Duncan Jepson, and we talked with him about his novel.

Q. All the Flowers in Shanghai is a very intimate account written from a woman's point of view. What inspired you to write a novel with a female protagonist, and what has the early feedback been like from female readers?

I wanted to tell a story exploring how Chinese women relate to each other. They are such a powerful force in a family and I was particularly interested in the ways expectations are passed from mother to daughter and the consequences of this.

Q. The initial part of the story weaves a wonderful portrait of a high society family in 1930's Shanghai, with numerous branches living within one compound. There is some marvelous detail on the traditions, politics and duties of family members. How have you come to know so much about Chinese society from this period, and the early years of Communism?

I have been visiting China since 1987 when I was at the Beijing Language Institute. I then ran a business which was partly based in Shanghai in the early 90's. I traveled a lot and spoke to whomever I could, hearing a lot of stories. In 1994 I also went with my Chinese grandparents to find our ancestral temple in Fujian province which introduced me to China on a more personal level. As a filmmaker I’ve seen a lot of footage of that era as well as read what I can on the subject.

Q. Are any parts of the story or the characters taken from your own family background?

Not particularly, and not as far as the characters and events are concerned. But there are a few references in some of the smaller details such as the fact that the character Grandfather is a gardener and shows Feng trees and flowers. My Chinese grandfather was a civil servant for the early People's Action Party (PAP) in Singapore and a horticulturalist. I remember him telling me how he was involved in the planning and development of the greenery around the city. When I was a child he would walk me around our gardens in England explaining various points of botanical interest and he would tell me the Latin names of the plants and trees. Unfortunately I did not respond quite as enthusiastically as Feng.

Q. How did you find enough time to write your novel whilst practising law full time in Hong Kong?

I wrote it during lunchtimes, early in the evenings and at airports on business trips. Unlike filmmaking, one can write anywhere, all one needs is the laptop or paper and a pen. Sometimes I would think of something and write it on my blackberry and email myself.