Read in English · with German
Read The bitter tea of General Yen in English, with German beside it
by Grace Zaring Stone · 1891–1991
"The bitter tea of General Yen" by Grace Zaring Stone is a novel written in the early 20th century. It follows Megan Davis, an idealistic American bound for missionary work in China, whose path crosses an influential warlord amid Shanghai’s turmoil, challenging her convictions and drawing her into a fraught cultural and moral encounter. The story foregrounds civil conflict, faith, and the tension between duty and desire. The opening of the novel places Megan in rain-soaked Shanghai beside the French Concession, where she witnesses a car crash involving a poised Chinese gentleman and an injured chauffeur, meets a matter-of-fact priest, and senses the strained frontier between Europe and China. Taken in by the Jacksons, she recalls her New England past—early adoration of Bob, a missionary doctor, the loss of youthful beauty, and a fervent turn toward service—while local gossip introduces the powerful General Yen. A restless evening with a naval officer exposes treaty-port nightlife and Russian refugees; soon the city falls to the Cantonese, refugees stream past, and Megan sees Northern soldiers shot trying to break into the Settlement. Doctor Strike arrives, recounts his complicated bond with the General and his unwavering love for the Chinese people; when fires engulf Chapei and an orphanage is threatened, he secures a perilous safe-conduct from Yen (with help from a mission-schooled concubine) and, before dawn, sets out with Megan through barricades toward the North Station—only to find the promised guard absent as this opening section ends.
Summary generated automatically by Project Gutenberg.
- Read time
- 274 min
- Words
- 60,215
- Chapters
- 24
- Paragraphs
- 1,315
- Price
- Free
- China -- History -- 20th century -- Fiction
- Missionaries, Medical -- Fiction
"Will," she exclaimed, "you have a fever!"
„Will", rief sie aus, „du hast Fieber!"
She jumped up and ran to the foot of the stairs, calling her amah to bring down the thermometer.
Sie sprang auf und rannte zum Fuß der Treppe, um ihre Amah zu rufen, das Thermometer herunterzubringen.
Questions about The bitter tea of General Yen
Can I read The bitter tea of General Yen in English with German side by side online?
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There is no set level. The bitter tea of General Yen runs to 60,215 words in 24 chapters, and the translation sits beside it, aligned phrase by phrase, so you can start below the level the original would need on its own and lean on the translation only where you stumble.
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About 5 hours at a normal pace, longer if you stop to look at the alignment, which is rather the point.
Book details
- Original language
- English
- Translation
- German, machine translation
- Source text
- Project Gutenberg #78108
- Licence
- Public domain in the United States
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