The Beijing Youths by Gina Tang

Beijing, China has become a bustling metropolis, riding the hurried tide of newfound economic prosperity. These quick commercial and political changes have left a massive cultural divide between Simon Wang and his teenage son Greg, who has never tasted poverty or the evils of widespread violence. Will they be able to overcome their differences in order to peacefully co-exist in America, or will the love between father and son be the very force which tears the Wang family apart forever? Simon Wang has seen both the best and the worst of China throughout his lifetime—the rapid changes implemented under the Mao Zedong regime, up to the modern affluence of contemporary Chinese life have given him a profound understanding of the importance of a good education. Yet, everything that Simon has built is threatened when Greg befriends a rag-tag group of inner city hip-hop dancers. Simon seeks a new and bright future for his son Greg and niece, Ling, in America, yet hip-hop dancing threatens to destroy the fabric of everything he has created. Will Simon be able to drive his son away from the alluring promises of dance and guide him into a more practical future, by ensuring Greg gets into Harvard? Will Greg defy his father’s unreasonable demands and carve out his own path? The future of this Beijing family hangs in the balance in this fictional coming-of-age tale, as old wounds boil to the surface, loyalties are tested, and the ways of the past are endangered by modern-day American ideals. Will Greg somehow be able to find freedom under his father’s oppressive rule, or will Simon’s rage destroy them both? Watch as a Chinese parent and his young adult child grapple with the multi-cultural influences of the modern world, the strain of puberty, and all that comes with every teen’s transition to adulthood. In a story of culture, home, and the ties that bind, father and son must learn to navigate the great divide of life, or be buried beneath the rubble of the past. Can Simon, Greg, and the rest of their Beijing family learn to love and accept one another despite their differences, or will heartache and loss define them all for generations to come? Author, Gina Tang, writes a riveting story—at times hilarious, and also heartbreaking-- detailing the ways in which families wound one another, protect one another, and find collective redemption, often by starting anew.