Tale of Two Cities/Hong Kong and Shanghai amidst war
Published in 1943, Love in a Fallen City is set in 1940s Shanghai and Hong Kong, depicting a love game between Bai Liusu and Fan Liuyuan. Born in Shanghai, Liusu is despised by her fallen aristocratic family because of her divorce. She is looking for economic security and a legitimate status in her relationship with Liuyuan. Liuyuan, in contrast, is an overseas Chinese returned from Britain. He has no interest in marrying Liusu but wants her to be his secret lover. Even though the couple are attracted to each other, they doubt one another’s true feelings and commitments in their relationship. With the fall of Hong Kong on Christmas Day in 1941, the couple finally realized their love for one another and confirmed their relationship. Chang’s personal experience in colonial and wartime Hong Kong, as well as Japanese occupation of the city, were reflected in the novella. Despite Love in a Fallen City includes women’s point of view towards marriage, Chang refused Vivian Hsu's suggestion to include this work in Women in Modern Chinese Fiction. The film adaptation was directed by Ann Hui and released in 1984. C.T. Hsia commented that he did not like the film in one of his postcards to Chang.
Coincidentally, Lust Caution is also set in wartime Hong Kong and Shanghai, depicting a group of university students plotting an assassination against a special agent in Wang Jingwei’s puppet government. Wang Chia-chih was first trained in Hong Kong to seduce Mr. Yee and facilitate the ambush. However, Mr. Yee had to leave for Mainland China abruptly. Chia-chih resumes the mission in Shanghai. When time goes by, Chia-chih struggles internally between her affection and attachment to Mr. Yee. At the critical moment, Chia-chih surrenders her love and tells Mr. Yee to run. Mainly written after Chang’s immigration to the United States, the novella was completed in the 1970s. Chang mailed the manuscript to Stephen Soong and Soong forwarded the manuscript to China Times on behalf of Chang. Ang Lee made a successful film adaptation in 2007, which helped him win the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival.