The novel by Ba Jin strikes a chord in my heart now that the family has fallen apart ,driven by the potent divisive forces of both religion and money.
Ba Jin 's novel on the disintegration of a family in the early 20th century reminds me of that trip to Anren old town in Sichuan which coincidentally was the birthplace of Ba Jin. It would be wonderful if a drama version of the Family could be reenacted in Anren as it has the aura of nostalgia ,old world grandeur and a certain charm of that era when individual's destiny was dictated by filial piety .Influences of the West clashed with traditional values but come to think of it,those Confucian values were wiped out during the Cultural revolution which pitted the Red guards of the youths against the traditional values of filial piety .
