鄰女語

In the tumultuous aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion, China’s capital is in chaos as officials and their families scramble to flee the crumbling imperial court. Along the bustling banks of the Yangtze, a young man named Jin Bu‑mo watches the desperate exodus of courtiers, soldiers, and ordinary folk, their luggage marked with the seals of ministries now emptied of power. His sharp eyes and restless spirit absorb the scene: shouted curses, frantic barge captains, and the eerie cries of an elderly woman blaming foreign meddling for her suffering.

Bu‑mo, raised by a widowed mother after his father’s death, is a restless twenty‑year‑old educated in both Chinese classics and Western languages. Faced with the horror of a nation torn apart, he wrestles with a growing urge to act—whether to sell his modest family belongings, join the fleeing officials, or strike out northward on his own in hopes of alleviating the suffering he witnesses. His fierce sense of duty and stubborn independence set the stage for a journey that will test his courage and convictions.