Chapter 1—Pages 1-27 Summary

A House Divided is a poignant coming of age tale depicting the life and struggles of a Chinese youth named Wang Yuan. Nineteen-year-old Yuan is the son of a Chinese war lord at a time when reform sweeps his nation. The upheaval brought about by revolution leaves him trapped between old ways and reform, and he does not agree completely with either extreme. Conflict plagues him as he struggles against old traditions and new rebellions which embrace foreign customs. He grapples with his own ideologies which takes him on a personal and solitary journey to find his place in his changing homeland.

Nineteen-year-old Wang Yuan arrives home on a winter's night to the home of his wealthy war lord father, Wang the Tiger. Yuan grows up fearing and loving his father, but after an absence returns wearing...