In saving a single person you save the entire world.

Qian Xiuling saved 110 Belgian hostages from the German Nazis during World War II. A woman from southeast China born into a powerful family, she was awarded the "Hero of the State" medal for her gallantry by the Belgian government after the war. She later became known as the "Schindler of China".

But why did Qian leave her comfortable life to study abroad in Europe? She graduated with two doctorates in chemistry and physics from the Catholic University of Leuvain. She could have done anything. Instead, she chose to be a nurse in a remote village, where she assisted her doctor husband. How did Qian and her elder cousin, Lieutenant General Qian Zhuolun, cooperate with the German General Alexander von Falkenhausen to realize a heroic feat that would stun the world? And as the honors and accomplishments flowed to her, why were her final words to the world "Forget me"?

Famed writer Xu Feng spent 16 years researching and preparing materials for this book, including visiting and interviewing Qian's descendants, old friends, and the only hostage still living today. He obtained exclusive details of stories once forgotten and rescued precious historical materials lost in time. Employing narrative literary techniques and styles to tell a true story for which he is known, Xu Feng has recreated an engaging historical moment, brilliantly conveying the turbulence of an era through which the valiant qualities of a woman shine. Qian's story elevates the noble spirit of internationalism, humanity's aspirations for peace over war, the ultimate struggle for justice over evil, life over death, and humaneness in the face of barbarity.

About the author

Xu Feng is a distinguished Chinese writer of novels, prose works and biographies. He has published 17 works with a total of 5 million words, including Buyi Huzong (Chinese Ceramic Master: Biography of Gu Jingzhou), Hua Fei Hua (A Flower in the Haze: Biography of Jiang Rong) and Jiangnan Fanhuang Lu (Records of Jiangnan). He has won many prominent literary prizes in China such as the Chinese Good Book Award, Chinese Writers Literature Award, Chinese Biography Award, Bing Xin Prose Award, Xu Chi Reportage Prize, and many others.