Summary

The last three chapters of Part 0 are shorter than the other chapters in the novel. Chapter 3 follows Marie’s investigations into Ai-ming’s disappearance in China. Tofu Liu puts Marie in contact with Yiwen and Marie asks her about Ai-ming. Yiwen tells Marie that she last heard from Ai-ming in 1998 through a few letters. The chapter ends with Marie reflecting on her father’s relationship with classical music and his own emotions.

Chapter 2 follows Sparrow’s experience as the student movement momentum grows. The government begins to blame the workers for the aggression of the movement, shifting the narrative away from the students. Violence erupts as the government sends in armed troops to enforce martial law in Beijing. Sparrow tells Ai-ming to stay in the house with her mother Ling, but after he leaves, she sneaks out with Yiwen. Ai-ming and Yiwen find...