Fort Fish

Overview

The happy lives of the citizens of Fort Fish are about to be turned upside down by what seems to be a natural disaster. But as events unfold, two survivors of the deadly tsunami, Sifu and his sister Shuiruo, learn that the disaster was anything but natural. Rather, it was the result of careless human activity.Despite the devastation of their home, their family, and their lives, Sifu, Shuiruo, and their friend Fuxi are not giving up, but are determined to lead their race to a new life on the Purple Planet. When an unexpected guest, the human girl Qiqi, arrives in Sifu’s home, the siblings must decide how to respond to this child of the land, a member of the race that has callously taken from them everything they love. In the remnants of Fort Fish, Sifu, Shuiruo, Fuxi, and Qiqi race against the continuing destruction of their home to lead all the survivors in fishdom to a happier, healthier life on the Purple Planet. But as soon as they set foot on their new would-be home, unexpected challenges arise that put the prospect of the continuation of their race at risk. Fort Fish does not shy away from important controversial issues humankind faces today. By inviting readers to consider these issues from the perspective of the races that live beneath the surface of our planet’s waters, we are challenged to reconsider the behaviors that are leading to the rampant destruction of the Earth, and of the habitats of the countless creatures that dwell here. The story of the inhabitants of Fort Fish and their fight for survival takes the reader under the sea, onto the land, and into the furthest reaches of space. Along the way, we are shown glimpses of important slices of history and myth that encompass our interaction with all life, on land, in the sea, and in space. Join Sifu and his friends on this adventure that explores our world and our relationship to it.

Author Biography

Li Juan was born in Sichuan’s Lezhi County in 1979 at the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Division 7 Group 123, located in the Tacheng District of Wusu, in Chepaizi Village. She began writing in 1999. A mother of a five-year-old child, she holds a doctorate, and is a college instructor. She has always been engaged in literary creation, and pays close attention to the natural and social ecology. She has written columns for Southern Weekend, Wen Hui Newspaper, and other publications. She has published several essays, including “Nine Essays on Snow,” “My Altay,” “Altay’s Corner,” “Please Sing When Walking at Night,” the “Sheep” trilogy, and “Winter Ranch,” and also several essays in the traditional Chinese version. She has won the People’s Literary Award, the Shanghai Literature Award, the Flower Literature Award, the Tianshan Art Award, and the Zhu Ziqing Essay Award, among others.