''Fire and Rain'' is a 1964 Taiwanese novel by romance novelist Chiung Yao. One of her best-known works, it has been adapted multiple times into film and TV dramas.

Plot

The story follows a young girl Lu Yi-ping whose father Lu Chen-hua had for years been a warlord in

Northeast China Northeast China or Northeastern China () is a geographical region of China, which is often referred to as "Manchuria" or "Inner Manchuria" by surrounding countries and the West. It usually corresponds specifically to the three provinces east of t ...

, where he forcibly married many girls, before fleeing the 1949

Chinese Communist Revolution The Chinese Communist Revolution, officially known as the Chinese People's War of Liberation in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and also known as the National Protection War against the Communist Rebellion in the Republic of China (ROC ...

for Taiwan (presumably after joining the

National Revolutionary Army The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; ), sometimes shortened to Revolutionary Army () before 1928, and as National Army () after 1928, was the military arm of the Kuomintang (KMT, or the Chinese Nationalist Party) from 1925 until 1947 in China ...

to fight the communists as many minor warlords did during the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

). In

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

, Lu Yi-ping and her mother live in utter poverty, and she swears revenge on her father's household, who live in luxury. After realizing her half-sister Lu Ru-ping fancies reporter Ho Shu-huan, she actively seeks his love as part of her scheme. She and Ho Shu-huan fall in love, but Ho is furious when he discovers she has used him. In his fury, he promises Ru-ping he would marry her instead. Yi-ping is heartbroken and becomes ill. Ho Shu-huan is very concerned and tells Yi-ping that he didn't mean to leave her and that he doesn't actually love Ru-ping. Yi-ping exposes the affair of Ru-ping's mother Hsueh-chin, and Ru-ping, who has been on an emotional roller-coaster all this time, commits suicide. Lu Chen-hua also dies from shock and anger, leaving Yi-ping full of remorse. By this point, Yi-ping has forgiven the Lu household, but it's too late to save her love with Ho Shu-huan. He leaves her for good.

Characters

Note: Lu Hsin-ping who died in the late 1940s was 7 years older than Lu Yi-ping.

Translations

* (English) The novel has also been translated to Dutch (as ''Vuur en regen''), Danish (as ''Ild og regn''), Indonesian (as ''Kabut Cinta'') and Vietnamese (as ''Dòng sông ly biệt''), among other languages.

Adaptations

*''

The Rain of Sorrow ''The Rain of Sorrow'' is a 1965 Taiwanese film directed by Wang Yin, based on Chiung Yao's 1964 novel '' Fire and Rain''. The film stars Wang Yin himself, as well as 21-year-old Gua Ah-leh in her acting debut. Wang Yin handpicked Gua Ah-leh, a re ...

'', a 1965 Taiwanese film starring Gua Ah-leh as Lu Yi-ping. *''Misty Rain'', a 1973 Hong Kong TV series starring Louise Lee as Lu Yi-ping. This adaptation is set in Hong Kong. *''

Lovers Under the Rain ''Lovers Under the Rain'' is a 1986 Taiwanese television drama series based on Chiung Yao's 1964 romance novel '' Fire and Rain''. Mainly set in 1960s Taipei, the story follows a young girl Lu Yi-ping as she plotted revenge against her father—for ...

'', a 1986 Taiwanese TV series starring Leanne Liu as Lu Yi-ping. *'' Romance in the Rain'', a 2001 Chinese TV series starring

Zhao Wei Zhao Wei (; born 12 March 1976), also known as Vicky Zhao or Vicki Zhao, is a Chinese actress, businesswoman, film director, producer and pop singer. She is considered one of the most popular actresses in China and Chinese-speaking regions, an ...

as Lu Yi-ping. This adaptation is set in 1930s

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

rather than 1960s Taipei. {{Chiung Yao Novels by Chiung Yao Chinese novels adapted into films 1964 novels