"the fall of the pagoda" is a semi-autobiographical novel written originally by eileen chang in english. she finished writing the book in 1963 while she was in the united states. eileen chang decided to launch her american career with this book and "the book of change" but failed to find a publisher. in this book, she depicted her childhood years in tianjin and shanghai of the 1930s, while the "book of change" revolved around her wartime student days in hong kong.