Cattle—Mo Yan's Best: Mo Yan's Best

Author: Mo Yan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: During the Cultural Revolution, the mischievous teenager Luo Han dropped out of school and stayed home, herding cattle with Du Shao Nian, the team's livestock caretaker. Due to poverty, they couldn't afford to raise more cattle. The team leader Ma Shu invited Comrade Dong from the People's Commune Veterinary Station to castrate the three young bulls—Shuang Ji, Da Lu, and Xiao Lu. After the surgery, Luo Han, Du Da Ye, and the three bulls lived together day and night, enduring hardships as they recovered. Eventually, Da Lu and Xiao Lu recovered. However, the stubborn and unruly Shuang Ji died after suffering from severe bleeding during the surgery and postoperative infection, enduring days of torment before meeting his fate.
Mo Yan, a renowned contemporary Chinese writer, is celebrated for his unique creative techniques and has earned a prominent place in Chinese literature. To date, he has published nearly ten full-length novels and over a hundred short stories and novellas. His novels, with their vibrant colors, novel sensations, and rich, distinctive imagery, present an artistic world in the Beixiang of Gaomi County, reminiscent of the Macondo town in Gabriel García Márquez's works, to the extent that some critics have called Mo Yan China's own Gabriel García Márquez. His memories of rural life serve as the and background for many of his literary works.