Strange Currents in a Decade of My Life (Illustrated Edition) (Volumes 1 and 2) (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Wu Yanren
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book is one of the four late Qing era's "exposé novels" and is a semi-autobiographical novel by Wu Yanren, a Qing Dynasty novelist. It observes the world through the eyes of an innocent scholar just beginning his career, learns about real life from his interactions with others, and gradually peels away the truth hidden beneath the facade. The work primarily focuses on the officialdom and family life, providing us with vivid materials on the politics, economy, and cultural customs of late Qing society. It also shows us the human degradation and various vices brought about by the corrupt system. It reflects the numerous bizarre situations in China's officialdom, business world, and foreign quarters from the Sino-French War (1884-1885) to the early 20th century, depicting a social landscape of the declining Qing Empire. The work exposes the darkness of the officialdom and satirizes the ignorant and pretentious scholars of the foreign quarters. For the convenience of readers, the compiler has added some notes at the end of each chapter to explain the social systems, official terminology, and certain rites, cultural relics, and language that may not be familiar to contemporary readers.