Ox and Horse Walk - (Complete Version)

Author: Zhang Henshu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Mid-war Chongqing, the capital of China under Japanese occupation, was the time around the Pearl Harbor attack. Prices soared, and resources were scarce. The novel follows two main storylines: the upright and well-read Quanzhuang family and the Ximen De couple, who pose as psychology doctors but are actually brokers. It weaves in various characters such as bankers, officials, speculators, socialites, civil servants, village heads, team leaders, sedan bearers, and street vendors, painting a vivid picture of ordinary people struggling to survive, doctors giving up their professions, teachers switching careers, and the miserable lives of those toiling like oxen. It also depicts the corruption of the upper class, where officials are also merchants, merchants are also officials, rampant speculation, indulgence in feasts, and the ugly phenomenon of "the front is tight, but the rear eats recklessly."