Mao--Su Tong Works Series

Author: Su Tong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: "Nourishment is the paramount concern of the people," Su Tong's Rice tells the life journey of the protagonist, Wulong, as he overcomes hunger and poverty, accompanied by the decline of a family across three generations, the entanglement and conflict between the countryside and the city, and the trap of sexual desire that follows the satisfaction of appetite. Wulong comes for "rice" and ultimately dies on a pile of rice on the train back home. The entire novel is filled with an enjoyable reading experience, yet it is not devoid of profound meaning. Critics have called it "half history, half fable," and others have described it as a delicate work with Chinese traditional characteristics, akin to a "rice carving." In summary, Rice is one of the most noteworthy novels among Su Tong's few long works.