The Love of That Time: There's a Girl Named Liulian in Hainan

Author: Qingqiu Zi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This is a long romantic love story with the charm of a Chinese "Juyu Fragrance," pure and sorrowful. The story takes place in a picturesque mountain village in Hainan. Bai Ruochuan, an employee of a company in Haikou, is temporarily assigned to supervise the company's turtle farm, where he meets the village girl Liulian and her father, Elder Wu. Bai develops close ties with Liulian and her father, discovering their innocent and beautiful inner worlds while also feeling pity for their difficult living conditions. During this interaction, Bai Ruochuan and Liulian develop a faint yet sincere affection, but they are ultimately hindered by the obstacles of society, leaving it like a mirage in the water and moon in the mirror. For a period, Elder Wu suffers from continuous illness and misfortune, disrupting the tranquility of their life. Liulian is unwilling to waste her time in the lonely village and longs to start a new life with Bai Ruochuan in Haikou, but in the end, this sole hope also becomes a bubble. The turtle farm where Bai Ruochuan works is filled with turmoil due to various conflicts of interest with the local villagers. The desires and interests of diverse characters intertwine, presenting a vivid picture of contemporary rural life. The novel's style is elegant and pure, with a subtle charm reminiscent of Shen Congwen. It offers unique descriptions of local customs and natural scenery. The main characters are vividly portrayed, rich in personality, as if they are right before your eyes. Other characters, such as the village head Huo Ban, the turtle farm worker Old Jin, the supervisor Xiao Guo, and the rural individualist Ma Widow, are also full of vitality and embody the typical traits of rural figures. The novel reflects the various changes and contradictions in rural life in the late 1990s, revealing the inner worlds of the underprivileged. Through a small corner, it depicts the entirety of rural life, making it a rare and outstanding work of rural literature in recent years.