People's Concern: A Long Novel Painfully Depicting the Downsizing and Entrepreneurship of Contemporary Urban Workers

Author: You Lingjun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-16
Features: What can a woman do when laid off? What should a man do when unemployed? This is a poignant novel about the layoffs and survival struggles of urban workers in contemporary China. It depicts the suffering of a laid-off worker, Shengzi, who faces the issue of unemployment, followed by his wife divorcing him and their desperate struggle for basic living. In this era, all hardships are opportunities. Amidst his confusion, he uses his own hands to build a world for himself: starting with selling watermelons, running a clothing business, and eventually rebuilding his company with a group of laid-off colleagues. He once again proves the vow of "men must be self-reliant."
This is a poignant novel about the layoffs and entrepreneurship of urban workers in contemporary China. The protagonist, Shengzi, is a foreman at a mechanical parts factory in a northern city. After being laid off, he was once confused, lost, self-deprecating, lamenting his unfair fate, and even furious at the world. For the sake of his mother and son, he tried renting a shop but failed, sold watermelons by renting a truck but was extorted by thugs, and helped Ruizi sell clothing but was cheated out of thousands of yuan by a small clothing dealer. After experiencing multiple setbacks and failures, he finally bravely stood up, "believe in yourself and start over," and tirelessly explored ways to survive, stubbornly fighting against an unfair destiny. With the attitude of a tough man and a strong individual, he established his own "Shengda" plumbing repair and installation company, leading a group of laid-off workers and their families on a difficult yet hopeful and bright path of entrepreneurship. With the spirit of "a drop of water wears away a stone" and a meticulous work ethic, he overcame his and realized his life's value.
The book also describes Shengzi's divorce from his wife Mei, who wanted to study abroad, his emotional entanglement with Ruizi, his former girlfriend and a wealthy clothing store owner, and his romantic relationship with Chuan'er, a public relations girl from the clothing factory. It particularly focuses on his emotional journey with Yan'er, a laid-off woman from a chemical plant who had suffered abuse from her husband, Shen Xiaoliang, from their accidental meeting to deep understanding, to falling in love and eventually living together.