Horse and ox walk

Author: Zhang Henshu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Mid-war Chongqing, the capital of China during the Anti-Japanese War, was the time around the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. 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 a cast of characters including bankers, officials, speculators, socialites, civil servants, village headmen, local leaders, sedan chair carriers, and street vendors. It portrays the struggles of ordinary people struggling to make ends meet, 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 food and drink, and the ugly phenomenon of "frontline is tight, rear is tight."