Shanghai Diary

Author: Ye Xin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Shanghai Diary is another innovative work meticulously crafted by Ye Xin in recent years, following his creation of Huadu. Unlike his previous works, the focus of this novel has shifted. The author turns his gaze to the millions of migrants and new urbanites who after the reform and opening-up, highlighting the story of Quan Xiaoliang, a college student from a remote mountainous area in Guizhou, who struggles to integrate into the life of Shanghai's metropolis. The novel unfolds in a diary format, narrating the sweet, sour, bitter, and tumultuous experiences of the protagonist Quan Xiaoliang after his graduation. He works hard, determined to achieve success, but is dismissed by his employer; his beautiful childhood sweetheart, Miao Shan, ultimately marries someone else due to the pressures of survival and her disillusionment with love; he believes his youth, good looks, talent, and loyalty will win the favor and love of a wealthy woman, allowing him to live a luxurious and fulfilling life and become a so-called "upper class person," only to be cruelly retaliated against and abandoned by her. The characters' fates in the novel are full of twists and turns, and the engaging storyline fully depicts the rich and diverse living conditions of contemporary new Shanghai people, their joys, sorrows, confusions, and worries, as well as their pursuit and longing for a new life. Shanghai Diary is another innovative work meticulously crafted by Ye Xin in recent years, following his creation of Huadu. Unlike his previous works, the focus of this novel has shifted. The author turns his gaze to the millions of migrants and new urbanites who after the reform and opening-up, highlighting the story of Quan Xiaoliang, a college student from a remote mountainous area in Guizhou, who struggles to integrate into the life of Shanghai's metropolis. The novel unfolds in a diary format, narrating the sweet, sour, bitter, and tumultuous experiences of the protagonist Quan Xiaoliang after his graduation. He works hard, determined to achieve success, but is dismissed by his employer; his beautiful childhood sweetheart, Miao Shan, ultimately marries someone else due to the pressures of survival and her disillusionment with love; he believes his youth, good looks, talent, and loyalty will win the favor and love of a wealthy woman, allowing him to live a luxurious and fulfilling life and become a so-called "upper class person," only to be cruelly retaliated against and abandoned by her.