Ends in 2005 (Upper and Lower)

Author: Zhan Feng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Starting from the gain and loss of land, the novel portrays the unique lives of farmers in the prosperous areas of the Pearl River Delta. With epic grandeur and the radiance of human nature, it illuminates the diverse pains and emotions, including sexuality, experienced by five generations of a family over a century in relation to land. This is the greatest highlight of the novel. Few countries have witnessed, in just over half a century, such tempestuous revolutions and reforms centered around land, ultimately leading to state ownership and the transformation of farmers into urban residents—a pinnacle of urban development. In the process, a village with a history of over six hundred years, already prosperous and bustling, comes to an end. The emotions and conflicts that arise are unprecedented and irreproducible, perhaps even untouched by any other writer. They belong solely to the people nurtured by that land, the specific regional culture, and the long-standing heritage. This is precisely what readers unfamiliar with this way of life may anticipate and is also the greatest feature of the novel.