Changganli
This story received Chinese National Best Network Novel Award for 2019.
In the fictional Chinese city of Nandu, the ancient walls have enclosed the neighborhood of Changganli for more than 600 years. In the 1950s, as the citizens of the country were extremely poor and wanted to develop as fast as possible, “relics” like the city wall were deemed an obstacle to modernization and the order went out to dismantle it. But there are those who are willing to die to preserve the city’s cultural heritage and the wall survives to become a vital element in the lives of five young friends who grow up in its shadow.
Coming of age in the 1980s and moving on to college and their careers, these five close friends then find themselves at odds about preserving their heritage and taking their fast-developing city into the next century, during the year 2018.
As the heroes and heroines of Changganli grapple with the conflict over what is worth saving in a world that’s changing so quickly, readers will find themselves just as conflicted over what’s right and what’s wrong. With nuanced and appealing characters and relationships; a white-hot conflict spanning generations; incidents of drama and horror; and deeply moving, star-crossed romances, Changganli introduces North American readers to the inestimable value and beauty of Chinese culture and tradition.
Coming of age in the 1980s and moving on to college and their careers, these five close friends then find themselves at odds about preserving their heritage and taking their fast-developing city into the next century, during the year 2018.
As the heroes and heroines of Changganli grapple with the conflict over what is worth saving in a world that’s changing so quickly, readers will find themselves just as conflicted over what’s right and what’s wrong. With nuanced and appealing characters and relationships; a white-hot conflict spanning generations; incidents of drama and horror; and deeply moving, star-crossed romances, Changganli introduces North American readers to the inestimable value and beauty of Chinese culture and tradition.
Reviews
“ A struggle between the desire of modernization and the need to preserve heritage” |
"In the convincing romance novel Changganli, four friends witness China’s emergence as a modern power." |
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Changganli is a first-rate novel, with deeply nuanced characters and relationships, a white-hot emotional conflict that fuels the whole plot. It is a good way for a western reader to get to know vital aspects of Chinese life as well.
_______Bai Gengsheng , Vice President of Chinese Writers Association An enjoyable novel that takes the reader through everyday China. The work gives intriguing insights to Chinese culture while creating a compelling story.
________ John Kleparchuk and Merrick McLean, Canadian readers |
Reading Changganli is like walking around the town. The novel melds Jiwen’s warmth of phraseology, passionate feelings, storytelling power and emotional grandeur into an organic whole. This is an extensive depiction filled with the countless complexities of a famous city known for its rich cultural history, its renowned city wall and its old town preservation efforts, through a story that unfolds with a free-flowing series of ups and downs, a plot with lively twists and turns, and deep concerns about the fate of its characters, touching upon many aspects of social life from ancient to modern times.
_________Fan Xiaoqing, President of the Jiangsu Province Writers Association |
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