Dragonworld
Thirteen year old Zhaishao, whose soft cheeks have yet to witness their first spot, and who has yet to develop a life he can call his own, keeps all his assets on his hard drive: pirated movies, music...
View ArticleWhere Did I Lose You?
Wang You had long forgotten when it was that he was first given somebody’s name card. Nor had he the faintest recollection of the occasion, whose card it was, their job title, what the person looked...
View ArticleThe Northern Border
This is how he passes through the town: you see his thin, stooped shadow emerge from the sidelong glance of the sunlight – it is the first month of the lunar new year, and the flashing sun has just...
View ArticleTwo Young Women From Fuyang
In the early winter of 1971, our army was looking for new recruits in Fuyang, Zhejiang Province. Although an intake of 120 was planned, the actual number ended up being 128. Our Chief of Staff assigned...
View ArticleThe Path to Freedom
“Imagining the worst tomorrow makes me happy.The gloom of the future lights my path.”The children’s laughter penetrated the walls. They were playing in the garden downstairs. I never opened the...
View ArticleDad Your Name is Field-Keeper
I was this old before I remembered my father. Before, I didn’t know his name and had no memory of him. My mother never told me. In any case, she’s dead now. As she lay dying, I sat at her bed–side,...
View ArticleForty-Nine Degrees
She sat in a taxi, stuck on the main road in the Old Town district. White lines of paint clearly marked six lanes of traffic, but none of them were going anywhere. The road signs reflected the harsh...
View ArticleConvince Me
There were three of us in the lab, and our goal was to extend the life of white mice. To be more precise, we were researching the flaws in the DNA of each mouse, and finding ways to repair them....
View ArticleSaint Marie
I didn’t get on with my landlady. Why? Because she was too nice. Perhaps I should explain.The morning light was pouring through the window into my bedroom and the lamps in the flat were blazing...
View ArticleMetro Line Five
Shi Yu changed into a pink slip then lay down on the massage table. She hadn’t seen Zhu Xiyan this time. When she closed her eyes, the beauty treatment finally began. Just as the beautician was...
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Three Sketches of Peter Hessler
Hessler’s here. He has had three books published in China since 2011, and this is his first major meet-and-greet session with his readers here. Some say he’s the voice of the proletariat; the author of...
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The Spices of Life
Before Pi County New Town was built, the county town, Pitong, used to be so small it was like a yeerba– a sticky-rice bun filled with minced pork and greens – with all the townspeople squashed together...
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Letter to My Mother
I am in Baan Mae village, Sanpatong County, Chiangmai, Thailand. The sun has just gone down and night is drawing in. Darkness seeps across the rice fields, the bamboo forests, the banana palms and rape...
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Small Town
1You can find the same kind of park in every small town. They’re all identical: a park with a small lake covered in water lilies, a few wooden boats that nobody rows tied to the so-called jetty, bright...
View ArticleA Fortuneteller in a Modern Metropolis
Xian Yi wears brown-framed glasses and a permanent smile, holding a strand of prayer beads in his hand. While he talks, eats, and walks, the beads slip silently through his fingers. Something in the...
View ArticleSearching for Bodies
Under the moonlight, it seemed like they were all sleeping.On October 11th, the village hosted a big show. This was always the most lively time of year in the village. Stalls selling mutton soup, beef...
View ArticleLessons in the Law
Confucius had three thousand disciples, seventy-two of them truly masterful scholars. Zhao claimed the same was true of his classes: 2.4 percent were masterful scholars. 'They came to class with fire...
View ArticleMarch on Beijing - The Picun Writers Group Part 1
Introductionby Wu Qi, editor of One-Way Street MagazineA few years ago, the Picun Writers’ Group caught the attention of Chinese society and the wider world of letters. This was not simply because of...
View ArticleMarch on Beijing - The Picun Writers' Group Part 2
The Workshop Mouseby Guo FulaiI’ve been working in Picun, Beijing for almost half a year now, and my most vivid memory is of the mice we share our workspace with.Our main task was making counters and...
View ArticleMo Yan's Country
On the afternoon of 12 October 2012, Mo Yan appeared at a press conference in a hotel meeting room that has since become famous worldwide. The hotel was in Gaomi, Mo Yan’s hometown, a small city in...
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