Journey of the Divine (The Shadow Fan Series #3)

They are lined up like Terracotta warriors, leading a puppet-like life. Anyone who has ever raised a cat or a dog knows how they will guard their cubs. Similarly, people are mammals. A woman who abandons her child lives with a bleeding heart. Throughout the many years of my working life, I found that I could no longer trust people. All my contacts were quite superficial, and sometimes I was even afraid to greet people. I thought about this so hard every day, and my mental condition did not deteriorate. This year, my mother called me on the phone and told me that our production team was collecting land to build the Zhengwan high-speed train station.

The residence permit of my daughters and me and the whole family of my big brother is still registered in the village, where we have land. With the village confiscating land, they only give The team leader posted an announcement that every household needed to send a legal representative to file a complaint with the government, and needed to fight for their own rights.

Since my brother was out to work, my mother was the only one who could represent our family. Mother told me that she followed the legal rights team and went to the town hall, county administration, and city hall. Wherever they went, they were pushed back by the youngsters working as guards to maintain social stability.

The captain of the legal rights team was sixty years old, the youngest member of the team, and he broke four ribs. The guards were conscientious about my eighty-year-old mother, and they did not push her, but they did pull her away by the arm. In doing so, they dislocated her shoulder. The acre of land was bought up for Per capita it is already very little, but how can the few people who cannot work continue to live?

There are no authorities who want to think about it, there are no people willing to think about their soul. In every corner of the Divine Land, it is this way, and everyone has accepted the misfortunes as decreed by fate. I think of the cold wind in the first month of the lunar year, and how my year-old mother is still fighting for her children who did not make something of themselves, how she is running for her children. I can only be here, writing these words, expressing my shame.

What else can I do? What can I do for my mother? Mother is a good person. In my childhood, most of the people in our village were picking fights with the immigrants from Jun prefecture behind our house, who moved there to repair the Danjiangkou reservoir. Jun Prefecture city is now underwater. My mother, as a strong person within the village, on top of the pyramid, always appeared to stop the bullying of the immigrants. When I grew up and came to the big city to survive, I became the weak one at the lowest rung of society. As the daughter of a strong rural woman, I was often bullied by people in the city.

I would then think: Or is it how genes work? Since then, I have had this idea that I will pass on love and dignity to everyone I meet who is weaker than I am. I am incompetent, I am so poor, but I can still do something!

Mark Hamill - IMDb

In the streets of Beijing, I embrace every disabled homeless person. I embrace every mentally ill person. My eldest daughter told me that since she went to work at a cultural company, she gets a bottle of Huiyuan Juice every day. My daughter is not used to drinking juice. Every day after work, she will take the drink to the homeless grannie who is collecting scraps at the waste bin near the company gate, and she will give it to her.

Do not reproduce our content without permission — you can contact us at info whatsonweibo. Manya Koetse is the editor-in-chief of www. She is a writer and consultant Sinologist, MPhil on social trends in China, with a focus on social media and digital developments, popular culture, and gender issues. Contact at manya whatsonweibo. Hopefully one person with loads of money is willing to make a movie out of this story. Thanks for the translation. Thank you for your sensitive translation, Manya Koetse.

A powerful and truthful look at the real lives of people in China—gripping, human and heart-felt. I speaks to the human spirit in all of us. I think anyone from any country or culture can relate to her story. Thanks Fan Yusu for writing this and Manya for translating it for us. Your email address will not be published. First published November 16 China Standard Time. They might have aired 30 years ago, but some TV dramas just never get old. We have listed the greatest classic Chinese TV dramas of all time, that, either because of their high-production value or historic ratings, are still talked about today.

The drama, live broadcasted by Beijing Television, sent out a message of frugality, as one young girl warns her sister not to waste food by remembering her of their difficult past and brave mother, who died of hunger while even refusing to eat the last bit of food, a vegetable pancake. Much has changed within those sixty years. After a time when the production of TV dramas practically came to a standstill during the Cultural Revolution, the late s and early s saw a boom in the popularity of television dramas, along with a spike in households that owned their own TV.

Since the s, mainland China has gone from a country where most television dramas were imported from outside the country, to one that has the most thriving domestic TV drama industry in the world. Some TV dramas in this list have become classics through time, some are fairly new but have already become classics within their genre. Most of these series will have links redirecting to available versions on Youtube or elsewhere — unless written otherwise, they do not have English subtitles. This article is focused on those classics that have been important for the TV drama industry and audiences of mainland China.

These dramas are listed in chronological order of appearance, not listed based on rankings. This TV drama became such a sensation across China in , that it also became known as the Chinese equivalent to the classic Godfather series. The series has become such a classic that it still plays an important role in popular culture of China today, with newer films and TV dramas also being based on the original series the mainland China TV series Shanghai Bund , for example, is a remake of the original. War Drama Watch the first episode here on Youtube.

Despite the fact that the TV drama itself was somewhat poorly produced, it still gets high ratings on sites such as QQ Video or Douban today. Fun fact by Ruoyun Bai see references: The uniforms that were used, were not up to par: This popular TV series is centered around Ji Gong, the folk hero and Chan Buddhist monk who lived in the Southern Song and, according to legend, had supernatural powers and spent his whole life helping the poor. Before Heaven Above later in this list , it is thus one of the very first dramas to focus on corruption as a theme, and it also caused a buzz at the time for doing so — most people over 50 in China today will probably remember this TV series today.

This is an all-time favorite TV series in China that is still rated with a 9. Even today, this CCTV TV series from is still rated as one of the best Chinese television series of all time on Sogou, where viewers rate it with a 9. The female director Guo Xinling was a Party member who worked on many televised works during her career. Just as many others of the series in this list based on classic novels, there are remakes of these series in recent times.

The series, set in Beijing, tells the story of working-class woman Liu Huifang and her unlikely marriage to the middle-class Wang Husheng, a university graduate who comes from a family of intellectuals. When Huifang finds an abandoned baby, she adopts it against the will of her husband. As the first TV series that focused on the hopes and dreams of ordinary Chinese people, the success of Yearnings was unprecedented, and it formed the beginning of Chinese television drama as we know it today.

This is the first cross-strait co-production, as a Taiwanese TV series filmed in mainland China. But when this drama aired in the early s, it was something quite new. It was the beginning of a drama genre that turned out to be hugely popular, with many new television series focusing on emperors and empresses in their youth or their tumultuous lives during the height of their power Barme , Perhaps, this series will always be a classic just because it was one of the first within its genre. As many of the classics in this list, this hit TV series is also based on a folk legend, namely that of Madame White Snake e , a mythical snake-like spirit who strives to be human, which is a source for many major Chinese operas, films.

In , it was still one of the most replayed TV series. Even on IMDB, it is rated with an 8. YouTube Buy novel in English: Beijinger in New York. The TV series marks a first in several aspects. It was the first Chinese-language TV show to be shot in the United States, but it was also the first time ever for the production of a Chinese TV drama that a bank loan was used in order to make it possible Bai , 83 ; in other words, it also marks the start of a more commercialized TV drama environment.

It has since been rerun on local channels countless of times. At the time of I Love My Family , sitcoms were mostly characterized by their low production cost; three episodes were made within five working days Di , Historical drama Produced in Taiwan Some episodes on Youtube here. The series was originally scheduled for just 15 episodes, but was received so well when it aired on Chinese Television System, that it was eventually expanded to episodes.

Historical drama Directed by: THe show has been watched by some 1,2 billion people around the world Hongb , This series focues on two Chinese men and two American women, of which one seduces one of the Chinese married men. The show was a big hit in the mids. Behind the Scenes of a New China about her experiences of playing in the show and her life in China at the time.

This series is still rated with a 9. This epic TV drama was loosely based on historical events in the reigns of the Kangxi and Yongzheng Emperors, and became one of the most watched television series in mainland China of the s. This is one of the most important TV series in this list. The historical drama was not without controversy, and some parts of it have been censored in mainland China.

The original series had 60 episodes, which was later brought down to The TV drama has also been a fruitful topic for scholars for its representation of history. In the book Representing History in Chinese Media: There are almost 40, netizens ranking this TV drama on Douban , where it scores a 8. The TV drama, which is also known as Romantic Life in English, dramatizes memories of the Cultural Revolution, focusing on a group of friends, their hopes and dreams, and their romantic life. It is set in Beijing in the late period of the Cultural Revolution A Novel Watch on Youtube.

The story became well-known by the movie of the same title by Zhang Yimou, which became an international success. It was first broadcast on Hunan TV in China in On Douban , more than people have reviewed this movie at time of writing, coming up with a score of 9. The drama was also broadcasted in other countries, such as South Korea. Urban Drama Directed by: Also known as Snail House , this TV drama was all the rage back in for its focus on the crazy housing market in urban China and the lives of ordinary Chinese who are struggling to survive in the city while living in small spaces.

Dwelling Narrowness , based on a novel by the same name, tells the story of two sisters with very different lifestyles who are looking to find a home in Shanghai or actually, the fictional city of Jiangzhou, that basically represents Shanghai , and improve their quality of life, each in their own way. In the year of its broadcast, Wall Street Journal featured an article dedicated to the series and the discussions it triggered online. Rated with a 9. Moral Peanuts is a multiple season series started in , that follows a gang of five young friends who live together and earn their living in a fraudulent way.

Corruption drama Directed by: Li Lu Available with English subtitles here. In , this TV drama became a true craze on Chinese social media and received a lot of coverage in international media for being comparable to the American political drama House of Cards. Contemporary historical drama Episodes: The series is great in providing insights into how people used to live, from dress to daily life matter. The scenery and sets are beautiful. Consumption, Content and Crisis.

Want to know more? By Manya Koetse Follow whatsonweibo. Chinese Television and Politics. University of British Columbia Press. Hong Kong University Press. Gains, Losses, and Implications. State University of New York Press. Hong Kong University Press; Wang, Min and Arvind Singhal. Directly support Manya Koetse. By supporting this author you make future articles possible and help the maintenance and independence of this site.

Donate directly through Paypal here. Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. The best books to understand modern China — from society and history to gender and online language.

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This list was compiled based on own preference and that of many readers whom we asked about their favorite sources within this category. If you think certain books are not here that should be here within these categories, please let us know in the comments below and we might compile a second list in the future.

There are many great books out there on modern China, and a lot of them are written in Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, Dutch, and many other languages — but for the scope of this particular list, we have chosen just to focus on the books that have come out in the English language. Interestingly, outside of the USA, this same book is sold under a different title: The Struggle for Survival.

Forgotten Ally — Rana Mitter. It is estimated that more than 45 million lives were claimed during the Great Leap Forward — a project that was meant to make China a greater nation than the United Kingdom within a time frame of 15 years. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press has a series of short introductions to over different subjects, from Globalization to Foucault and from Shakespeare to Nothing.

A Very Short Introduction Audiobook: This is one of the works many of our readers recommend as a book that really helps to understand China. Through personal and historical narratives, Peter Hessler moves between present and history in this work, telling stories that go from the ancient oracle bones to modern-day urbanization. Schoppa has a very clear and no-nonsense approach to Chinese history, explaining the importance of crucial events over the past century and how they came to form modern China.

The Search for Modern China Audiobook: Spence Get on Book Depository: The Search for Modern China. Three Daughters of China. Practically every garage sale or thrift shop nowadays has a copy of Wild Swans lying around since its immense success in the s. The book is an account of the tumultuous Chinese 20th century from the perspective of three generations of women. It is a personal account of Jung Chang, the author, but offers a glimpse into an incredible time in the history of China in a personal and captivating way that more formal history books could never do.

An absolute recommendation for anyone who wants to know more about how the Cultural Revolution and the period before and after affected Chinese women, families, and society at large. Three Daughters of China Get on iTunes: Three Daughters of China Audiobook: The Return of Religion After Mao. While many books on the transformation of Chinese modern society focus on the mushrooming of new companies, the rapid urbanization of China, or its staggering consumerism, Ian Johnson takes on an entirely different, yet so important, topic in this work; religion and spirituality in the post-Mao era.

One person interviewed by Johnson for this book said: The Souls of China: Brand new skyscrapers and shopping malls, but silent streets and empty apartments. The city of Ordos, Inner Mongolia, is one of the most famous. Ghost Cities of China: Ghost Cities of China. Like Peter Hessler, whose work is also in this list, Evan Osnos is one of the names that recurringly comes up when asking people about their favorite books to understand China.

Florian Schneider, lecturer at Leiden University, is an expert in taking popular phenomena or events in China and analyzing the greater discourse behind them. In this work, that was awarded with the EastAsiaNet Award, Schneider focuses on Chinese TV drama series; with China being one of the largest producer and consumer of TV drama in the world, this form of entertainment plays a significant role in the popular culture of China and is a powerful tool to guide public opinion. Schneider gives a nuanced overview of the complicated processes involved in producing TV dramas in China, examining important and highly interesting questions relating to the major players in the TV drama market and how they influence drama discourses, the political-ideological frameworks of television series, and the role of TV entertainment in regulating Chinese society.

China in Ten Words Get on iTunes: China in Ten Words Audiobook: China in Ten Words Unabridged. China has a booming celebrity culture, which plays an enormous role in the social media environment and popular culture in general. This is also the reason why this book in this list; it is the first book-length exploration of celebrities in contemporary China. Celebrity in China Get on Bookdepository: Politics and Everyday Life in a Changing Society. What is it like to be a Westerner teaching political philosophy in an officially Marxist state? Why do Chinese sex workers sing karaoke with their customers?

And why do some Communist Party cadres get promoted if they care for their elderly parents? These are some of the questions addressed in this book by Daniel Bell, drawing on personal experiences to explain how Chinese society is transforming so quickly while still sticking to old traditions — of which Confucianism is one of the most important ones. Media, Arts, and Lifestyle.

Anyone interested in pop culture in China cannot understand the current environment without understanding where it came from — and this book provides a full overview of that environment from to Weibo and Collective Remembering in Contemporary China. In this publication, Eileen Le Han looks at the development of microblogging platform Sina Weibo from the perspective of collective memory. The author notes that there is a strong desire to remember what is happening and an anxiety over forgetting on this platform.

What is remembered for what reasons, and what is forgotten? But the 15 different chapters in this book each give unique insights into the world of media and religion in China, such as that on Buddhism online or digital Islam, which will be helpful and refreshing to anyone interested in modern China and how it deals with religion and the media.

Religion and Media in China. Internet Literature in China Get on iTunes: Internet Literature in China Get on Bookdepository: Internet Literature in China. Let Voices Speak: In this book, she offers an in-depth introduction and exploration of the various market forces in Chinese media, going deeper into the existing polarisation in discourses on media marketizing in China — which is that they either emphasize growing liberalization or growing control.

She argues that in the case of the PRC, market-based media promote regime stability rather than destabilizing authoritarianism. Media Commercialization and Authoritarian Rule in China. Hundreds of books have been written about him and his company. Because he plays such an important role in the business and celebrity culture of China today, we had to include at least one book about Ma in this list. According to Dutch China tech blogger Ed Sander , this book is worth reading for those who want to know more about the business side of how Ma created his empire.

The House that Jack Ma Built. Smartphones, Xiaomi, and the Chinese Dream. By Clay Shirky, So many books have already been written in the English language about the success of companies such as Apple or Samsung; Xiaomi does deserve more attention, and this account of the rise of this tech giant also shines a light on Chinese political power and how Chinese tech brands are shaping present-day economy in China.

For those familiar with the controversy about this book when it just came out with regards to Leftover Women by Leta Hong Fincher also in this list , we recommend reading both books so readers can form their own opinion based on the texts at hand.

“I Am Fan Yusu” (我是范雨素) (Full Translation)

The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China. Fincher explores and explains the challenges women in China face when it comes to issues such as real estate, economic well-being, and gender inequality within marriage. In doing so, this book has become an important work for anyone studying gender relations in China today.

Burger, who once ran Peking Duck , one of the first English-language blogs on China, offers a colorful and different perspective on Chinese culture and society through the lens of how it deals with sex. As the author points out, there are some dramatic contradictions when it comes to sex in China; on the one hand, society seems to be very liberal on sexuality, on the other hand, it is extremely repressed. Burger discusses a variety of topics, from marriage, views on premarital sex and virginity to prostitution and homosexuality. Behind the Red Door: Sex in China Get on iTunes: Behind the Red Door.

Voices from the Heart of Modern China. This book focuses on the factory life of various women in Dongguan, southern China, and the hardships and hierarchy they face in everyday factory life.

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With so many languages and dialects alive in China today, Moser provides an essential and accessible linguistic history of China. China Online On iTunes: China Online On Bookdepository: But his city isn't paradise for everyone. If the Lexes network misfires, and a citizen wakes up and steps out of line, the Bat and his minions are brutal in restoring the status quo.

So when young Kara Gordon, whose ridealong tech has never functioned optimally, rushes headlong into the Freescape, she's shocked to find Gotham City Garage-where new friends might become family, if she lives long enough. Cassie Hack has been living off the grid, but when a new monstrous threat arises to torment promiscuous teens, it's time for Cassie to pick up the baseball bat once again!

Gory, sexy, twisted, and funny The team-up event you've been waiting for is a high stakes game of chance when they have to take on The Queen of Hearts! That's the plan-after the town drains the wetlands that lie between it and Gotham City and then builds a new campus. A certain botany-obsessed super-villain. When Poison Ivy enlists her bestie, Harley, to kidnap both Veronica Lodge, daughter of Riverdale's most important citizen, and her friend Betty, she's counting on some assistance-and the mayhem that ensues will probably work as well!

DC Comics and Archie are proud to present the adventure of a lifetime for all these best pals. West CA Santi Casas When dark forces conspire to corrupt the fabric of reality, Eddie's immortal soul is shattered and strewn across the cosmos, his unbound essence corrupting countless worlds! Now, a weakened, primal Eddie must journey across space and time to battle the twisted legions of The Beast, seek out the lost shards of his soul, and bring order to the realms. With each victory, and with the aid of old friends, Eddie will restore his fearsome powers as he draws ever closer to facing the Unholy foe behind his fall - and thwarting a plot to unravel all of Creation!

The first official Iron Maiden comic series, based on the band's hit mobile role playing game, Iron Maiden: Legacy Of The Beast, where players battle as Eddie across the many worlds of Iron Maiden's discography, from the ancient sands of Powerslave to the far future of the Final Frontier. Jughead Jones is a werewolf, and Reggie Mantle has fallen victim to Jughead's monstrous ways. Werewolf Hunter along with Archie Andrews are hot on the trail of Jughead. Now, his banished son from Earth will inherit the Wizard King's throne along with a spell that turns its user into GOD.

With enemies everywhere, will this Orlando-born millennial be able to keep his new magic kingdom? Stories about him were told in whispers, if at all. Don't miss this epic new series! As Rory battles his guilt back in Gotham City, he discovers that what was in that tomb has followed him home, and it's about to change his life. But as Rory begins his journey, an evil is invading Gotham City, and it wants what he's discovered.