Border Town - by Congwen Shen & Jeffrey C Kinkley (Paperback)

About the Book

New in the Harper Perennial Modern Chinese Classics series, Border" Town "is a classic Chinese novel banned by Mao s regime that captures the ideals of rural China through the moving story of a young woman and her grandfather. Originally published in 1934 by author Shen Congwen, this beautifully written novel tells the story of Cuicui, a young country girl who is coming of age in rural China in the tumultuous time before the communist revolution."

Book Synopsis

New in the Harper Perennial Modern Chinese Classics series, Border Town is a classic Chinese novel--banned by Mao's regime--that captures the ideals of rural China through the moving story of a young woman and her grandfather. Originally published in 1934 by author Shen Congwen, this beautifully written novel tells the story of Cuicui, a young country girl who is coming of age in rural China in the tumultuous time before the communist revolution.

From the Back Cover

First published in 1934, Border Town brings to life the story of Cuicui, a young country girl coming of age during a time of national turmoil. Like any teenager, Cuicui dreams of romance and finding true love. She's spellbound by the local custom of nighttime serenades, and she is deftly pursued by two eligible brothers. But Cuicui is also haunted by the imminent death of her grandfather, a poor and honorable ferryman who is her only family. As she grows up, Cuicui discovers that life is full of the unexpected and that she alone will make the choices that determine her destiny.

A moving testament to the human spirit, Border Town is a beautifully written novel, considered Shen Congwen's masterpiece for its brilliant portrayal of Chinese rural life before the Communist revolution.

Review Quotes

"Shen Congwen's bittersweet, nostalgic tales of his southern Chinese homeland, pulled apart by civil war and revolution in the early 20th century, deserve to be much more widely read." - The Guardian