Mo Yan

4.21289 learners

In Mo Yan’s sweeping, darkly humorous epic *Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out*, Ximen Nao, a wealthy landowner wrongfully executed during China’s 1950s land reform, refuses to let go of his anger—even when the King of Hell sends him back to Earth not as a man, but as a series of animals. Over five reincarnations, he becomes a donkey, ox, pig, dog, and monkey, each time retaining memories of his past life. Through his animal eyes, he witnesses the turbulent decades of 20th-century China: the rise of collective farming, the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, and the dizzying shifts of the reform era. He watches his former servants, enemies, and family members navigate love, betrayal, and survival in his hometown of Gaomi Northeast Township. By the time he is finally reborn as a human boy, Lan Qianshui, he confronts the weight of his lifelong grudges—and discovers that letting go might be the only way to find peace.

Lu Yao

4.7709 learners

Set against China’s rugged Loess Plateau during the 1970s-80s transition from the Cultural Revolution to economic reform, *Ordinary World* follows two brothers navigating hardship and hope. Sun Shaoan, the steadfast elder, stays home to support his impoverished family, risking everything to launch a brick factory that rises and falls with shifting village fortunes. Sun Shaoping, the restless younger brother, leaves his rural roots to work as a day laborer and coal miner, clinging to books and dignity amid brutal conditions. The novel weaves tales of unrequited love, family loyalty, and small-town drama, capturing the quiet heroism of ordinary people fighting to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing world. It’s a raw, heartfelt portrait of rural China’s transformation, where every choice carries weight and every struggle reveals the strength of the human spirit.