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The two stories in this collection of Chinese stories are related to the life of people living in the old urban area in Shanghai. The Eaglewood Pavilion In an old building in the Old Town area, the Eaglewood Pavilion was marked by a low door-lintel, worn-out door-leaves, a broken basket hung under the eaves, and disorderly interior structure. Its residents felt the increasing pressure of survival as they saw the city rapidly changing around them, and clashes between old and new concepts. Due to the small space of the rooms and undesirable living environment, Xiaomao's mother worried about the marriage of her son all day long. Grandpa Rice Wine had to live with his daughter-in-law and grandson under the same roof. Dawei and his wife found it unrealistic to give birth to a child. The son of Li Rihai stayed away from home, finding it impossible to live with his father, a former Taoist priest. The pavilion was about to be demolished to make way for a new development. The government planned to compensate these residents based on the size of their living space. Quarrels broke out among the neighbors as they tried to claim as much space as possible. An unexpected fire burnt down the pavilion. As these residents moved into new apartments according to the set plan, all the grudges were gone. This small old building embodies various aspects of human life and all kinds of feelings, enabling readers to experience the complexities of everyday living. The Loser This story recounts Master Chang Gen, a quack, as told by his young apprentice named Sancai.Even though he seemed ordinary, Master Chang Gen treated patients and saved their lives with his miraculous hands. He appeared to be able to deal with all kinds of illness and his small room was often filled with patients. However, it was found several years later that he was not a marvelous doctor and did not really heal his patients. This led to the sharp drop of his reputation in the community. Consequently, he had to work as a street vendor and lived in poverty. In the end, Chang Gen died unexpectedly from fear when a former patient threatened to sue if he couldn't find him a cure. Both the residents of the Eaglewood Pavilion and Master Chang Gen are examples in the changes during these times. With unique perspectives, the author depicts the changes in their lives while enabling readers to get to know the hardship of people living at the bottom of society.

These two novellas by one of China's most prolific writers paint a picture of life in Shanghai and all the turmoil that comes with it. Shanghai is one of the cities in China that has been exposed to a great deal of outside influences throughout its history. The author, with a keen eye for observation, has chiseled out the life of common city dwellers in its alleyways from the 1980s to the 1990s in these two stories. Through the perspective of Gu Longfei, also nicknamed Black Bug, the leading character, River Under the Eaves follows the family through three generations. In Jiqing Li, Xiaoyu lives in a new residential area of Shanghai, has a good job and a handsome boyfriend. She then rents a small room on Jiqing Li, desiring to live a truly elegant life in Shanghai. But all is not what it seems and her life heads for turmoil. Behind these stories is the gap between the cities and countryside, the legacy of the political upheavals of the past, and the price that has come with new found prosperity. The people who resided in the stone gate houses represented the rapidly changing dynamics of the Shanghai metropolis.

The 17-Year-Old Hussars is a collection of two short novels about the coming of age for teenagers in rapidly-changing 20th century China. The teens depicted in the first part of the collection, The Seventeen-Year-Old Hussars, were the first lost generation of China as the country went through the biggest social revolution in modern history. Lucky to have missed the tumultuous Cultural Revolution days when the old value system had been castigated as feudal and retrogressive and when most of the schools were closed and only the selected few were allowed college education, they were nevertheless condemned to grow up in a virtual moral vacuum. Unable to get into college-tracked key high schools, they entered career-tracked technical schools, but the 40 "hussars" were still considered semi-losers, because their secured future employment would also doom them to a relatively low social status. You could almost feel the angst and pain of these foul-mouthed teenagers and their sense of loss through their rebellious behaviors and escapades. In contrast to the northern-most Chinese province Jilin, a rather unsophisticated location where the first collection took place, the second part Keep Running, Little Brother was set in Shanghai, the most cosmopolitan city of China. The locals with material wealth unmatched by the rest of the nation take their privileged status as a given and have a natural suspicion of all others who struggle to share this prosperity. The protagonist growing up in a rather well-to-do family, had to struggle to overcome his inner demons, to turn his life around. His was not a struggle for survival, as with the less fortunate ones, but a struggle more akin to someone who suffered from "affluenza," a social disease more prevalent not only among the young, but also among the old.

"Stories by contemporary writers from Shanghai"-- Cover.

This collection of five stories by celebrated contemporary Chinese novelist Pan Xiangli, gives a rich look into the lives of cosmopolitan women living in modern China. Pan's heroines exhibit strength of character, sense of humor, and integrity while retaining their grace, beauty, and feminine style. In love, they need no fairy tales. These women let go of traditional ideals while holding true to their individual desires and expectations. They dare to pursue love on their own terms, all the while maneuvering the changing landscape of work, lifestyle, and the city. Pan Xiangli writes with a keen eye towards the lifestyle, mindset, and cultural values of the modern Chinese woman. Her characters assert their womanly beauty as defined by confidence, willingness to face challenges, and the self-assuredness to pursue happiness—all while being stylish and charming. Her colorful portraits will no doubt leave a lasting impression on the reader.The Way of Her Fragranes In The Way of Her Fragrance, Li Sijin is a 30-something, lively, and successful deputy managing editor of Shanghais newspaper, The City Intelligencer. While her relentless passion and professionalism make her a star at the news bureau, her admiration for her boss Luo Yi and her personal sense of right and wrong often get the best of her. What will it take for Li Sijin to be true to herself and to find fulfilling happiness? White Michelia The young and sprightly Xu Yi has been assigned to attend her first writer's conference. There, she meets Ji Mengbei, who is intrigued by Xu Yi's simple serenity. In White Michelia, the two engage in a cautious, playful dance against the backdrop of their own experiences and anticipations. A Miracle Rides In on a Sleigh In A Miracle Rides In on a Sleigh, a woman ponders her simple life as a housewife. She is content, well loved, and very comfortable. But she wonders about choice and possibilities of the past, present, and the future. Then one Christmas day, she finds out. Lady Boss Han Xiaoyan works for the glamorous and successful Zhong Keming, who seems to have it all. But Han quickly learns that, behind every confident woman, life stories are complicated. As Han navigates some big decisions in her own life, her Lady Boss becomes a witness and an unexpected confidante. Listen to the Night A phone call catches "Miss Dream" off guard as she is taken on an unexpected journey to rediscover her past. The voice on the other end of the line goes alongside her as she slowly allows herself to face her present reality without giving up her memory of what was once true. In Listen to the Night, they both learn what it means to live in the present and to thrive after love and loss.

This award-winning novel, by one of China''s most prolific contemporary writers focuses on a middle-class family in near contemporary Shanghai and deals with themes that transcend time and place: family relationships and growing old.Retired nurse Ling Deqing is astonished one day to find her long divorced 80-year-old husband, Xiao Zichen, standing on the doorstep. Following the death of his second wife, he has found his way back to his first home in a fit of absent-mindedness, a sign of the onset of dementia. Reluctant at first, Ling Deqing eventually takes him back to ease the burden on her daughter, Xiao Ying.In Memory and Oblivion, the larger world disappears into the day-to-day problems of caring for a person with Alzheimer''s. But within those problems, Ling Deqing discovers the beauty of family relationships, brought into sharp clarity against the backdrop of oblivion caused by Alzheimer''s.