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Awakening
- realist
- Categories:Classics Contemporary Urban Life
- Language:Simplified Ch.
- Publication Place:Chinese Mainland
- Publication date:August,2020
- Pages:236
- Retail Price:59.00 CNY
- Size:145mm×210mm
- Text Color:Black and white
- Words:（Unknown）
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Review
Since the 1990s, China and the world have undergone immense changes, yet Liang Xiaosheng’s impassioned voice retains its unique power. Readers still find genuine fulfillment in his works — he continues to give them what they seek.
—Zhang Yiwu, Literary Critic
Liang Xiaosheng has traversed vastly different eras, bearing witness to history, defending goodness, upholding justice, and embracing life’s burdens. His writing possesses an unshakable strength, proving that literature’s union with truth, goodness, and beauty is no mere ideal but a tangible reality.
—Chen Xiaoming, Professor at Peking University
Liang Xiaosheng's short and medium - length works are very smooth to read, narrated in a gentle and engaging manner, with a lasting aftertaste. The "awakening" may encompass the ideological transformation of ordinary people from the Cultural Revolution to modern times, the shift from rural settlement to urbanization, and the protagonist Tao Heng's transition from making the best of a bad situation to self - redemption. Thus, although the novel only tells the story of Tao Heng's return to her hometown to look for someone, it documents the development and changes of our society over several decades, revealing the significant through the minute details.
——The One and Only Hao in the World, Reader
—Zhang Yiwu, Literary Critic
Liang Xiaosheng has traversed vastly different eras, bearing witness to history, defending goodness, upholding justice, and embracing life’s burdens. His writing possesses an unshakable strength, proving that literature’s union with truth, goodness, and beauty is no mere ideal but a tangible reality.
—Chen Xiaoming, Professor at Peking University
Liang Xiaosheng's short and medium - length works are very smooth to read, narrated in a gentle and engaging manner, with a lasting aftertaste. The "awakening" may encompass the ideological transformation of ordinary people from the Cultural Revolution to modern times, the shift from rural settlement to urbanization, and the protagonist Tao Heng's transition from making the best of a bad situation to self - redemption. Thus, although the novel only tells the story of Tao Heng's return to her hometown to look for someone, it documents the development and changes of our society over several decades, revealing the significant through the minute details.
——The One and Only Hao in the World, Reader
Feature
★A major 2020 literary masterpiece by Liang Xiaosheng, winner of the 10th Mao Dun Literature Prize. Over 90,000 reviews on Dangdang (a major online book retailer in China) with near-perfect ratings!
★A realist novel rich with social reflection and philosophical depth.
A childhood memory lost in the passage of time, an unintended mistake made by a young girl that led to tragedy for another and bitter consequences for herself. Years of buried remorse set her on a long path of redemption. Through an exploration of human nature and historical awakening, this book reflects on the complexities of the era, the myriad facets of life, history, and human nature, uncovering the profound beauty hidden in the depths of thought.
★ With introspective insight and masterful prose, Liang Xiaosheng examines the era’s contradictions, the realities of rural life and ideology, and the dualities of human nature — kindness and cunning, tolerance and forgiveness — revealing the multilayered meanings of history and humanity while celebrating the quiet nobility of the human spirit.
Even the smallest life,
through self-sacrifice and the light of awakened will,
can pierce the darkness of its time,
allowing fleeting existence to shine with radiant brilliance.
★A realist novel rich with social reflection and philosophical depth.
A childhood memory lost in the passage of time, an unintended mistake made by a young girl that led to tragedy for another and bitter consequences for herself. Years of buried remorse set her on a long path of redemption. Through an exploration of human nature and historical awakening, this book reflects on the complexities of the era, the myriad facets of life, history, and human nature, uncovering the profound beauty hidden in the depths of thought.
★ With introspective insight and masterful prose, Liang Xiaosheng examines the era’s contradictions, the realities of rural life and ideology, and the dualities of human nature — kindness and cunning, tolerance and forgiveness — revealing the multilayered meanings of history and humanity while celebrating the quiet nobility of the human spirit.
Even the smallest life,
through self-sacrifice and the light of awakened will,
can pierce the darkness of its time,
allowing fleeting existence to shine with radiant brilliance.
Description
Tao Heng, now a U.S. citizen, is stirred by a chance reunion with old classmates to recall a long-buried childhood memory. Her youth coincided with a tumultuous period in Chinese history, when even the smallest misstep could send someone spiraling into ruin.
At just fourteen, Tao Heng committed an unintended mistake that brought tragedy upon her teacher, Ms. Tao, and left her with a lifetime of guilt. Her mother’s warning — "Those who do evil will face divine retribution" — haunted her like a curse, following her into adulthood, emigration, and marriage.
Now in her forties, Tao Heng remains unsettled by her past actions and the harm she caused Ms. Tao. Determined to make amends, she returns to China with her American husband, embarking on a journey of atonement and redemption. Along the way, her perspective as a returnee allows her to observe a China that feels both familiar and foreign...
At just fourteen, Tao Heng committed an unintended mistake that brought tragedy upon her teacher, Ms. Tao, and left her with a lifetime of guilt. Her mother’s warning — "Those who do evil will face divine retribution" — haunted her like a curse, following her into adulthood, emigration, and marriage.
Now in her forties, Tao Heng remains unsettled by her past actions and the harm she caused Ms. Tao. Determined to make amends, she returns to China with her American husband, embarking on a journey of atonement and redemption. Along the way, her perspective as a returnee allows her to observe a China that feels both familiar and foreign...
Author
Liang Xiaosheng (original name Liang Shaosheng) is one of the representative symbols of contemporary Chinese culture and one of the representative contemporary Chinese literary figures. He is also one of the important contemporary Chinese realist writers. He is known as the “writer of the common people” because he is good at focusing on the ups and downs of ordinary people's lives in great times. His works are characterized by a strong sense of reality and a commoner's sentiment. Together with Wang Meng, Lu Yao, Mo Yan, Yu Hua, Tie Ning and others, he has become an important window for observing contemporary Chinese society and cultural trends.
Some readers consider Liang Xiaosheng as the “Chinese Balzac,” because he is committed to writing a “social encyclopedia” and portraying the destinies of people from all walks of life. His works are often used as important texts for studying and understanding Chinese social and cultural developments between the 1980s and 2020s. His work Chinese Peach and Plum is included in the collections of many overseas libraries. His work Father is selected as a textbook for advanced Chinese courses published by the University of Washington Press in the United States.
He has so far created more than ten million words of works, including essays, novels, miscellaneous discussions, and documentary literature. His representative work, The Story of "A Lifelong Journey", won the 10th Mao Dun Literature Prize. This novel has a cumulative circulation of more than 2 million copies and are called the “fifty-year history of Chinese people's lives”. The TV drama adapted from it caused a nationwide viewing craze as soon as it was broadcast and set a new record for the prime-time viewership of CCTV (with a total audience scale of 371 million people). Disney purchased the overseas distribution rights of the drama in the first month of its production. His another long novel Snow City is selected into the “70 Classic Chinese Novels of New China's 70 Years”.
His works have been translated into English, French, Russian, Japanese, and Italian. The author was awarded as one of the “Top Ten Writers of the 2024 Hall of Fame Annual Humanities List”. In 2023, he was named as the “Cultural Figure of the Year” among the “2022 Annual Influential People” by China Newsweek. Since 1984, his name has been listed in the "World Who's Who" in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Some readers consider Liang Xiaosheng as the “Chinese Balzac,” because he is committed to writing a “social encyclopedia” and portraying the destinies of people from all walks of life. His works are often used as important texts for studying and understanding Chinese social and cultural developments between the 1980s and 2020s. His work Chinese Peach and Plum is included in the collections of many overseas libraries. His work Father is selected as a textbook for advanced Chinese courses published by the University of Washington Press in the United States.
He has so far created more than ten million words of works, including essays, novels, miscellaneous discussions, and documentary literature. His representative work, The Story of "A Lifelong Journey", won the 10th Mao Dun Literature Prize. This novel has a cumulative circulation of more than 2 million copies and are called the “fifty-year history of Chinese people's lives”. The TV drama adapted from it caused a nationwide viewing craze as soon as it was broadcast and set a new record for the prime-time viewership of CCTV (with a total audience scale of 371 million people). Disney purchased the overseas distribution rights of the drama in the first month of its production. His another long novel Snow City is selected into the “70 Classic Chinese Novels of New China's 70 Years”.
His works have been translated into English, French, Russian, Japanese, and Italian. The author was awarded as one of the “Top Ten Writers of the 2024 Hall of Fame Annual Humanities List”. In 2023, he was named as the “Cultural Figure of the Year” among the “2022 Annual Influential People” by China Newsweek. Since 1984, his name has been listed in the "World Who's Who" in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Contents
Chapter 1 001
Tao Heng had always believed politics was solely the domain of politicians. Yet even for seasoned statesmen, politics could sometimes be an extraordinary torment.
Chapter 2 020
How could this happen? She felt as if her blood had frozen and her heart stopped. If Ms. Tao appeared before her now, no amount of explanation could ever suffice!
Chapter 3 047
Tao Heng burned with anger again. She was certain of her husband’s innocence—precisely why her fury had nowhere to go.
Chapter 4 072
"Divine retribution"—those two words that had tormented her at thirteen now loomed over her again at forty-eight.
Chapter 5 106
The self-assured farmer sipped his tea as if it were wine, intoxicated by his own grand ambitions.
Chapter 6 127
Ms. Tao’s daughter and relatives were all remarkably understanding. "These knots between people," they said, "can always be untied face to face..."
Chapter 7 174
A sudden pang of sorrow gripped Tao Heng, her eyes brimming. She knew her husband’s words meant: "My love, the time we have left to share such thoughts is running out."
Chapter 8 202
When Ms. Tao finally appeared, Tao Heng felt as if she stood before the Vatican itself—her teacher, the Pope, bestowing upon her the honor of an audience.
Tao Heng had always believed politics was solely the domain of politicians. Yet even for seasoned statesmen, politics could sometimes be an extraordinary torment.
Chapter 2 020
How could this happen? She felt as if her blood had frozen and her heart stopped. If Ms. Tao appeared before her now, no amount of explanation could ever suffice!
Chapter 3 047
Tao Heng burned with anger again. She was certain of her husband’s innocence—precisely why her fury had nowhere to go.
Chapter 4 072
"Divine retribution"—those two words that had tormented her at thirteen now loomed over her again at forty-eight.
Chapter 5 106
The self-assured farmer sipped his tea as if it were wine, intoxicated by his own grand ambitions.
Chapter 6 127
Ms. Tao’s daughter and relatives were all remarkably understanding. "These knots between people," they said, "can always be untied face to face..."
Chapter 7 174
A sudden pang of sorrow gripped Tao Heng, her eyes brimming. She knew her husband’s words meant: "My love, the time we have left to share such thoughts is running out."
Chapter 8 202
When Ms. Tao finally appeared, Tao Heng felt as if she stood before the Vatican itself—her teacher, the Pope, bestowing upon her the honor of an audience.
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