Li Juan's prose is akin to a painter's brushstrokes; hers is a craft that few possess, evoking a rare sensation. Dwelling in the desolate frontiers, amidst poverty and aridity, her tales of herding and sunflower cultivation encapsulate vastness with a few deft strokes. She transcends the narrow confines of urban existence, where human warmth and chill are the norm. Describing her grandmother, she pens, "She dedicated her life to tugging at the planet's most delicate threads, threads I've seen innumerable of, dragging a ponderous vessel forward, inch by inch." It's a marvel to behold.
-Reader Lin Chuang

One one side, unyielding optimism, the daily grind, indomitable spirit, and courage. On the other, a reality that's dilapidated, barren, cramped, and impotent. Li Juan's latest work juxtaposes these two extremes with stark clarity. Hope, as rich as it is, only deepens the bitterness of crushed dreams. She likens life to "carrying a brimming bowl upon a fragile thread, suspended above an abyss without end." As a reader, I too am overwhelmed by this sense of helplessness, feeling at times exiled to a relentless quest against the elements, my steps unsteady. Li Juan and her kin may not have awaited a bountiful autumn, yet they embody the tenacity of the wildflowers, beaten but not broken, striving to take root and flourish. Even on life's darkest paths, one should sing with all their might.
-Reader Cheng Zhimo

★ Perched at the 107th spot on Douban's elite Top 250 Books, it boasts 44,553 reviews and an impressive rating of 9.1 out of 10!
★ Securing the 31st position on Dangdang's Literature Bestseller List, it has garnered 823,502 comments and an outstanding score of 4.8 stars out of 5!
★ This is a groundbreaking long-form non-fiction piece by the celebrated author Li Juan, which has been honored with the "China Good Book" Award in 2017, the 7th Lu Xun Literature Prize in 2018, and recognized as an "Outstanding Publication of China" in 2019, also named among Shenzhen Reading Month's "Top 10 Books of the Year" in 2018.
★ In "The Faraway Sunflower Field," the author brings to life a chronically barren land, infusing it with pure and innocent delight.
★ Li Juan's writing style is distinctive, brimming with vitality and humor, offering a transparent and witty portrayal of life on the frontier that exudes both charm and poetic allure.

The “Prose Elf” Li Juan's work collection includes 9 books:
“The Distant Sunflower Field”
“My Altay”
“Remember One, Forget Three (Essays Collection)”
“Sheep Path: Spring Pasture”
“Winter Pasture”
“Sheep Path: Summer Pasture in Front Mountain”
“Sheep Path: Summer Pasture in Remote Mountain”
“The Train Is Coming (Poetry Collection)”
“The Place Where Sheep Horns Rust (Essay Collection)”

The "Sunflower Field" lies on the southern banks of the Ulungur River, amidst the vast Altai Gobi prairie. It's a desolate plot that Li Juan's mother took under her wing to cultivate many years back.

In her distinctive style, delicate and luminous, Li Juan chronicles the lives of those working this land, capturing their straightforward yet unique life moments: her mother's unwavering optimism and diligence, her grandmother's advancing age and frailty, the loyal Chou Chou, the playful Sai Hu, along with the chickens, ducks, and geese. She writes of the ninety mu of sunflower fields that thrive and wither, destroyed by marauding goitered gazelles, only to be resurrected in a cycle of destruction and rebirth.

The narrative not only delineates the mother's and the borderlanders' steadfastness and toil but also mirrors their inner aspirations, perseverance, and their environmental worries and survival dilemmas. It offers an existence stripped bare before nature,fragile and insignificant, yet brimming with joy anddignity.

Li Juan

A famous Chinese essayist. Born in 1979 in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Farm Seven, she grew up moving between Sichuan and Xinjiang, and She lived in Altay Pastures for a period of time.

She has published essay collections such as “Nine Snows”, “My Altay”, “The Corners of Altay”, “Sing Loudly When Walking at Night”, “Remember One, Forget Three”, etc.; long essays like “Winter Pasture”, the “Sheep Path” trilogy, “The Distant Sunflower Field”; and a poetry collection “The Train Is Coming”, among others. She has won awards such as the “Lu Xun Literature Prize”, “People's Literature Prize”, “Shanghai Literature Prize”, “Tianshan Literature and Art Prize”, “Zhu Ziqing Essay Prize”, “China Good Book Award” and “China Excellent Publication”, etc.
“My Altay” has been adapted into a TV drama with the same name, which has received high praise from readers and viewers.

Her works have been translated into English, French, Japanese, Russian, Korean, Turkish, Vietnamese, Arabic, and other languages for overseas distribution, causing a huge response among readers.

One: An Annus Horribilis
Two: Chouchou and Saihu's Tales
Three: The Yurt's Embrace
Four: Irrigating Hopes
Five: The Essence of Water
Six: Self-Reflections
Seven: Masters of Arrival and Departure
Eight: The Threads of Fate
Nine: Flourishing Fortune
Ten: The Passage of Nine Days
Eleven: Yonghong's Community
Twelve: A Distant Call
Thirteen: The Cavelike Dwelling
Fourteen: My Grandmother's Sphere
Fifteen: Farewell to My Grandmother
Sixteen: The Journey Home
Seventeen: The Rice-Bearing Canine
Eighteen: The Guardian Scarecrow
Nineteen: The Earthly Bond
Twenty: The Stirrer of Troubles
Twenty-One: Solitude's Lament
Twenty-Two: The Bond between Mother and Uncle
Twenty-Three: The Rooster's Crow
Twenty-Four: The Duck's Quack
Twenty-Five: The Rabbit's Hop
Twenty-Six: The Village's Heart
Twenty-Seven: The Haven New
Twenty-Eight: The Unfamiliar Terrain
Twenty-Nine: The Welcome Guest
Thirty: The Heart of the Home, the Stove
Thirty-One: The Quietude
Thirty-Two: The Window to the World, the Mobile Phone
Thirty-Three: The Immutable Stone
Thirty-Four: Reflections of Wulungu
Thirty-Five: The Industrious Bee
Thirty-Six: A Fortune in Gold
Thirty-Seven: The Jujube's Sweetness
Thirty-Eight: The Soak of Senses
Thirty-Nine: Acknowledging Ignorance and Ineptitude
Forty: The Tapestry of Names
Forty-One: The Vibrant Red Bloom
Forty-Two: The Faithful Hired Hand
Forty-Three: Patience in Wait
Forty-Four: The Herd's Serenade
Forty-Five: The Might Within
Forty-Six: Nature's Canvas
Forty-Seven: A Stroll Through Life
Forty-Eight: The Domain of Men
Postscript: A Final Word

1. As I reflect on that episode, myriad paths lead me to the golden expanse within my memory, yet not a single one leads back out. Penning these lines, there are endless ways to commence, yet a fitting conclusion remains elusive. I fault the words themselves; they seem to resist ending. The life they describe persists, uninterrupted. In essence, I articulate my emotions with force and then abruptly halt.

2. It's a tale I've yearned to commit to paper for ages—about our planet, the essence of existence, and the transient and eternal. Particularly the human spirit—our will, passion, innocence, and avarice. The urgency to write mounted before I began, yet upon doing so, I found myself enmeshed in a labyrinth. Time and again, nearing what I thought was my goal, I only grew more distant.

3. These incidents unfolded a decade past. Yet, I've only chronicled the early scenes of my family's agricultural endeavors. By the third year, my parents at last reaped the long-awaited bountiful harvest. Tragically, it was then that my uncle succumbed to a sudden cerebral hemorrhage on his return from selling the final batch of sunflower seeds. He remains unchanged to this day, unable to care for himself or speak. Since that day, our fields have lain fallow.

4. Sunflowers bear a stigma of beauty and symbolism, often associated with zeal and bravery. While writing, I too aspired to highlight these traits. But the sunflowers disagreed. From seed to sprout, from bloom to seed, and the remnants of their existence—each stage contested this narrative. They embody more than mere splendor; they represent patience, resilience, and farewell.

5. My farming dream persists to this day, though it remains but a dream, out of reach. I yearn for a modest plot, even if just two mu, with a scattering of chili peppers and tomatoes, rows of garlic, a cat, and a couple of chickens. Two humble rooms—a table, chair, bed, a pot, and bowl—would fashion a world more complete than any kingdom.

6. Is writing my equivalent to farming? I immerse myself in the craft of words, meticulously sculpting each sentence. I record all that haunts me, seeking why it claims space in my memory. Writing is akin to an archaeological dig, an adventure. Often, in the act of writing, I'll exclaim in revelation. Convictions once solid waver, and forgotten memories resurface. I depend on writing, trust in it. Often, I find solace in this destiny of mine.

7. Regarding this book, I extend gratitude to readers for their fervent responses upon its initial publication, to the editor for their encouragement and patience, and to myself. For even if I fell short of perfection, I appreciate my honesty and perseverance in this written journey.