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Yan Lianke.[File photo]
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2 The Chronicles of Zhalie
By Yan Lianke
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The Chronicles of Zhalie.[File photo]
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To veteran critic Chen Xiaoming with Peking University, Yan Lianke’s new novel hit the country’s literary scene with a bang. “It’s powerful and intense,” Chen says. Written innovatively in the form of a local chronicle (usually with nonfictional introductions on history, geography, culture and industries), the metaphoric novel narrates a crazy story about how the small village of Zhalie turns into a big city through sinful ways like thievery and prostitution and how its people view the world and themselves.