The Ancient Ship by Zhang Wei

Description

The Ancient Ship by Zhang Wei is a powerful and poignant novel that delves into the lives of three generations in the fictional Chinese town of Wali, spanning four tumultuous decades following the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949.

Wei’s masterful storytelling paints a vivid picture of a community grappling with immense change. As China undergoes historical events like land reform, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen Square protests, the characters in The Ancient Ship navigate their own struggles and triumphs against this backdrop.

Originally published in 1987, two years before the Tiananmen Square protests, The Ancient Ship immediately caused a sensation in China. Wei’s award-winning first novel is the story of three generations of the Sui, Zhao, and Li families living in the fictional northern town of Wali during the troubled years of China’s post-liberation.