Dr. Zhang and Dr. Wang

The struggle of two original families spanning thirty years mobilized an energy comparable to that of a war.
Li Haipeng wrote the preface, Chen Jiaying, Liang Wendao, Luo Xin, Yan Fei, and Ban Yu sincerely recommended it————
☆ The first book by renowned media professionals Yi Xianfeng and Yang Ying, founders of Curiosity Daily and Little Bird Literature☆ Reflecting the profound changes in Chinese society over the past thirty years through the social advancement of two working-class children☆ A world from yesterday, but familiar to you: the destinies of two families, a city, and an era☆ A close look at the ups and downs of ordinary individuals in the great era, exploring the social roots of the contemporary spiritual dilemma - "Our lives have improved, but why has our spirit become barren?"
A breathtaking drama, imbued with a sense of history that is both tragic and powerless, both deeply personal and detached. —Historian Luo Xin "Urban development inevitably generates vast quantities of waste, much of it human," and the theme of this epic poem about ordinary people is simply, "Don't become waste."
——What determines the fate of ordinary people in the huge social changes?
Dr. Zhang and Dr. Wang were born into working-class families in the 1970s. Amidst the restructuring of state-owned enterprises and the rapid social transformation, they escaped the fate of being left behind and achieved social mobility thanks to the full support of their families and their own intelligence and hard work. However, despite their apparent success, their lives were still fraught with anxiety and exhaustion.
The two authors interviewed dozens of people, unearthing images of past lives from old newspapers, photographs, architectural ruins, and oral recollections. They depict the personal growth and social advancement of Dr. Zhang and Dr. Wang over half a lifetime, examining their constructions of knowledge, dignity, and self. Furthermore, the book presents a profound and expansive picture of contemporary Northeast China, using industrial cities, work-class society, the scarcity economy, working-class culture, masculinity, major historical events, and the changing times as its threads.
Reading the stories of Dr. Zhang and Dr. Wang, we'll understand how a series of profound changes at the turn of the century shaped the way of life and spiritual world of a generation. And through the ups and downs of individuals in history, we'll also glimpse the outlines of the destiny of a city and an era.
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A story told from a sociological perspective, in which two people, a city, and an era are inextricably linked. This is perhaps the first of its kind in Chinese writing.
What can we truly see in these two "successful" Northeastern doctors? Compared to the laid-off workers so often depicted in film, television, and literature, they seem completely unrepresentative of the Northeast we imagine. Yet, surprisingly, this book, with its broad scope and rich details, offers a clearer view not only of the Northeast but also of the core of industrial culture; even of the limitations and choices faced by individual lives within the structures of the times over the past four decades of reform and opening up. It's no exaggeration to say that this is not just the story of Dr. Zhang and Dr. Wang, but the story of generations of Chinese people.
—Writer Liang Wendao: This breathtaking drama, imbued with a sense of history that is both tragic and powerless, both visceral and detached. Centered around the lives of two doctors, it presents a contemporary Shenyang with both depth and breadth.
—Historian Luo Xin In recent years, the concept of a "Northeast Renaissance" has become quite popular. In contrast to the Northeast's languishing economic development, the region's spiritual life has garnered significant attention. Whether it's Northeastern comedy or the cultural heritage left over from the old industrial society, it feels like a rich mine for exploration and exploration. This book, focusing on major historical events and working-class culture in Shenyang over the past four decades, presents a rich history of folk society. The author possesses not only a profound storyteller's talent but also, remarkably, a sociological perspective to closely observe the ups and downs and transformations of ordinary families and individuals in the face of the great changes of the times.
The two authors, sociologist Yan Fei, evoke dispatchers on a factory floor, drawing up plans, synchronizing output, and repeatedly checking the rhythm of their writing, like a canal backflowing after a heavy rain, flowing back from the depths to spread across the surface, reshaping history and present space. Those irregular images, the stray dark stains, the tracks of trains, or our actions of gazing, salvaging, and capturing, together form the outlines of a batch of unfinished products, the fate of a generation, and a city.
In the book, author Ban Yu reveals a particularly striking theory by Robert E. Park: Urban development inevitably generates vast quantities of waste, mostly human. The three-decade struggle of the two doctors' families revolves around this principle, a struggle that mobilized an energy, perseverance, patience, and ingenuity comparable to that of war. Yet, the central theme of this epic poem about ordinary people is simply: "Don't become waste."
——Li Haipeng, writer and media person

2021-11-01

文汇出版社

New Classic Amber, New Classic Culture

544

9787549636556