The Story of Lam Tsuen: A Village Secretary's View of Change in New China

The Spiral Road: Change in a Chinese Village Through the Eyes of a Communist Party Leader

▌A microcosm of contemporary China, a novel-like ethnography. ▌

●An ethnographic classic in contemporary Chinese studies●



Ever since this tragic incident, I've begun to question the meaning of life. If someone as young, kind, healthy, energetic, and popular as Hou Tong could be so unlucky, then am I any better than him, or do I deserve a good life? Why work so hard if all I'm going to end up with is illness and death? For two months, I tried to avoid Lin Village as much as possible. Whenever I was there, I recalled the suffering Hou Tong endured in the months before his death. It was during this time that I discovered the soothing charm of Xiamen's karaoke bars. You could linger there for long meals, they had high-end stereos, and you could find the old revolutionary songs of my youth. Singing these revolutionary songs gave my life purpose and hope. I'm a good singer now, believe it or not?



In 1984, Huang Shumin, then a professor in the Department of Anthropology at Iowa State University, arrived in Lincun, a suburb of Xiamen, to conduct a field study. He hoped to use the village as a model to illustrate in detail how an ordinary rural society like Lincun survived and adapted to the earth-shaking changes that followed the founding of New China in 1949, amidst the whirlwind of political movements and economic and social reforms that swept from top to bottom.



On a humid November day, the author met the village Party secretary and ruler, Ye Wende, for the first time to discuss rent (although Ye was not the landlord). The meeting ended unpleasantly: "One hundred US dollars! I was so angry that he quoted such an out-of-market price. I suddenly had the urge to throw the plate of preserved fruits on the table in his face." However, in an unexpected turn of events, Ye Wende complained to the author about the destruction of his father's grave, which opened the opportunity for a deep conversation between the two. In the end, the author decided to use the personal life history of this village secretary as the main thread to weave "The Story of Lam Tsuen".



The above process is vividly described at the beginning of this book, making us immediately realize that this is an unusual ethnography - the author will not hide behind the story, only analyzing and explaining it in a narration-style voice-over; on the contrary, the author makes himself a key character in the story.



"The Story of Lam Tsuen" unfolds through a question-and-answer dialogue between the author and Ye Wende, slowly revealing the shocks and responses Lam Tsuen has endured since 1949. With its fluid prose and intricate plot, it feels like a novel and has been hailed not only as a solid academic study but also as an excellent literary work, becoming an instant classic.



The second edition was supplemented with observations from the author's return visit in 1996. Secretary Ye was then in his fifties. Under his leadership, the village prospered, and he himself was successful in his career. However, he felt increasingly lost, and began to frequent karaoke bars outside the village, singing old revolutionary songs for comfort.



This book, the latest third edition, includes a chapter reflecting the author's reflections on a 2015 revisit to Lam Tsuen, hoping to help readers appreciate the speed and trends of change in China today. Lam Tsuen, now prosperous to the point where at least ten of its 400-plus households boast assets exceeding 100 million RMB, faces any future concerns. What is the current situation of Ye Wende, now retired as Party Secretary? Entering the 21st century, Lam Tsuen remains a microcosm of contemporary China worthy of our close attention.

2022-09-13

春山出版

392

9786269612963