许三观卖血记

This book is written by modern Chinese literature writer, Yu Hua (余华) and tells the story of a guy called Xu (许三观) who gets by the ups and downs in his life by selling his own blood.

Xu sold his blood when he needed money for marriage. Xu sold his blood again when his eldest son got into trouble in a fight. Xu sold his blood, yet again, when he needed to get through the Cultural Revolution and eventually, did so again during the Great Leap Forward.

The story of Xu envelops many important milestones in Chinese communist history and is told in a bitter-sweet format, much like the Chinese classic, 阿Q正传 (The Adventure of Ah Q).

The volume is slim, with short chapters – making it an ideal read while commuting to-and-fro work on public transport.

I have also found the entire online version of the book here where you can read it for free.

It’s a good and easy, introductory read to modern Chinese literature. 🙂

Technorati Tags: 许三观卖血记, 余华, modern Chinese literature, Yu Hua, Cultural Revolution, Great Leap Forward, Chairman Mao, Mao Zedong阿Q正传, The Adventure of Ah Q