How do personal stories intertwine with the broad currents of history? Our third monthly selection looks at the human experience within the broader tides of China’s past and present.
Across memoir, fiction and historical study, these works trace how individuals live through China’s past and present. From family histories and personal memories to experiences of education, labour and ageing, each book offers a different perspective on what it means to live through transformation.
Snow-capped Sow’s Heads: Selected Stories 《白雪猪头》
In this collection, International Booker Prize nominee Su Tong brings together eighteen stories set on ‘Mapleberry Street’. He creates this fictional street from the southern Chinese waterways where he grew up. Through eighteen tales of life’s highs and lows, the collection observes the many faces of humanity.
The title story, Snow-capped Sow’s Heads, begins with a mother’s failed attempt to buy a sow’s head at a local meat shop. During a time of shortage, she sees eight sow’s heads delivered by a meat supplier, but only four are placed on sale. She later realises that access depends on relationships with the shop assistant. The story is short, but it unfolds through several twists before an unexpected ending. Su Tong portrays China’s ‘renqing’（人情）—a network of favours—not as simple corruption, but as a way of life built on shared struggle and unexpected moments of integrity.
My Homeland is China 《我的故乡在中国》
In this work, author Hai Rao presents the life of Dorothy Held-Werner. Born in Guangzhou in 1936, Dorothy spent her first two decades in China. During this time, she witnessed the Japanese invasion and occupation while moving between cities, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guiyang, and Chongqing. She left China in 1955. Rather than belonging to a single town or village, Dorothy’s sense of home emerged through movement itself. ‘If I must name one place,’ she reflects, ‘it is China.’
The narrative connects Dorothy’s personal growth with a century of change in China. Her grandfather was an engineer who arrived in China in 1902. He designed many of Guangzhou’s historic landmarks and is often described as the ‘Father of Modern Architecture in Guangzhou’. Her father arrived in China in 1924 and later worked as a representative for a German company engaged in arms trading. A Swiss national who later lived in Switzerland, Dorothy died in 2024 after falling ill while travelling through the Port of Dover. She had hoped to return to China with her family, but never had the chance; this book ensures that her story endures.
The Silent Football Dream《无声绿茵梦》
The Silent Football Dream tells the story of a group of deaf students in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, and their connection to football. During the 2002 World Cup, Zheng Guodong, a teacher at a special education school, noticed that several students who often got into fights became interested in football. To guide them, he began learning the sport himself and set up a school team. The team quickly improved. A year later, they finished second in a national competition. In 2005, they won the national title, and some players went on to represent the national team.
The story follows how the team continued to develop over time. After the first group of players graduated, Zheng stayed and built new teams. He also helped establish China’s first deaf football club and formed a girls’ team. The girls’ team went on to represent the national team and become world champions. The book presents these experiences in a straightforward way, focusing on training, competition, and everyday effort. It also looks at how sport can shape education and social opportunities for young people.
People on the Margins of History 《历史缝隙里的人》
While traditional accounts tend to focus on emperors and generals, Zheng Xiaoyou—a Peking University PhD and researcher at the National Library of China—turns to the lesser-known figures in the historical record. Drawing on diaries, letters and archival sources, she traces the lives of twelve grassroots officials from the Qing dynasty, shedding light on their roles within a changing imperial system. Rather than simply presenting facts, the book considers their personal concerns, ethical choices, and everyday working lives.
Covering the period from the Ming–Qing transition to the early Republic, these biographies offer a more grounded perspective on late imperial China. Zheng’s research brings attention to the routine work of lower-ranking officials and situates it within broader social developments. The book will be of interest to readers who want a more detailed sense of how historical change was experienced at an individual level.
In the Twilight Years 《薄暮时分》
This book is based on nearly a year of fieldwork. Wu Xinyue, who holds a PhD in Sociology from Tunghai University in Taiwan and researches ageing and care work, conducted participant observation in two nursing homes in a county-level city in Jiangsu. Taking on the role of a junior care worker, she took part in daily tasks such as cleaning, serving meals, and assisting residents. The study focuses on residents, care workers, and family members.
The narrative explores how elder care in China is shifting from a private family duty to a socialised service. Wu examines the tensions in this transition, including the social stigma of nursing homes and the ethical challenges of dementia care. By detailing daily interactions, the book offers a clear look at the human experiences behind China’s ageing crisis.
Written by Estelle Tang, illustrated by Yuma Zhao.
If you liked this article, why not read: February Picks: Books Tracing the Roots of Chinese Culture
