From the old country : stories and sketches of China and Taiwan

Though he lived most of his life in rural South Taiwan, Zhong Lihe spent several years in Manchuria and Peking, moving among an eclectic mix of ethnicities, social classes, and cultures.

His fictional portraits unfold on Japanese battlefields and in Peking slums, as well as in the remote, impoverished hill-country villages and farms of his native Hakka districts.

His scenic descriptions are deft and atmospheric, and his psychological explorations are acute.

The first anthology to present his work in English, this volume features two novellas, ten short stories, and four short prose works.