Why read Border Town?

Book cover of Border Town

Book description

Originally published in 1934, "Border Town" tells the story of Cuicui, a young country girl who is coming of age during a time of national turmoil. The granddaughter of a poor ferryman, Cuicui grows up in Chadong, a small town in China's exotic southwestern frontier, where she is sheltered from…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Border Town as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

John Grant Ross

Author

This 1934 work tells the moving story of a young country girl called Cuicui and her ferryman grandfather. As the girl comes of age, she catches the eye of two brothers. It’s a simple plot but beautifully told, with sympathetic depictions of the common folk and rich nostalgic evocations of rural life. The “border” in the title refers to the West Hunan setting near the provincial border with Sichuan. The area is also a cultural border between the Han and various minorities. Shen Congwen grew up there and was himself of mixed heritage. Chosen to receive the 1988 Nobel Prize…

From John's list on The best novels set in Hunan Province in China.

Michael Meyer

Author

This short novel is one of the most beautiful books you’ll read about any place, let alone a river village in western Hunan. Teenage Cuicui helps her elderly grandfather on his ferry as two brothers vie for her attention. War presses in on all sides. Notable for being banned for decades by opposing regimes in both China and Taiwan, Border Town is a restrained masterpiece.

From Michael's list on The best books set in China’s diverse regions by local Chinese writers.