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1900s: A man searches for the mother of his child and a city that is no longer there
City of Fiction
What you need to know before your trail
In the early 20th century, China is a land undergoing a momentous social and cultural shift, with a thousand-year-old empire crumbling and the nation on the brink of modernity. Against this backdrop, a quiet man from the North embarks on a perilous journey to a Southern city in the grip of a savage snowstorm. He carries with him a newborn baby: he is looking for the child’s mother and a city that isn’t there.
This is a story of two people: a man who finds unexpected success after having journeyed to the hometown of the woman who abandoned him; and the woman he is searching for, who mysteriously disappeared to embark on her own eventful journey. This is a story about vanished crafts and ancient customs, about violence, love, and friendship. Above all, it’s a story about change and about storytelling itself, full of vivid characters and surprising twists―an epic tale, as inexorable as time itself and as gripping as a classic adventure story.
Travel Guide
Xizhen
This is the story of a city, Xizhen and it’s where several characters converge to tell their stories. The city is not real but it’s somewhere in the south of China. There is another place called Shendian that is also mentioned and also fictional.
The distance between where the man starts his journey and where he ends up is all about space, time and how long things take. The distance is what matters and the journey and so exact places are not really key.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The City of Fiction
Destination/location: China, Xizhen Author/guide: Yu Hua Departure Time: 1900s
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