Falling Rain River

The long-running novel Falling Rain River is the culmination of thirty years of work and experience by its author, Sheng Geng. Blending fiction with realism, it is a perfect combination of the imagined and the real, and a supreme clash between humanity's truth, goodness, and beauty and its deceit, ugliness, and evil. Centered on the dramatic changes in the mountain villages along Falling Rain River, the story opens with the market day on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month in Falling Rain River Township, leading into a heartbreaking tale of an abandoned baby. It then follows the intertwined lives and fates of the Bai Xianghe and Bai Xiangchuan families, while offering a meticulous portrait of local customs and officialdom in Falling Rain River Township and Mopangu Village. It also reflects on and examines anti-corruption efforts and privately run schools. The work seeks to celebrate the mainstream values and positive energy, upholding truth, goodness, and beauty while exposing deceit, ugliness, and evil. It has something of the style of Mr. Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Mr. Yu Hua's To Live, though not a single word has been plagiarized. It is a “white paper” on contemporary rural life in western China and grassroots officials. The novel is ambitious in its vision, vigorous in its prose, wryly humorous, and deeply moving. Old and new friends are welcome to read it or listen to it on Tomato Novel. Thank you.