Asking the Wind What It All Means

Asking the Wind About Meaning is a sweeping novel that deeply portrays the tragic fate of a family across several generations. The story opens with the painful childhood of the grandfather, Zhao Deshan, and follows the family through war, famine, broken homes, and one hardship after another.

Zhao Deshan and his wife, Madam Zhou, struggle to survive in extreme poverty, only to lose their children one by one. Their sons, Zhao Fu and Zhao Lu, each suffer tragic fates. Their grandson, Zhao Qiang, grows up amid poverty and discrimination, faces heartbreak, fails in business, and watches his family fall apart.

Even in the generation of Zhao Qiang’s grandson, the tragedy does not end. A new life is born into suffering, only to face new choices and hardships.

With delicate prose, the novel depicts the history of blood and tears spanning several generations of one family. It offers a profound reflection on the caprice of fate, the complexity of human nature, and the strength it takes to persevere in desperate circumstances. It is deeply moving and thought-provoking.