Driven by her curiosity about history, Sun Yanlin accidentally opens a diary left behind by an Italian traveler named Mark and is swept into the canal in 1900. There, she meets Shao Changlai. She intends to stop a boat from being burned, but instead sets off a chain of events. From the Boxer Rebellion to the transmission of anti-Japanese intelligence, from modern entrepreneurship to the pursuit of cultural relics across borders, an adventure spanning time and space begins, all centered on preserving and safeguarding canal culture.
When Sun Yanlin steps into the canal of 1900, every action she takes is like a butterfly flapping its wings, changing the course of both history and the modern world. The Boxer Rebellion of 1900 and the burning of the Shao family's boats are closely linked to Shao Xingchi's entrepreneurial ventures and Xie Haikuo's mysterious origins more than a century later. As she travels between two eras, she helps a descendant of Marco Polo write a book and assists in restoring Kunqu opera singing styles, but she also faces the risk of historical nihilism. Where will this cultural journey through time and space lead?
A diary from 1900 sends Sun Yanlin on an incredible journey through time. By the canal in 1900, she forms an unbreakable bond with Shao Changlai and the others. Her intervention rewrites the course of history and triggers a series of butterfly effects in the modern era. Shao Xingchi's entrepreneurial path takes a new turn, and the mystery of Xie Haikuo's origins comes to light. As culture is passed down and history changes, how can Sun Yanlin balance the two eras and protect the roots of canal culture?
