The Shackles of Dawn

A period drama. Beginning in the early 1990s and told from the perspective of the protagonist, Gu Hangyuan, this story traces the changing times experienced by a person born in the 1980s: his years in school, tangled relationships, marriage, and career, followed by having it all reduced to nothing and starting over. Together, we witness the growth of each character’s inner world, clashes between generations, and all the sweetness and bitterness of life, along with its boundless compassion. The first half of the novel uses fragmented memories to depict the timeline. The later chapters are divided into a trilogy chronicling Gu Hangyuan’s life and the changing relationships of those around him.