The Pond-Drowning Chronicles

Countless wronged souls, victims of old customs, have drowned in Qingxi Pond. The pond holds the blood of old China, while a single locust tree bears the spirit of the new land! The ancient locust tree shelters the rebirth of the nation! Shen Yanzhi guards his homeland with a pocket watch, while Gu Qingyuan teaches girls to read. From buried guns and concealed hatred to the sound of books beneath the locust tree, they protect the schoolhouse under the Japanese invaders’ iron heels and break free from the shadow of feudalism and its drowning pits. Never again will old customs prey on the people of Qingxi. All that remains is the sound of reading drifting across the water. At last, the pond’s nightmare of being drowned for “dishonor” gives way to the fragrance of locust blossoms throughout the village.

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