This is a long historical novel set on the stage of the water town in the south of the Yangtze River and the floating city in Shanghai. The story begins in the late Qing Dynasty, when the imperial examinations were abolished, and ends in the 1930s, when the war began. Shen Lan, a son of a businessman, was born in the salt industry. His father was an old-style scholar who aspired to a scientific name, but lost his way when the times turned. Gu Tang, the daughter of an oil mill family, was determined to run a school and organize female workers, and found her way amidst the roar of machines. Looking for a new identity as a woman and a worker; Lin Huai came from the countryside and joined the army based on his ability, and was used to the warlords' competition and the warmth of people's hearts; and Aqiu, who grew up on the river, relied on coolies to earn a living, and had many ups and downs, and fought openly and secretly. Everyone has his own way, and each road has its own winds and rains. Ancestral halls, teahouses, newspapers, cotton mills, docks, platforms, the rails run over the bluestone, and the whistle strips away the dream of the town. Relatives and hometown, beliefs and livelihood, love and good and evil are intertwined with each other in the drastic changes in society. They argued, waited, betrayed, and watched, and finally recognized the shadows of themselves and the times in the tide. The novel depicts the characters' souls and daily trivialities with realistic brushwork, and reflects the wind of history through details. It is hoped that with the mighty rivers and the flexibility of willows, it will record the fragments of life that have not been completely told.
