Roots and Sin

This is a novel set in the Chinese countryside during the early years of Reform and Opening Up.

The story begins in 2023, when Li Jincai, an 83-year-old billionaire, falls into a vegetative state. In the final moments of his life, his consciousness unexpectedly returns to Qilipu Village in 1975.

As his soul wanders through the past, he relives his extraordinary life, from being "Li the Lame" to becoming a business magnate, and witnesses the changing fortunes of ordinary people amid the tide of Reform and Opening Up. There is the resilient Zhaodi, the stubborn Laidi, the ambitious Lin Xi, the shrewd Zhang Danian, and Zhao Laogun, executed during the crackdown... Each person searches for a way forward amid the currents of the times.

Through Li Jincai's unique perspective, the novel portrays a generation's struggles and choices, steadfastness and transformation at a turning point in history. This is more than the memoir of a business legend. It is also a magnificent portrait of change in the Chinese countryside, exploring how people search for their roots amid sweeping changes and face the consequences of their own misdeeds.

With delicate prose, the novel depicts the realities of rural China in the early years of Reform and Opening Up and traces the fates of ordinary people caught in the great tide of history. It captures both the passion of individual ambition and the pain of an era in transition, making it a heartfelt tribute to a great age.