A Madman's Diary from Page One: Buddy, Are You Lu Xun?

In a parallel world, the literary tradition has been severed, and no timeless classics remain to illuminate the endless night.

He is the only son of a Peking University professor of Chinese literature, yet he flunked the college entrance exam and became the laughingstock of his neighborhood.

One story, “A Madman's Diary,” shatters the stagnant literary world, and from then on, he can't stop writing.

He writes of everyday life and lays bare his love for his country and its people. His words can be startlingly powerful or tenderly moving.

A cool, aloof female editor chases him for manuscripts, a gentle female teacher argues his case amid controversy, and a bold female reporter travels the land at his side… With nothing but pen and paper, he shoulders the task of carrying on the literary tradition and carves out the carefree life of a great writer of his generation.