The Tale of the Tuhai River

With the Tuhai River, which runs across the northern Shandong plain, as its central thread through time and place, this is a sweeping family-and-homeland epic about three generations of the Chen family, who guard the river through a century of upheaval and change, living alongside it and risking their lives to protect it. From the frequent floods of the late Qing and the endless warfare of the Republic to the new China’s efforts to control the waters and harness their benefits, and the ecological restoration of the present day, three generations protect the same river in different ways: some defend the embankments to save lives, some tame the waters and bring peace, and some protect the river as it is reborn. Blending legends of flood control, local customs, family feuds, and the fate of an age, the novel captures both the river’s fury and tenderness, and the people’s suffering and joy, before finally declaring: when the river is safe, the people are safe; when the river runs clear, the nation flourishes.