Period Stories: No System, No Pocket Dimension, No Golden Finger 年代文，不要系统，不要空间不要金手指

1. 101 三 The Three Treasures Pagoda and Purple Gold Mountain 三宝塔与紫金山 Muzi Surong木子苏蓉Modern Romance114k WordsCompleted The story unfolds slowly between Sanbao Town in southeastern Yunnan and Nanjing, the ancient capital of six dynasties. Yun Kun, a young man from southern Yunnan, dreams of escaping the mountains. Through sheer perseverance, he rises from a poor boy to a faculty researcher at a military academy. Ning Xiang, who lives east of Nanjing, once enjoyed a peaceful, ordinary life, but the tides of the times bring a drastic turn: her household registration is falsified, and she is forced to move to the co 8Reads—Score—14d adds

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   Two originally parallel life paths unexpectedly intersected at the foot of Zijin Mountain. Their union was not only the companionship of two individuals, but also the fusion of two lifestyles. Yun Kun embodied the resilience and tenacity of the red soil plateau, while Ning Xiang possessed the gentleness and resilience of the Jiangnan water towns. In an era of scarcity, they supported each other through thick and thin, using wild chickens, loofah vines, and homemade kaleidoscopes to transform their impoverished days into a poetic existence.

2. 102 我 My Dongguan Dream: Sister Mei 我的东莞梦：媚姐 Zeng Yi曾呓Urban2.4M WordsOngoing Sister Mei's advice to me: The women at entertainment venues are just for looking. Don't get serious with them. Sister Mei also said: Don't get any ideas about me, either. [A story about working for a living, perhaps with a little of me, you, and him in it.] 198.5kReads8.9Score9.7k14d adds

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   👍👍👍👍👍😄🥰👍

3. 103 彩 Fifty Years of Bride Price: In 1974, It All Began with a Broken Engagement 彩礼50年，1974从悔婚开始 Uncle Wang Tells Stories王叔说故事Urban171k WordsOngoing In the bitter winter of 1974, Zhao Shuangzhu publicly called off his engagement and was given three days to come up with a hundred yuan for the bride price. He swallowed his pride and borrowed from every neighbor he could, took the old folks’ burial savings, and went into the mountains at night to hunt rabbits and trade them for cash on the black market. Dodging the market inspectors, he stumbled through the hardest hurdle of his life. He spent the rest of his life marrying, raising children, an 113Reads—Score—14d adds

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   This book is good; it should suit you.

4. 104 铁 Rust and Blossoms 铁锈与繁花 Tian Yuefang of Deer West Island鹿西岛的田月芳Modern Romance136k WordsCompleted 1990s + inspirational realism + female awakening + a determined comeback + making a life far from home + workplace transformation + family ties + sincere romance + friendly neighbors At seventeen, she never imagined that the peachwood talisman her mother pressed into her palm would accompany her through so many storms: from the crowded sleeper cars of a green train to the fluorescent-lit workshop of an electronics factory; from an old night-school building overgrown with ivy to the desk in her o 609Reads—Score—14d adds

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   This realistic coming-of-age story really resonated with me! From a factory worker to a successful career woman, Zhang Yanqiu's story is a microcosm of the struggles of ordinary people like us. It was so heartwarming to stay up all night reading it!

5. 105 走 Through the Trials 走过劫难 Li Xinxin李馨欣Modern Romance275k WordsCompleted Disaster strikes a once-happy family of five. After suffering a heartbreak so piercing it feels like ten thousand arrows, how will a mother who has only just reached middle age, and is already frail and sickly, lead her three underage children through hardship and toward the future...? 150Reads—Score—14d adds
6. 106 俺 My Mother, Wang Juzhen 俺娘王菊珍 An Xin Dui Yang安心对阳Modern Romance832k WordsOngoing [Based on real life + hardship + historical era + the struggles and perseverance of ordinary people at the bottom of society] This is not a feel-good power fantasy. The protagonist of this book is my beloved and respected great-grandmother, a poor old woman who struggled through the surging tide of an era. Wang Juzhen never had an easy life. Her parents starved to death while fleeing famine, her own sister sold her for a mouthful of grain, and a landlord lusted after her. Only Wang Long gave her 109Reads—Score—14d adds

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   You should read this book. The land will not let down those who live earnestly. Wang Juzhen was crushed by fate, but she was never broken. She stood tall amidst suffering, and she is the most tangible hope in the world.

7. 107 七 A Cadre's Daughter in the 1970s: From Village Belle to Translator 七零高干：从村花到翻译官 Clear Seas, Deep Rivers海清河深Modern Romance593k WordsCompleted [Era of Reversal] [Rise of a Great Nation] [Clear-Eyed Money Making] [The Heroine’s Growth] [Marriage Before Love] [Building a Business in the 1970s] In 1975, deep in the Ten-Thousand Mountains, a single dirt road trapped countless rural children in lives of poverty. Zhao Shuhe had a secret: inside her mind was a 2025 course System. While everyone else was still using abacuses, she already knew matrix calculations. While others were memorizing the 26 letters, she had a complete university-level 214kReads8.8Score34.6k14d adds

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   There's no system here 😘😘😘😘

8. 108 七 The Prosperous Daughter of the Seventies: Leading Her Family to Wealth 七零旺家女：带领全家致富 Xiao Liu l小柳lModern Romance167k WordsOngoing The countryside in the 1970s was battered by hardship and uncertainty. The Lin family got by in a few ramshackle mud-brick rooms. Their life was poor, but filled with the warmth of home. Lin Chunning, the eldest daughter, knew how to identify medicinal herbs, and that skill became the starting point for the whole family's rise. With grit as her guide, she shouldered the burden of keeping the family afloat. With her help, her father's carpentry skills found new life, and his furniture became high 1Reads—Score—14d adds
9. 109 苦 A Bitter Girl’s Rebirth 苦妹之涅槃重生 Little Pear Blossom O小梨花OModern Romance487k WordsCompleted Inside Ku Mei’s five-year-old body lived the soul of someone who had died with a heart full of hatred. Reborn, she faced a spiteful grandmother who beat and berated her, a cold grandfather who enabled the abuse, and a mother who could only weep helplessly. Ku Mei concealed her boundless hatred and memories of her past life, pretending to be timid as she carefully plotted her every move. She outsmarted her relatives and broke free of her shackles, starting with a bottle of chili sauce from the mi 121Reads—Score—14d adds

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   Those who haven't started watching can now, it's newly released.

10. 110 平 The Plains' True Colors 平原底色 Ban Liang搬凉Urban116k WordsOngoing Beginning in the twenty-first century, this novel follows Fang Lizhu, a child of the post-80s generation growing up in the rural Jianghan Plain of central China. Through Fang Lizhu's education, work, and the many people he meets and events he experiences, the novel portrays how life has changed for people across the plains since the start of the new century. It also depicts the many ways ordinary people respond to sweeping changes in a new era and a shifting social landscape: the choices they ma 17Reads—Score11414d adds

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    I highly recommend this book! It's currently being serialized and will resonate with those born in the 80s and 90s! The novel begins at the start of the 21st century, told from the perspective of Fang Lizhu, a young man born in the 1980s in a rural area of the Jianghan Plain in central China. Through depicting the various people and events Fang Lizhu encounters during his studies and work, the novel reflects both the changes in the lives of people in the plain after the turn of the century and the diverse lives of ordinary people facing dramatic changes in the era, whether they choose to actively persevere or passively escape.

11. 111 芳 A Forest of Blossoms 芳华自成林 Autumn Reeds by the River河畔秋芦Modern Romance346k WordsCompleted [Period Drama, Entrepreneurship, Strong Female Lead, Younger Man, Semi-Documentary Fiction] A friendly reminder: this is a slow-burn story. Four years of blissful dreams, shattered in a single day. A premature birth. A divorce. Lin Fang, who had grown up cherished and protected, decides to stand on her own two feet and face the world with a clear head. While recovering from childbirth, she learns how to conduct herself and do business from her older brothers. She takes her daughter south to —Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    No system, no cheat codes

12. 112 我 Things That Happened When I Was a Kid 我小时候的事 Xiaoxiao Nishang筱筱霓裳Modern Romance158k WordsCompleted I really don't have much talent for writing novels. I simply pieced together people and events from my childhood, along with scattered fragments of memory and everyday trivialities, as best I could. It's like sewing a patchwork garment out of scraps of floral fabric: from a distance it looks colorful and busy, but up close the seams are obvious, and it never quite comes together. Even so, I weighed every word and poured my passion and love into it, because I wrote it for my daughter. 52Reads—Score—14d adds
13. 113 黑 The Allure of Darkness 黑色之诱惑 Qiu Zimo秋子末Urban442k WordsCompleted By chance, Xia Xue’er steps into a casino and catches a fleeting glimpse of Chen Feng, the underworld boss. It proves to be a trap laid by fate. From then on, she is seized by the demon of gambling and takes one step after another toward the abyss of crime. The curtain rises on her tragic life… 11.7kReads9.4Score99414d adds

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    In the 1990s, Xia Xueer accidentally stumbled into a casino and had a fleeting encounter with a triad boss, which led her down a path of no return.

14. 114 弃 Leaving Love Behind in the 1970s: The Doctor Goddess Orphan Is Doted on by the God of War 弃爱七零，医神孤女被战神独宠了 Gave It a Shake, and Got Yao摇了个瑶Modern Romance1.4M WordsOngoing Others transmigrated to the 1970s, and Wen Sui'an did too! While others who transmigrated either latched onto powerful patrons or brought along a pocket dimension, Wen Sui'an was lucky enough to get the Qihuang System! She can only earn points by treating and saving people. No patients, no perks. The original owner was a timid pushover, arranged to share a household with Shen Yubai and look after two little ones. Her future stretched out before her, filled with grievances and thankless chores. S 8.7kReads8.1Score97914d adds

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    Sweet moments with her husband on military duty; his tenderness is unique. 🩷🩵

15. 115 从 The Swallow Who Crawled Out of the Dark Abyss 从黑暗深渊中爬出的燕子 A Lifetime of Xiuer秀儿一生Modern Romance509k WordsCompleted Tell me, just how unlucky can one person be? Her own father married four women, and her stepmother treated her like a thorn in her side. In the prime of her youth, she was tricked by a villain and taken away. At long last, she found a little warmth and thought she’d found love, only for it to turn out to be another ill-fated relationship. She got married, thinking she’d found a home, but her life became a complete mess. And that wasn’t the end of it! One by one, all her loved ones disappeared... 95Reads—Score1114d adds

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    It's so beautiful, so beautiful, so beautiful!

16. 116 到 In Another World, I Use Taoist Arts to Empty My Enemy's Warehouse 到了异世，我用道术搬空仇人仓库 Ling Ling Qi Xuan泠泠七炫Modern Romance913k WordsCompleted An alternate history setting. Please do not compare this story with real history! Gou Yunshu, a modern Daoist exorcist, was betrayed by her best friend during an exorcism. She was struck down by heavenly retribution, killed by a bolt of lightning. She transmigrated into the body of a young girl in the Great Xia Kingdom of the Republican era and discovered that her grandfather had been captured by the Japanese army. To rescue him, she took her younger siblings, bought a house, and left Laolongtan 1.3kReads—Score10714d adds

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    It's a time-traveling adventure with spatial elements—it's addictive! Come check it out!

17. 117 重 Reborn in the 1970s: The Capitalist Heiress Is Determined to Divorce 重生七零：资本家小姐一心想离婚 Chu Ran初冉Modern Romance3.1M WordsOngoing Shu Yue was reborn on the day her baby was switched. In her previous life, she lived with her daughter and her maternal grandfather's family. Only when she was dying did she learn that the girl wasn't her biological child. Her sister-in-law on her husband's side had switched the babies. She had actually given birth to a son. Her sister-in-law had taken him because she had never been able to bear a boy of her own. As Shu Yue grieved, her ungrateful daughter told her that all their relatives had b 35.6kReads8.3Score1.9k14d adds
18. 118 灵 Spirit Spring Space: In a Year of Famine, I Take the Kids to Find Their Commander Father and Reunite 灵泉空间，荒年带娃找首长爹认亲 Xuanji Bright Moon璇玑明月Modern Romance2.3M WordsOngoing [1960s + military marriage and joining the army + spiritual spring space + devoted couple + transmigration and rebirth, turning the tables + punishing scoundrels + marriage first, love later + becoming beautiful and strong + cooking and raising children + real heiress + medical skills] Her adoptive mother pushed her into the water, and she played along with the act, swindling a military officer into becoming her husband. After they married, she lived at her parents' home for years and gave all t 107.1kReads8.5Score9.4k14d adds
19. 119 史 The Poorest County Magistrate's Wife in History Leads the Whole County to Prosperity 史上最穷县令夫人带全县百姓赚钱 Ling Ling Qi Xuan泠泠七炫Ancient Romance993k WordsCompleted Hang Ying, head of a reclusive modern-day clan, dies during an expedition and transmigrates into Yingzi, the wife of Xu Mengran, a penniless county magistrate in the Great Chu Empire. Who ever heard of a county magistrate being poor? Well, this one wears a patched robe, and his wife earns money washing and mending clothes to help him pursue a career in the imperial examinations. They have no maids or guards, the yamen runners look down on them, and a rich young lady even comes to their door to b 706Reads7.0Score—14d adds
20. 120 庸 Beware the Mediocre 庸人小心 Yin Mu殷木Urban370k WordsCompleted Realistic fiction · Unrequited love with a bad ending · Small-town life · Ordinary people · Coming-of-age · No golden finger Based on the true experiences of friends, this story is told from a male first-person perspective and follows Jiang Xin through the ups and downs of his youth in a small southern county town from 2005 to 2014. He was once an elementary-school prodigy admired by everyone. But from the moment he started middle school, his life quietly began to veer off course. As a boy, he 201Reads—Score10714d adds

    Reader note

    A pure, original historical novel with no cheat codes! Focusing on a young boy in a county town in the 1990s, without a system or spatial dimension, it realistically tells the story of a lifelong regret caused by youthful timidity and lack of planning, making it a truly authentic and engaging read.

21. 121 打 A Working Stiff's Little Journal 打工小记 The Village Is Not Late村不晚Urban270k WordsCompleted Urban daily life + earning a living through hard work + multiple heroines + healing The story of an ordinary wage earner: from drifting to Guangzhou to drifting to Beijing, from Shaoxing to Foshan and then to Majiaqiao in Beijing. Fifteen years in all. See how a worker at the bottom makes his way through life... I went south at fifteen and drifted north at thirty. The fiercest gamble of my life took fifteen years to pay for. Over those fifteen years, I worked in an electronics factory, served 43Reads—Score—14d adds

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    True stories of working people

22. 122 刘 Liu Zhihao's Years of Youth 刘志豪的芳华岁月 Third Aunt from the Farm农家三姑Urban223k WordsOngoing [Period novel + workplace + family + society] The story takes its time to unfold, growing richer the further you read. It is grounded in reality, depicting social life, education, love, careers, officialdom, and rural life in the 1990s, offering a sweeping portrait of everyday life in that era. After graduating from university, the protagonist, Liu Zhihao, is assigned to teach at a middle school in his hometown. From then on, his life enters a new phase as he witnesses the development of educati 25Reads—Score114d adds
23. 123 护 The Village Guardian Ghost 护村鬼 Ah Shuilan阿水兰Mystery382k WordsCompleted Ghosts often haunt Ronggu Village, but the villagers themselves are not afraid. They say the ghosts are protectors of the village and would never harm its people. In fact, they protect them. Outsiders, however, are afraid, especially those who know they have a guilty conscience. That is why outsiders rarely dare to spend the night in Ronggu Village. So what exactly are these guardian ghosts like? Why are they called the village’s protectors? Let me tell you the story. 36Reads6.6Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    A realistic period drama, very enjoyable.

24. 124 阿 A-Dou’s Comeback 阿豆的逆袭 Ah Shuilan阿水兰Urban182k WordsCompleted He was born with a disability: no neck, his head almost resting on his shoulders... On top of that, he lost both his parents as a child. Yet this very man eventually made a comeback like Forrest Gump. He not only married the village beauty, but also found success in his career. How did he turn his life around and rise to the light? Was it luck? Character? Talent? Maybe it was a bit of everything. 9Reads—Score—14d adds
25. 125 万 The Outcast Ghost of Wancun Village 万丛村的边缘鬼 Ah Shuilan阿水兰Mystery329k WordsCompleted Some say death, the end of life, is the fairest thing of all because everyone dies. But in truth, unfairness is absolute, fairness is relative, and even the end can be unfair. There are homeless wanderers with nowhere to live and no place to call home, and there are the rich, with mansions everywhere. The same goes for ghosts: some are lonely spirits with "nowhere to be buried," while others are wealthy ghosts with burial grounds bigger than a kingdom... Wanderers are pitiful, and lonely ghosts 3Reads—Score—14d adds
26. 126 从 From Village to City: Their Lives Swept Along by the Tide of the Times 从村到城，她们在时代洪流里沉浮 Ah Shuilan阿水兰Modern Romance505k WordsCompleted Their fates seem to repeat across generations. Three generations of women all grew up under the shadow of fathers who left or divorced their mothers. Raised in households with only their mothers, the women share similar traits: resilient and adaptable, dignified and self-assured, hardworking, and devoted to living life well. From the countryside to the city, women of the new era have finally welcomed a spring of their own. Their lives have become richer and more colorful, full of endless possibi 12Reads—Score114d adds
27. 127 大 Daring to Act 大胆作为 Ah Shuilan阿水兰Modern Romance277k WordsCompleted She was as beautiful as a celestial maiden. Raised in a remote mountain village, she became famous far and wide for her beauty, but she was neither delicate nor dependent on men. With an excellent memory, high emotional and intellectual intelligence, and a stubborn refusal to give up, she carved out a place for herself in the world. She studied opera, ran a stall, worked odd jobs, and did business, eventually making her mark in the commercial world. Because of her unusual birth, her life was far 7Reads—Score—14d adds
28. 128 共 Sailing Together 共舟行 Little Mouse Maomao阿鼠毛毛Modern Romance300k WordsCompleted [Small-Town Fiction | Slow Burn | 1v1, Both Leads Chaste | Ensemble Growth | Working-Class Struggles | Realistic | Period Setting] “Across a thousand miles, the boat speeds on; a letter of love rides home on the wind.” A small town in southern China in the 1990s A young man holds an unremarkable bouquet of roses And lays his feelings bare beneath the night sky From scraping by with a street stall to finding a way forward together Through wind and rain, they share life's many ups and downs This i 2.4kReads—Score13714d adds

    Reader note

    This one! This one!

29. 129 旧 Childhood in the Old Days 旧时光里的童年 The Second Kid in the Old Days旧时光里的小二Urban134k WordsCompleted The author recalls a rural childhood in Wuchang County, Heilongjiang Province, during the 1970s and 1980s. The book describes rural life and the changes brought about by the household responsibility system in the early days of reform and opening up, along with the joys and hardships of the author’s childhood before the age of ten, major family upheavals, and the warmth and coldness of human nature. 39Reads—Score314d adds

    Reader note

    Based on the author's real experiences, this novel vividly reflects the life in rural Northeast China during the 1970s and 80s, as well as the major family upheavals and the coldness and warmth of human relationships experienced by the author. It is a poignant and nostalgic work that will move readers to tears.

30. 130 土 Flowers Born of the Earth 土生花 Ci Er La Chu次尔拉初Modern Romance375k WordsCompleted The land is silent, yet it can hold all the hardships endured by three generations. On the barren yellow earth, three generations of women are pressed into the mud by fate, bound hand and foot by patriarchy, and slowly tortured by life. They have no choices and nowhere to turn. They don’t even dare to cry aloud. All they can do is endure the darkness, bear the despair, and keep going through days that have been ground to dust, sustained by sheer will. Yang Jinlian is deaf and stutters. All her 1Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    No cheating, it's really, really bad.

31. 131 昂 A Life Full of Vigor 昂扬的生命 Pomegranate Blossoms in May榴花映五月Modern Romance616k WordsCompleted I dedicate this book to the first generation of only children, and to the teachers’ college graduates who devoted themselves to education in this land. Each person has only one life. How should we live this one and only life? Looking across history and around the world, many inspiring books have explored this theme. I, an unknown nobody, hope to join their ranks and have chosen the same theme. I hope my work won’t be lost among the masterpieces of celebrated writers. This work will focus on Ji 238Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    This book is a historical fiction, a normal historical fiction, a pure historical fiction!

32. 132 闯 Heading to the Northeast: Lin Erni's Bumpy Road to Happiness 闯关东：林二妮的颠簸幸福路 Liu Piao留飘Modern Romance1.3M WordsCompleted [No contrived twists] [No cheat powers] [Traditional] [Realistic] [Period] [Rural] [Hardship] [Inspirational] Lin Erni was born in Heze, Shandong, and married into Harbin in the Northeast. She struggled to get by amid the freezing snow in the mountains, then later had no one to rely on and went alone beyond the mountains to make a living. The first time, she was tossed from one place to another like a bag of steamed buns, made a child bride, and beaten and cursed. The second time, her father sol 21.8kReads9.4Score2.1k14d adds

    Reader note

    The depiction of the pure, nostalgic, and rustic charm is so close to real life.

33. 133 玩 Making the Most of a Life Full of Ups and Downs 玩转跌宕起伏的人生 Liu Piao留飘Modern Romance325k WordsCompleted [Traditional] [Period] [Romance] [Countryside] [Ensemble Cast] [Revenge] [The 1980s] [Strong Female Lead] [Comeback] [Inspirational]… Li Huiping was bright and talented, but while preparing for the high school entrance exam, she spent time tutoring Qiao Shan, the classmate she had a crush on, and lost the chance to prepare for the exam herself. As a result, she missed out on getting into a key high school. After the exams, Qiao Shan ignored her. Heartbroken, Huiping saw through men’s fickleness 200Reads8.4Score10614d adds
34. 134 我 I Am a Scout: Zhan De 我是侦察兵一一湛德 Splashing Water from the Far Bank隔岸拍水10k WordsCompleted I’m a Scout: Zhan De —Reads—Score—14d adds
35. 135 冷 The Cold-Faced Officer's White Moonlight 冷面军官的白月光 Bai Zhe白柘Modern Romance98k WordsOngoing That night, they sat on the steps outside the photography studio, eating wontons. The July heat in Shanghai was stifling as a steamer, and cicadas poured their cries from the plane trees’ canopies, spreading them across the ground. Shen Zhi prodded a wonton with her chopsticks, then suddenly asked, “How did you get by during those two years in Yemen?” 3Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    Love memoirs of those born in the 1980s, life in the 1990s, niche, artistic, and sweet stories.

36. 136 南 Leaving on the Journey South 南下归途离开 Shanjiu's Home杉玖家Urban371k WordsCompleted Every so often, a generation leaves home to make a living, leaving its youth behind on construction sites and streets far from home. Our fathers left the mountains with worn-out woven-plastic bags on their backs, heading south to find work. They knew nothing of polished talk. They only knew to keep their heads down and work hard, relying on brute strength to feed their families. They lived in cramped shacks, endured grueling day and night shifts, and swallowed their homesickness and grievances. 27Reads—Score214d adds

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    From being held hostage by foreign technology to becoming the world's number one, China's construction machinery industry has traversed this path in forty years. In 1985, Shou Shan boarded a green train heading south. He was twenty-four years old that year, carrying a snakeskin bag and with fifty-five yuan borrowed from others in his pocket, squeezed into the aisle of a hard-seat carriage. Outside the window were endless mountains, inside was the smell of sweat, instant noodles, and an indescribable dampness. He didn't know what Guangzhou looked like, only that there were construction sites, steel bars, and work to do. What he didn't know was that at the same time, something else was happening on construction sites in Guangzhou. In 1985, the Chinese construction machinery market was firmly held hostage by foreign brands. Excavators, cranes, and concrete machinery were almost all imported. An imported excavator cost hundreds of thousands of yuan, and even a used excavator could sell out quickly. Domestic equipment was of poor quality and slow in technological updates; even small parts like excavator cylinders had to be imported. "Before 2010, the number of excavators produced in the Chinese market was determined by foreign cylinder companies." That year, Shoushan was carrying steel bars on a construction site. He didn't know what kind of equipment those bars would be used in. He only knew that those big machines with foreign labels were worth twenty years of his work. Forty years have passed. Shoushan has worked on construction sites for forty years. China's construction machinery industry has also progressed for forty years. From importing, digesting, absorbing, to independent innovation. From being unable to fight back when foreign brands colluded to raise prices, to the market share of domestically produced excavators soaring from less than 20% to 86.8%. From tunnel boring machines being monopolized by foreign companies, with each machine selling for 150 million yuan, to the global market share of domestically produced tunnel boring machines approaching 70%, and the localization rate of core components reaching 98%. From concrete machinery being monopolized by foreign giants, to Sany Heavy Industry and Zoomlion successively acquiring Putzmeister and CIFA—China's global market share of concrete machinery has exceeded 40%, ranking first in the world for many consecutive years. And today. In 2025, China's construction machinery exports will exceed 59 billion US dollars. Thirteen Chinese companies will be listed among the top 50 global construction machinery manufacturers, surpassing the number of the United States and Japan. The proportion of excavator exports will exceed 53% for the first time. Exports of electric loaders increased by 208% year-on-year. Even more impressive is the fact that Chinese construction machinery is exporting "Chinese solutions." 883 electric heavy-duty trucks were shipped from Guangzhou Port, exceeding the total export volume of new energy tractors nationwide in 2025. 31 electric mining trucks were shipped to a copper mine in Zambia, bundled with supporting photovoltaic and energy storage systems. Chinese companies are building integrated green microgrids combining photovoltaics, energy storage, charging, and mobile power transmission, ensuring that electric equipment can be used even in remote mining areas without grid power. From selling equipment to selling solutions. From being held back by technology to exporting standards. From the foreign machinery filling construction sites when Shou Shan went south in 1985 to China's construction machinery exports covering more than 230 countries and regions by 2025—in forty years, Chinese construction machinery has covered a path that took others a hundred years. "Going South" tells the story of "one person's" journey over these forty years. Shou Shan worked on construction sites for forty years. The steel bars he tied supported every factory, every production line, and every assembly workshop of China's construction machinery industry, from import to export, from diesel to electric, from being held back by technology to becoming the world's number one. He never saw how those behemoths bearing the logos of Sany, XCMG, and Zoomlion were manufactured, but every steel bar he tied by hand was beneath those behemoths. He grew old. At sixty-four, the construction site no longer needed him. He walked out of the site gate with a burlap sack on his back, glancing back—the tower cranes were still turning, the mixers were still humming, and batches of construction machinery were being loaded onto ships at the port. There was no longer any work for him. But he knew that someone else would take over. He remembered his mother's last words—"The light must not go out." The light did not go out. The light of China's construction machinery, from the dim light of the workers' shed when he went south to guard the mountains in 1985, has shone brightly until the searchlights at Guangzhou Port loading ships for departure in 2025. Forty years, one man, one machine, one nation. The lights stayed on. "Going South" - A realistic epic about ordinary people. They used steel bars to build the base of China's engineering machinery, and then quietly withdrew from history.

37. 137 梦 Dreaming of the Pearl River 梦回珠江 Liu Jin刘瑾Urban291k WordsCompleted This work is based on the revolutionary history of the Guangdong Army. Its characters and relationships were inspired by stories passed down by word of mouth among the elders. It tells of soldiers’ choices between their country and their love during the revolutionary era… 12Reads—Score—14d adds

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    Chronicles!!

38. 138 飏 Yangcheng 飏城 Liu Jin刘瑾Historical200k WordsCompleted This is just one of countless stories from the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression: sacrifice, passion, fear, and moving moments fill every cell. In this era, even love seems to have been reduced to waiting... 60Reads—Score—14d adds
39. 139 黄 Sunset on the Yellow River 黄河落日 Liu Jin刘瑾Urban244k WordsCompleted Sunset over the Yellow River is a work set against the 1938 Huayuankou Incident. The story unfolds against a backdrop of warfare and follows two love stories experienced by a woman who cannot speak... 68Reads—Score—14d adds
40. 140 北 North Gate, South City 北门南城 Liu Jin刘瑾Urban226k WordsCompleted The front line stretches from north to south, and the story begins in a small town in the Northeast. Decline, hope, redemption, hardship, pain, and love reaching ever farther: it all feels like a dream. The story unfolds through its male and female leads, depicting the helplessness of wartime. 50Reads—Score—14d adds
41. 141 雅 The Yama Mountains 雅玛山脉 Liu Jin刘瑾Modern Romance109k WordsCompleted The Yama Mountains lie on the plateau, far from the bustle of the cities, amid cold and desolate surroundings. Herdsmen have lived here for generations, and their peaceful, quiet lives are suddenly shattered one day when a group of strangers enters the area… 15Reads—Score—14d adds
42. 142 最 The Purest Love 最纯洁的爱 Happy Soy Milk快乐的豆浆Urban2.0M WordsCompleted Qin Feng returns to China after completing his studies in Russia, just as the country reforms its education system and universities abolish guaranteed job assignments for graduates. He then moves with his family to a coastal city, where he meets Xie Lan, a local girl from the countryside. Xie Lan is six years younger than Qin Feng and left school after junior high. They come from vastly different backgrounds in age, education, and family circumstances. Both sets of parents oppose their relations 4Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    The most passionate love is like the surging lava of a volcanic eruption, rushing out with overwhelming force, igniting everything in its path with its burning passion.

43. 143 石 Shi Shun's Growth 石顺的成长 Shi Shunzhi石顺之Modern Romance320k WordsCompleted About Growth At the foot of the Dabie Mountains, a young man named Shi Shun journeys forward, one step at a time. Over the first half of his life, he experiences sincere family affection, treasures friendships forged through hardship, encounters tender love, and strives to build an ordinary career. He grows from a naive, awkward youth into a steady and responsible man, tempering his character amid the everyday bustle of life and coming to understand what life means through the companionship of 4Reads—Score114d adds

    Reader note

    A truly excellent piece of writing from a bygone era; authentic, touching, inspiring, relatable, and healing; down-to-earth yet relatable, revealing genuine emotions in the ordinary, and demonstrating that even the mundane can be extraordinary.

44. 144 重 Back to 1978: From Medical Student to Legendary Surgeon 重回1978从医学生到外科传奇 One Two One Three Two一二一三二Urban385k WordsCompleted The rating just came in. It’ll go up. [Medical fiction + rebirth in a bygone era + no System] Time Stop Reborn in 1978, Lu Yuanzhou declares war on terminal illness! In an age when CT scanners are not yet commonplace and laparoscopic surgery has yet to be invented, when even appendicitis can be fatal, the knowledge in his mind gives him a cheat that is forty years ahead of its time. From the county hospital to the provincial capital’s top-tier hospital, then to international medical summits, he 8.5kReads6.2Score74014d adds

    Reader note

    Surgeons' works from a bygone era, niche and unsystematic.

45. 145 重 Reborn in the 1960s: I Became Grandma’s Little Sister 重生六零：我成了外婆的妹妹 Jing Jiuzhe荆九折Modern Romance73k WordsOngoing [When an ordinary person is reborn in a rural village in the 1960s, forget about getting ahead or making grand plans. First, stay alive.] [1960s rural life + family and neighborhood affairs + education and growth + ensemble cast] [Not a wish-fulfillment story, not a wish-fulfillment story, not a wish-fulfillment story. Please don't read if that's not your thing. Thank you.] When Zhu Yan wakes up in the body of her grandmother's second-youngest sister, who died young, she vows to change her grand —Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    No cheat codes, no spatial system, rather bland, not a wish-fulfillment story.

46. 146 荞 Tears of Buckwheat Blossoms 荞花泣 Qing Yuesheng青月生Ancient Romance306k WordsCompleted This is a tragic story. The stranglehold of arranged marriages on women cuts like a blunt knife, while the desperate struggle to survive in a remote mountain village feels like a net with no escape. Under the shackles of the times, individual resistance ends in tragedy, like a moth flying into a flame. The gender oppression embedded in the tribe’s feudal culture makes life even more suffocating. Every time A Wei reaches for hope, reality crushes it in her grasp. The indifference around her, from —Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    [Sparrow's Masterpiece]

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