Novels Set in the 1950s to 1970s After the Founding of the Nation, No Female-Oriented Stories 建国后50-70年代小说，拒绝女频

1. 201 荒 A Traveler in Years of Famine 荒年客 Yearning for Yaoshan尧山眷恋Urban338k WordsCompleted A survival epic about ordinary Chinese people. From rural China to the torrents of modern life, three generations of the Hou family are swept along by the tide of history. The grandparents put down roots in the land. Their values, admonitions, and “family scandals” form the family's original identity and its shackles. The parents struggle through a time of transition, inheriting heavy burdens while kindling a desire to change their fate. As someone born in the 1980s, I linger at the divide betwe 148Reads6.6Score105Shelves

   Reader note

   This is it.

2. 202 四 A Pastry Chef Slacking Off in the Siheyuan 四合院里摸鱼的糕点师傅 Tomato Wonderfully Crispy Corn Sticks番茄妙妙妙脆角Male-Channel Fanfiction1.9M WordsOngoing A food blogger transmigrates to 1948. Does mentoring apprentices bring triple returns? “No Qin family, no Lou family, no hostility.” While everyone else who transmigrates into a siheyuan is busy fighting scoundrels and seizing opportunities, Shen Yan just wants to live like a lazy salted fish: as a pastry chef at a grocery store, he has little work and few worries. After work, he takes the homemade pastries from his pocket dimension, sits by the courtyard gate, cracks sunflower seeds, and watche 74.2kReads7.7Score4.3kShelves
3. 203 七 The 1970s: In Debt by Morning, Winning Big with the System by Night 七零：上午欠债，晚上绑系统躺赢 True Integrity Rising真铮日上Modern Romance2.0M WordsOngoing [Alternate History Setting, Daily Life, Slow Burn, Ordinary Male Lead, Poor Health, Has a Golden Finger but Won’t Become Invincible] With a bang, Wang Siming transmigrated! He opened his eyes in the 1970s, having become Wang Siming, who’d been swindled while looking for a job and lost the family’s entire savings of 300 yuan! His whole family had been eagerly counting on him to become a worker so they could enjoy the good life with him, and now he was saddled with a sudden debt of 300 yuan. He wa 7.7kReads8.3Score659Shelves
4. 204 重 Reborn in 1970: The Village's Educated Youth Beauty Takes Them All in One Swoop 重生七零，知青村花一锅端 Mu Qi暮启Rural Life648k WordsCompleted [Period Setting + Rags to Riches + Multiple Women + Supermarket Space + Everything Made by Hand] When he wakes up, Wang Qiulin finds himself lying on a small wooden bed in the 1970s. Nearby, he hears his fiancée plotting to sleep with another man, then pin the whole thing on him afterward to extort money. Wang Qiulin knocks them both out. He takes the woman as interest, leaves the blame for the cheating couple to bear, and poses as the victim, using the chance to break off the engagement and rui 27.7kReads6.2Score3.7kShelves

   Reader note

   It's a historical romance novel with many female leads. I wonder if anyone likes this kind of story? 😍

5. 205 人 Living in the Sixties: From the Start, I Head to Beidahuang to Help 人在六十年代，开局支援北大荒 Xi Hu Tutu系狐荼荼呀Male-Channel Fanfiction1.1M WordsCompleted On the first day after moving into his new home, Chen Yan discovers that he has transmigrated to a courtyard compound crawling with human scum. He thinks it can't get any worse, but from the start he's sent to the Great Northern Wilderness for rural reeducation! Fortunately, he binds to a System, and every sign-in rewards him with something good. Compared to the scheming and backstabbing in the compound, hunting wolves in the mountains and fighting tigers down below is much more fun! With Chen Y 7.7kReads7.9Score306Shelves
6. 206 四 Siheyuan: Born in 1950, Researching While Enjoying the Gossip 四合院：开局50，边吃瓜边科研 Guan Zhi观祗Male-Channel Fanfiction2.1M WordsCompleted [Siheyuan] [Period] [Technology to Strengthen the Nation] [One Heroine] [Putting the Yard's Troublemakers in Their Place] What? I've been reborn in a Siheyuan in 1950, and I'm a student at a top university, a genius in the top three of my year. As he recalls the fragmentary memories in his mind, Li Xiao breaks down completely. “I studied the humanities in my past life. What is this supposed to be? Is this some kind of joke?” From gas-cylinder cannons to Type 63 rocket launchers. From motorcycles 31.5kReads8.2Score1.2kShelves
7. 207 从 Laying the Groundwork, Starting in 1948 从1948开始布局 The Sky Reappears天空再现Male-Channel Fanfiction1.4M WordsOngoing A feel-good mash-up of films and TV dramas from China and abroad, with no angst. Liquid-metal robots, aerospace carriers, martial arts manuals, and spirit springs can all be found on Spirit Spring Mountain. Collecting characters from movies and TV, the story features a Beijing courtyard, business, gangs, war, espionage, scientific research, intelligence gathering, finance, base-building and farming, and the growth of powerful factions. It spans historical events and reaches from the public eye t 34kReads8.3Score2.4kShelves

   Reader note

   This is a fusion of domestic and international film and television works, from on-screen to behind-the-scenes, without mindless villainous mockery to pad the word count, and without trivial squabbles. It starts with a grand, courtyard-style setting. The protagonist establishes his own organization with a global reach, and various film and television characters join in, including those from classic works like *Bright Sword*, *Lurking*, *Under the Zhengyang Gate*, *Full House of Love*, *Glorious Era*, *First Blood*, *Bloodstained Gangsters*, *The Godfather*, and many more. It's watchable.

8. 208 四 Siheyuan: I Take Yi Zhonghai to Task and Demand 6,000 Yuan 四合院：手撕易中海，逼赔六千块 Green Mountain Woodcutter青山樵Male-Channel Fanfiction1.2M WordsOngoing Chen Wangshan is a transmigrator. He has transmigrated into a notorious courtyard house from across the myriad heavens, full of beasts. No endless bickering back and forth. He'll teach those beasts how to behave by using the law. A new author with a new work. Please go easy on me, dear readers! A fist salute! Thank you! (The rating just came out and will rise later, so please read with confidence.) 81.2kReads5.5Score3.9kShelves

   Reader note

   You can take a look at this.

9. 209 重 Reborn in the 1970s: There's Still Time for Everything 重生七零一切都来得及 Autumn Comes with Falling Leaves zmy13落叶知秋zmy13Urban253k WordsCompleted Only at the end of his life did a man in his fifties realize how much of a failure he'd been. The woman who loved him most spent her life alone and miserable, while he had been blind enough to fall for another woman who loved him. In the end, he had nothing. Only that first woman was still there for him, seeing him through to his final moments. If he had another life, he would never let her down. But it was already too late. Heaven gave him another chance at a different life. Only as he lay dyin 686Reads8.8Score100Shelves
10. 210 我 My Restarted Life in 1992 我的重启人生1992 Twelve Mad十二疯Urban6.6M WordsOngoing (The first thirty-some chapters lay the groundwork, so please be patient. The rest won't disappoint.) Zhou Andong never thought of himself as a good person. He figured that after he died, Hell would have to open a nineteenth level just to throw him into it. So one day in 2021, he did the first good deed of his life: he saved a pregnant woman from being hit by a speeding car. Perhaps Heaven was moved by his change of heart and sent him back to 1992, an era still dominated by traditional thinking. 67.1kReads9.2Score4.8kShelves
11. 211 重 Reborn in 1977: MC’s Strongest Player Forces Dad to Divorce 重生77：MC最强玩家逼爹离婚 Bao Gungun.包滚滚.Urban5.2M WordsCompleted (Minecraft + hoarding supplies + profiteering + farming + beachcombing + hunting + treasure appraisal + stone gambling + stock trading + absurd comedy.) Qin Shou is reborn in 1977 and obtains the Minecraft System. From the start, he gets an enchanted fishing rod that lets him fish up all kinds of supplies. He farms and raises livestock, mines ore and digs into mountains. With all sorts of divine tools at his disposal, he rises to become a global resource tycoon. He buys truckloads of antiques fr 8kReads8.1Score967Shelves
12. 212 四 Siheyuan: Yan Jiekuang's Carefree Life 四合院：阎解旷的潇洒人生 Eggs Boiled in Sweet Soup糖水煮蛋Male-Channel Fanfiction1.2M WordsCompleted Yan Youkuang accidentally opened a portal and transmigrated into the world of the Siheyuan, becoming Yan Jiekuang, the third son of the Third Master, Yan Bugui. Once there, Yan Jiekuang first broke the leg of Banggeng, the courtyard's notorious thief, to collect some interest. Then he went on to make life difficult for the courtyard's retirement crew. If you won't let me have an easy time, I won't let you get comfortable either. If I'm unhappy, don't expect you to be happy. In this courtyard wor 13.6kReads8.2Score472Shelves

    Reader note

    A modern man, lucky enough to become a "demolition beneficiary," receives ten million yuan in compensation. Later, while cleaning up the clutter, he encounters a mysterious spatial contract, foreshadowing his impending transmigration to another world. Is this guy lucky or unlucky? He then embarks on a shopping spree before hastily arriving in the world of a traditional courtyard house, becoming Yan Jiekuang, the son of the third uncle, Yan Fugui. Faced with this family's distorted values, our protagonist gradually corrects them. He teaches the third uncle how to repair bicycles, dotes on his younger sister, and even finds a good wife in the countryside. This novel has no major flaws or harshness; it's a slice-of-life story.

13. 213 灾 Reborn in a Year of Famine: Saving the Capitalist Heiress from the Start 灾年重生：开局拯救资本家大小姐 Zhengxin Chicken Cutlet正新鸡排Urban1.9M WordsOngoing Xu Feng is a notorious bastard in the village. He drinks heavily and constantly beats and berates his wife. When his sister-in-law Lin Xixue racks up a huge debt, his wife Lin Xiyue begs him for help, but Xu Feng ignores her. In the end, Lin Xixue is hounded to death by her creditors, causing his heartbroken wife to miscarry and completely give up on him. Only when the sisters' family comes looking for them does Xu Feng learn that they are both heiresses of the Lin family! When the Lin family fi 25.6kReads8.4Score1.4kShelves
14. 214 7 Starting in 1979, I Have Something to Say 79开始我有话要说 Braised Pork and Beef Brisket红烧肉炖牛腩Urban2.1M WordsOngoing By a twist of fate, an ordinary young man transmigrates to a parallel world in the early 1980s. See how he makes his way and thrives in that turbulent era, approaching it with the outlook of an ordinary person from a later age. 1.2kReads8.2Score100Shelves
15. 215 四 Siheyuan: From the Start, Silly Zhu's Uncle Leads Him into Politics 四合院开局傻柱娘舅带他步入仕途 Gazi Sword嘎子剑Male-Channel Fanfiction1.2M WordsCompleted [Siheyuan] + [A Lifelong Journey] + [In the Name of the People] A mash-up of several dramas, telling the story of what happened before the Siheyuan. Chu Yun's soul traveled back to 1938, where he became the uncle of He Yuzhu, a man who shared his name. From the start, he was a company commander in the Eighth Route Army. To stand up for his sister and his poor, wronged nephew, Chu Yun immediately taught He Daqing a lesson and gave the courtyard's troublemakers a dressing-down. Determined to give 98Reads7.4Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Military and Cultural 50 Years Begin with Founding Major General

16. 216 从 Lying Flat Since the Age of Ten 从十岁开始躺平 Let the Breeze and Moonlight Make the Wine清风明月来做酒Urban478k WordsCompleted Wang Xiaochuan's parents went to fight in southern Xinjiang when he was five, and were killed by the Vietnamese. His grandfather was left behind, frail and unable to do hard labor. When Wang Xiaochuan was six, he fell into a river and nearly drowned. In fact, he did die then. His soul was replaced by that of a forty-year-old man from the future who had struggled through life and been despised by his wife and children. Unable to take it anymore, he had jumped into a river. As a result, his soul t 66Reads9.1Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Highly recommend the first book

17. 217 假 The Fake Young Master Was Sent Back to the Countryside, Where He Turned His Life Around with His Wife and Children 假少爷被赶回农村带妻儿逆袭人生 Beautiful Spring Day春光明媚Urban1.8M WordsCompleted When Xie Zhao opened his eyes, he was back in 1983. That year, the richest family in Huxian County, the Chen family, found their real son and sent the impostor, Xie Zhao, back to Shishui Village. He couldn’t believe that the parents who had once treasured him like their own flesh and blood no longer wanted him. Had all the love they’d shown him over eighteen years been a lie? He went to ask them, but they wept and cursed him as a curse upon the family. They said he had made their biological son 20.9kReads9.0Score2kShelves
18. 218 四 Siheyuan: From the Start, I'm Silly Zhu's Uncle, Taking Him into the Army 四合院，开局傻柱他叔，带他从军 Gazi Sword嘎子剑Male-Channel Fanfiction2.6M WordsCompleted Military story + no holier-than-thou protagonist After transmigrating as He Daqing's younger brother, He Daming, he sets out to change the future for himself and his nephew, He Yuzhu. As a regimental commander, He Daming resolutely takes him into the army, embarking on a moving and heroic journey together. 12.5kReads8.2Score481Shelves
19. 219 四 Siheyuan: Back to 1950, Silly Zhu Enlists in the Army 四合院：重回50年，傻柱从军 Gazi Sword嘎子剑Urban2.3M WordsCompleted [Military + business warfare + politics + no self-sacrificing saint] From the start, he transmigrates as He Yuzhu, who has just been cruelly abandoned by his father, He Daqing. Knowing the plot inside out, He Yuzhu refuses to become someone else's pawn or sucker. Determined to live with his head held high, he grits his teeth and enlists in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea at the age of fifteen, beginning to write a legendary life of his own. 12.8kReads7.5Score474Shelves
20. 220 女 My Daughter Took Her Life on the Tracks After Falling into Depression. I Was Reborn to Make Amends 女儿抑郁卧轨，我重生赎罪 Coke Every Day天天可乐Urban4.1M WordsCompleted Guo Fan lived in abject poverty, leading a life of drunken debauchery like one of the Sanhe day laborers. His life revolved around alcohol and cigarettes. This unfit father nevertheless had a daughter, Guo Xiaohan, who excelled both academically and in character. But growing up without a father's love, Guo Xiaohan developed severe depression. Then, one midsummer day, she skipped school and jumped from the train platform. “Dad, thank you for taking care of me for these fifteen years. Your unfilia 31.9kReads9.0Score1.7kShelves
21. 221 正 Under Zhengyang Gate: The System Has Me Collecting Scrap from the Start 正阳门下：开局系统让我收破烂 I Am the Crown Prince吾乃皇太子Urban755k WordsCompleted From the start, he transmigrated into the world of Beneath Zhengyang Gate and happened to awaken the God-Tier Restoration System! “Ding! Congratulations, Host. You recycled an old bicycle and received a brand-new bicycle!” “Ding! Congratulations, Host. You recycled a radio and received a brand-new unlimited-range radio.” “Ding! Congratulations, Host. You recycled a pager and received max-level communications technology.” “...” 7.7kReads8.2Score287Shelves
22. 222 重 Reborn in 1983: Back to the Day My Wife and Daughter Died 重生83：回到老婆女儿死亡那天 The God Who Stays Up Late熬夜的神Urban4.0M WordsOngoing Jiangzhou’s richest man, Li Xingfeng, wakes up hungover after a company celebration banquet and unexpectedly returns to the day his wife and daughter died. Looking at the impoverished, shattered home, he happily sheds tears. There’s still time to make things right! In this life, he’ll not only save his family, but also ride the wave of reform to build his own business empire. He’ll unite national brands and form an alliance of homegrown products. Li Xingfeng: “I’m going to treat foreign investor 741Reads8.8Score107Shelves
23. 223 重 Reborn in 1979: Starting Out as a Village Doctor 重生1979：从小村医开始 Potato Sprouts土豆芽丝Urban1.1M WordsCompleted Reborn in 1979. A small mountain village. “I’m a doctor. I was only giving you artificial respiration to save your life.” “I don’t care. You have to take responsibility for me.” After being reborn, Zhang Yi’s first act was to rescue a beautiful woman who had nearly drowned. As a result, he had to take full responsibility. The mountains are covered in wild mushrooms, yet they’re left to rot. Wild boars are such a problem here, yet no one knows how to catch them. Marinated beef offal is delicious, 930Reads7.3Score101Shelves
24. 224 四 Siheyuan Prequel: My Foolish Zhu's Grandpa Flees Famine from the Start 四合院前传我傻柱他爷开局逃荒 She Yu Chen You舍予辰由Urban428k WordsOngoing No System + Not a Saint + A Prequel to the Courtyard Saga He Yingyuan has just won the Nobel Prize. On his flight back to China, a plane crash sends his soul back to 1942, where he becomes the grandfather of He Yuzhu. A famine that comes once in a century has struck. To flee the famine and stay alive, the family sets out together for the city of Beiping. To ensure the He family line continues, He Yingyuan has no choice but to make some difficult decisions. 13Reads6.5Score—Shelves
25. 225 1 1975: I Don't Want to Work, and I'm Going All Out 1975年：不想干活的我杀疯了 High Priest of Demons and Ghosts妖鬼大祭司Urban223k WordsOngoing Back to 1975, to the very moment he goes to the countryside. This time, Luo Jie is going to make up for every regret he ever had. You want me to work? Not a chance. Absolutely not. You want me to plant rice seedlings? I’ll build a rice transplanter. You want me to dig the fields? Ever heard of a front-end loader? Nobody touch the autumn harvest. It’s time for me to put on a show. A harvester converted from a tank leaves everyone in the village, young and old, gaping in disbelief. The villagers s 438Reads8.8Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    That's all, all male-oriented, with three books rated 9.0 Or higher.

26. 226 穿 I Transmigrated into a Period Novel and Refused to Be a Tool from the Start 穿越年代文，开局拒绝当工具人 A Clear Breeze in Troubled Times乱世清风Urban665k WordsCompleted An accident brought Li Dongyang inexplicably to an unfamiliar place. At first, he thought he had landed in the hard-laboring 1970s, but then he realized he was inside a period novel he had read in his previous life. Knowing how the story would unfold, Li Dongyang refused to be anyone’s pawn. 7.3kReads8.7Score257Shelves

    Reader note

    The first two are by the same author. They're about working hard in factories, not making money recklessly. The national conditions at the time weren't suitable for business; there wasn't the kind of overnight wealth or fortune in the hundreds of millions or billions. The third book is about a sent-down youth who went to the countryside, got into Peking University through the college entrance exam, but it's unfinished. It seems to be about him moving into the system.

27. 227 四 Siheyuan: I Have a System That Gives Me a Little Something 四合院，我有个三瓜两枣系统 My Real Name Is Huang Rong我真叫黄蓉Female-Channel Fanfiction594k WordsCompleted Not a wish-fulfillment ending + a literary take on courtyard life + transmigration + a space System Chang Huan only wants to live her own life in peace. She tried gently talking Silly Zhu out of it twice, but he wouldn't listen. People say the Jia family is pitiful, and she even donated a dime. What does Qin Huairu's constant jealousy have to do with her? She won't bail out the poor or the foolish, and she won't get lost in romance. Later, she meets Lin Shen, a devoted military officer, and spen 1.1kReads5.9Score131Shelves

    Reader note

    For artsy young people.

28. 228 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. 24Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    When I stumbled upon "Going South" on Tomato Novels, I initially thought it was just a story about the older generation of migrant workers. After finishing it, I realized it was actually a book that used one person's life to chronicle the journey of a nation over several decades. Shoushan, born in 1961, lost his father at age 12 and at 24, he boarded a slow train heading south with a burlap sack. He never rode a high-speed train, never used 5G, and never saw a space station. All he knew was to write "How is everyone at home?" In the remittance slip's remarks section—a phrase he repeated for forty years. He died in 2026, his last question being, "Has it been approved yet?"—A rural revitalization plan was only approved a year after his death. And what happened to this country during his 65 years of life? In 1978, China's GDP was only 367.9 Billion yuan. Shoushan went south in 1985, traveling on a slow train, a journey from Guizhou to Guangzhou taking two days and two nights. By 2025, China's high-speed rail network had surpassed 50,000 kilometers, ranking first in the world—the fastest journey from Guiyang to Guangzhou was four hours. When Shoushan was carrying bricks at the construction site, all he could see when he looked up was scaffolding. Under the same sky, Shenzhou V had already sent Chinese people into space. The year he died, China's space program launched 92 times, setting a new record; Chang'e 6 completed the first-ever lunar sample return mission; and the BeiDou-3 global navigation satellite system was completed. The money order he sent, asking "How are you at home?", Took half a month to arrive. And by 2025, China's 5G base stations will account for more than 60% of the global total, and mobile payment penetration will reach 86%, ranking first in the world. Shoushan didn't know any of this. He only knew that he had to shoulder the burden. But it was precisely people like Shoushan who shouldered all of this. 280 Million migrant workers built China's skyscrapers and paved its roads. GDP grew from 367.9 Billion to 140 trillion yuan, high-speed rail from 0 to 50,000 kilometers, spaceflight from Dongfanghong-1 to lunar sample return—behind these figures lies forty years of silent repetition by people like Shoushan. Every step the country takes forward is built on their shoulders. This book made me truly understand the weight of the phrase "comprehensive national strength" for the first time. It's not abstract data; it's the stack of yellowed remittance slips in Shoushan's iron box, it's the "Construction has begun" that Guiying waited for every evening by the Xishui River, it's the note with the character "lamp" that Wen Zeming has kept for fifty-four years. Everything you enjoy—high-speed rail, 5G, mobile payment, space station—didn't fall from the sky. They were built inch by inch with the dust of Shoushan's people over forty years. After reading this book, the next time you ride the high-speed rail, you might think of someone. His name is Shoushan. He never rode the high-speed rail, but he built the foundation for the land it passes through. The lamp is still lit because they carried the burden.

29. 229 回 Before I Left My Husband and Child in the 70s, I Was Spoiled Rotten 回到七零抛夫弃子前，我被宠爆了 Nong Wuyou侬无忧Modern Romance1.0M WordsCompleted [Reborn + pocket dimension + rugged man + raising kids + sweet romance] Shen Yiyi was a professional villainess in the Quick Transmigration Bureau. On her final mission, she transmigrated into a period novel and became a vicious educated youth who was infatuated with the male lead, married the story's great villain, gave birth to three cannon-fodder sons, was lazy and difficult, and then abandoned her husband and children to return to the city. In the end, the male lead “carried out justice on H 28.4kReads9.3Score3kShelves

    Reader note

    I've seen all of them, the reviews are OK, they're really good.

30. 230 四 Siheyuan: The Glorious Years of Xiangdong 四合院：向东的火红岁月 Fengtian Tofu Soup奉天豆腐汤Male-Channel Fanfiction2.4M WordsCompleted In the late 1950s, Xiang Dong unexpectedly received news that his second uncle had died in the line of duty. On the way to the capital, Xiang Dong, a college student from a later era who was used to being worked to the bone, took over his body. It was only after moving into the lucky No. 95 courtyard on Nanguluo Lane that Xiang Dong awakened his spatial ability. See how Xiang Dong grows step by step in this vibrant era, and how he gradually beats Yi Zhonghai until his old back gives out... (P.S. 33kReads6.8Score1.9kShelves

    Reader note

    Ruthless, greedy, and lustful during those fiery years.

31. 231 七 The Pretty Little Bride of the 1970s: The Village Tough Guy Is a Force to Be Reckoned With 七零小俏媳：我家村霸超凶的 Freshly Squeezed Little Lamb鲜榨小羊Modern Romance1.0M WordsCompleted [Period setting + reborn + sweet young woman and rugged man + doting romance + business and farming] Bai Jiaojiao, the fake heiress who had been sent to the countryside, was reborn. When she saw Shen Heng again, she boldly threw her arms around him, determined not to repeat the tragedy of loving him without ever winning his heart. Shen Heng, the local bully of Shili Village, was the very picture of a menacing brute. On their first day of marriage: “I’m the head of this household. My wife has to 89.3kReads9.2Score6kShelves
32. 232 年 Period: A House Full of Educated Youths, and the Neighboring Sisters Are Getting Anxious 年代：满屋女知青，邻家姐妹急了 Liang Sangen梁三更Urban456k WordsOngoing [Reborn + multiple heroines + hunting + mountain foraging + gourmet food + System + family life + cozy everyday moments + feel-good rags-to-riches story] In 1978, the wave of educated youth returning to the cities begins! In his previous life, Zhou Yunfeng did everything he could to curry favor with the educated young women so he could return to the city with them. He even stole all his family’s savings to buy himself a chance, including the money his mother needed to save her life! But as soon 81Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    This is a male-oriented period novel set in the 1970s. It's incredibly realistic, without any melodramatic tropes or oppressive themes, and it avoids the clichéd plot of a doting husband. The book is still in its early stages, but it's definitely worth reading—a must-read! Hurry up and check it out, or you'll miss out!

33. 233 怕 Help! Pregnant with Twins, and This Rugged Man Won't Stop Spoiling Me! 怕！双胎体质，被糙汉掐腰猛宠！ Cute Little Mango可爱小芒果Modern Romance1.0M WordsCompleted (Complete) (Period setting + rugged man + devoted husband + everyday life + devoted couple, one-on-one romance) As a minor cannon-fodder shrew of a supporting female character in a period novel, she was destined for a miserable ending that would leave everyone sighing with pity. But sorry, I'm here now. Looking at the man before her, with his straight, sturdy posture, phoenix eyes, and high nose, both his face and physique seemed made to match her tastes perfectly. Bai Yueji: How thoroughly brai 84kReads9.4Score5.5kShelves
34. 234 四 Siheyuan: From the Start, the Whole Family Gathered Around to Cry 四合院：开局全家人围着哭 As It Is, and As It Is Too亦然亦也Male-Channel Fanfiction1.3M WordsOngoing (Period Setting + Siheyuan Courtyard + Pocket Dimension + Mild Antagonism + Carefree + Multiple Heroines?) Li Zifeng was an utterly ordinary poor young man from a later era. After accidentally getting swept up in the transmigration craze, he was dropped straight into 1943, in Kaoshan Village. By chance, he became the apprentice of an eccentric master who spent all day drinking fake liquor and lived a carefree, easygoing life. He learned a unique set of unorthodox skills that were down-to-earth a 20.1kReads5.8Score1.1kShelves

    Reader note

    Traveling back to the 1940s, the more you look at it, the more captivating it becomes.

35. 235 四 Siheyuan Culinary God: I, He Yuzhu, Got Married from the Start 四合院神厨：我何雨柱开局就结婚 Hardworking Little Bai费力的小白Male-Channel Fanfiction1.6M WordsCompleted [Heartwarming + everyday life + plot changes + one heroine] After transmigrating as He Yuzhu and awakening the Chef God System, how will he deal with the bunch of pests in the courtyard? He marries a wife from the start, so Qin Huairu and Uncle Yi can forget about guilt-tripping him! Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng, don’t cause trouble, or Brother Zhu will make you pay! 28.5kReads8.1Score1.1kShelves
36. 236 手 My Subordinates Are All Rebellious, and I Become the Army's Greatest Villain 手下全是反骨仔，我成全军大反派 God of War Dad战神奶爸Urban1.5M WordsCompleted [A super contrarian + master trap-setter + comedy + old fox + invincible] Transmigrating into 1979, Ye An unexpectedly finds himself on a battlefield engulfed in the flames of war. He hopes to distinguish himself and make a name for himself, but his unit is ambushed and suffers heavy casualties. In a crisis, Ye An is ordered to rebuild the unit. The new recruits sent to him are all exceptional, but they're also notorious troublemakers and rebels from their respective units. His superiors promise 24.8kReads9.0Score2.9kShelves

    Reader note

    It's good-looking, interesting, and quite enjoyable to watch. [Smirk][Smirk]

37. 237 四 Siheyuan: I Only Want to Live a Quiet Life 四合院：只想平淡过一生 Beneath the Stars, Just for You披星戴月只为你Male-Channel Fanfiction2.4M WordsCompleted This book is dedicated to my younger self, to the chaos of those days and the loneliness buried deep inside, and to everyone who can't help looking back on the past. It's also dedicated to you, if you'd like to learn about life in Beijing's crowded courtyard compounds. This place was once a little world of its own: the gray walls were mottled, the doorways stood side by side, and life was noisy and real. Neighbors schemed and quarreled, clashing over every inch of land and wall, and getting red 35kReads7.9Score1.2kShelves

    Reader note

    Over two million words have been completed! A clean and concise book with everyone intelligent, humorous writing style, and no toilet humor. Set in 1953, it features a rigorous and logically sound portrayal of a powerful industrial nation. There's no hostility; the protagonist, Lao Liu, initially seems saintly, but later reveals his scheming nature towards everyone and everything around him. It avoids simplistic black-and-white characterizations, showcasing a grand vision, a deep concern for his country, and clear goals. He quietly dedicates himself using his advanced knowledge, with the courtyard disputes serving only as background.

38. 238 八 Pretty Eighties Stepmom Marries a Factory Director and Raises the Kids 八零漂亮后妈，嫁个厂长养崽崽 Huo Beishan霍北山Modern Romance1.3M WordsCompleted [Short drama: I Became a Stepmother in the 1980s] The 1980s, stepmother, raising kids, everyday life, love after marriage The moment she opens her eyes, Si Nian finds herself in a period novel as a fake heiress. She’s sent back to the countryside to marry a twice-married man in place of the real heiress, and has to raise a whole brood of children. To make matters worse, she runs into the real heiress, who has been reborn. In her previous life, Lin Sisi was pressured by her family into marrying a 56.5kReads9.4Score7.3kShelves
39. 239 年 Period: Riding the Wind to Rise in 1976 年代：1976乘风而起 Below Fangcun Mountain方寸山下Urban6.2M WordsOngoing 1976: The northern Bear is at the height of its power. 1976: The Western beacon struggles in the quagmire of stagflation. 1976: In the glow of the fiery red era, dawn begins to break for us... 23.2kReads8.0Score1.9kShelves

    Reader note

    A very good period novel, highly recommended by a 20-year veteran reader.

40. 240 军 A Sweet Military Marriage: Pampered by a Soldier in the 1970s 军婚甜如蜜，在七零被兵痞宠上天 Seaweed Pork Floss Cake海苔肉松小贝Modern Romance1.0M WordsCompleted [Multiple births + devoted, sweet romance + everyday family life + both leads’ first love + pocket dimension] Su Ruanruan went to sleep and transmigrated to the year 1970, on her wedding night. The first thing she sees when she opens her eyes is broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and an eight-pack. Who wouldn’t be captivated? Fu Wenzhang has brows like distant peaks and eyes like stars, a high nose, thin lips, and a sharply defined jaw. When he wears his military uniform, he always buttons it righ 10.3kReads8.9Score1.1kShelves
41. 241 你 Hello, 1976! 你好，1976！ vRunning Snailvv奔跑的蜗牛vUrban1.5M WordsCompleted The orphan Zheng Weimin transmigrates to 1976. He thinks he’ll finally experience the warmth of a family, but instead he’s abandoned once again. Luckily, he has the memories and knowledge of his previous life. Without them, he really wouldn’t have been able to turn things around. As the saying goes, nobody visits the poor in the busy city, while distant relatives come flocking to the rich in the mountains. It’s true. Zheng Weimin experiences life in all its harshness and, after being reborn, fin 38.3kReads8.9Score2.7kShelves

    Reader note

    It's very insightful, the male protagonist has strong moral values, and aside from encountering biased family members, he's otherwise full of positive energy. It shows you what a modern strategist is like.

42. 242 七 The 1970s: The Eight Younger Brothers Who Always Enabled Their Brother Are Reborn 七零之八个扶弟魔的弟弟重生了 A Splash of Vivid Color一抹重彩Urban1.0M WordsCompleted [Period setting, reborn, spirit spring space, one female lead, family ties, everyday family life, building wealth] In his previous life, Qi Yuejin became the richest man in the country. In the first half of his life, he relied on his eight older sisters and lived well with his wife. By the time he made money and came to his senses, some of his sisters were dead and others crippled, while the younger generation had severed ties with him and wanted nothing more to do with him for the rest of their 39.7kReads9.1Score4.3kShelves

    Reader note

    Reborn in the 1970s, she rewrites the regrets of her past life, awakens a personal spiritual spring space, and dedicates herself to repaying the debt of affection she owes her eight older sisters. The plot is highly immersive, with a prophetic perspective and an extraordinary life seemingly blessed by the spatial manipulation, making it a truly enviable experience.

43. 243 重 Reborn in 1959: Little Everyday Moments in Nanluoguxiang 重生59南锣鼓巷之小日常 Gluttonous Badger贪吃獾Male-Channel Fanfiction2.9M WordsOngoing He transmigrates to the capital and settles on Nanluoguxiang. He fishes and farms, living a carefree life, learning to cook, appraising antiques, occasionally trading barbs with Zhang Haixing, and picking on the courtyard busybodies now and then. 66.7kReads8.2Score3kShelves
44. 244 四 Siheyuan: Damao and I Are Brothers 四合院：我和大茂是兄弟 Chongqing Henpecked Husband重庆耙耳朵Male-Channel Fanfiction584k WordsCompleted Lou Xiao'e + one female lead + a lighthearted, everyday story with no hostility + no overpowered System + a pocket dimension. He transmigrates into a Siheyuan courtyard and becomes Silly Zhu, the gullible big villain who gets scammed by everyone in the compound. Fortunately, it is still early, and there is time to change everything. He Yuzhu resolves to be a good person who cares for his family, gets along with his neighbors, and stands up to evil forces. 5.6kReads8.7Score161Shelves
45. 245 六 Daily Life Raising Kids in the 1960s 六零养崽儿们日常 She Wanders the Jianghu她在江湖漂Modern Romance1.0M WordsCompleted [Raising kids + transmigration + System + period setting + male protagonist + no romance] Lu Yuanqing figured he must be heaven’s own son. He’d died, yet still been transmigrated and reborn. But the price of coming back to life was having to raise a whole brood of kids from his original family in the years just after a famine. Every last one of them looked like a refugee from Africa, and every last one was a handful. Wonderful! Had Heaven saved him, then realized he was actually Old Wang next do 874Reads6.8Score100Shelves

    Reader note

    Both books feature male protagonists. The first one involves a male protagonist who transmigrates to a different era, acquires a system, and has no romantic partner; his children are his younger brother, sister-in-law, and niece. The second book is set in the Republican era; if you're not too concerned about logic, it's worth a read.

46. 246 重 Reborn in 1979 重活1979 Year's End年末Urban2.6M WordsCompleted Back in 1979, when everyone else was chasing money, Fang Yuan decided to slow everything down and enjoy time with his family. He caught eels, gathered wild ginseng, earned work points with the production team during busy seasons, and went hunting and foraging in the mountains during the off-season. He doted on his wife and teased his daughter and son. Life was blissfully carefree. 406Reads9.1Score135Shelves

    Reader note

    Both are good, scoring 9 points or higher, and are of high quality. One is about a coal mine in Huai'an, and the other is about hunting and selling ginseng in Northeast China.

47. 247 七 Back to 1970 Before I Lost My Chastity: Husband, I Was Wrong 七零回到失去清白前，老公我错了 Shameless Young Master公子无耻Modern Romance1.1M WordsCompleted Everyone in Yonggan Village knew that the newly arrived Shen Jiaojiao was a little temptress. She dressed in flashy clothes every day and chased after men. Later, a scumbag chopped off Shen Jiaojiao's legs, threw her in a basement, and tortured her until she wished she were dead. When she was critically ill, the man she'd personally sent to prison, Xu Mo, bought her for a million. Shen Jiaojiao thought Xu Mo had bought her to humiliate and torment her. But he put their past behind them, marri 14.6kReads9.2Score1.7kShelves
48. 248 兼 Part-Time Secret Agent 兼职小特务 Under Two Hundred Pounds不到二百斤Urban1.8M WordsCompleted Xu Shitou is a part-time secret agent. He owns a tattered silk painting that lets him lie in wait for prey like a spider, letting them walk right into his trap. Born with one leg shorter than the other, he is known to everyone who knows him as Crooked Five. He lives with his family on the banks of the Huangpu River... 14.3kReads7.7Score829Shelves
49. 249 我 I Am Li Huaide's Bodyguard 我是李怀德的警卫员 Lying-Flat Enthusiast躺客Male-Channel Fanfiction1.8M WordsOngoing Li Dahu, a soldier, served as Li Huaide's bodyguard. After leaving the military, he was assigned to the Hongxing Steelworks. This is the story of how he struggled through years of famine while supporting his three younger brothers and three younger sisters, and gradually built a better life for himself at the Hongxing Steelworks. 48kReads7.2Score3.1kShelves

    Reader note

    Absolutely beautiful

50. 250 5 The 1950s: Starting Out as a Wanderer, I Make My Home in the Deep Mountains 50年代：隐居深山从流浪开始 Born of the Dao's Rhyme道韵生Urban7.8M WordsOngoing Tags: (farming + reclusive life + family saga + harem + science fiction + interstellar + universe) (Entirely hand-written, no AI) (Author’s note at chapter 3480: I’ve been writing this book for over three years. Its rating went from 9.4 to 8.9, and its readership has fallen from several hundred thousand to forty or fifty thousand. It was once a huge hit, and then it faded into obscurity. Many readers have probably come across it more than once, but very few have made it to the later chapters. (S 34kReads8.9Score2.4kShelves

    Reader note

    I feel pretty good.

Other lists with A Traveler in Years of Famine