Novels like A Thousand Miles of Stars Can’t Compare to You
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Thousand Miles of Stars Can’t Compare to You, best match first.
- 1 Sister-in-Law Menghua 梦花嫂子 No transmigration + no wish fulfillment + no golden finger + no System + rural life + getting rich Yin Menghua graduated from high school but didn’t get into college. Her family was desperately poor, and after her brother’s wedding expenses, there was no money left for her to retake the entrance exams. Through an introduction, she met Jiang Zhiguo and married him. After the wedding, Jiang Zhiguo went to work at a coal mine, where he was tragically buried in a mine shaft. While the heartbroken Yi 35Reads—Score314d adds
- 2 Secrets in the Rose Villa 蔷薇别墅里的秘密 Chen Xiaorong was born in the countryside. Her parents didn’t love her, and her prospective in-laws were all awful people. She was clever and decisive, beautiful and poised, and brimming with ambition. She earned top marks to get into university, but nobody supported her. She was willing to run away from her wedding and travel far from home to study on her own. The road ahead was difficult. When she faced endless darkness, the warmth he gave her became a ray of light that illuminated her heart. 12.9kReads8.8Score76014d adds
- 3 Early Spring Frost 小春霜早 Xiaochun Shuangzao tells the story of the lives, changes, joys, and sorrows of the three Gu siblings at the end of the twentieth century. Through their story, the novel explores the profound impact of Reform and Opening Up on people's thoughts and lives, and the sweeping changes brought by the new era. [Print edition published] 1.1kReads8.5Score10014d adds
- 4 The Neon Lights of the 1980s 80年代的烟火 The Firelight of the 1980s On summer nights in the 1980s, fireflies swarmed through the grass in the factory workers’ housing compound. Children chased crickets with glass jars, loaches caught in the ditch thrashed in enamel basins, and wind-up tin frogs went clack-clack in circles. These rustic pleasures were so vivid that children of later generations could never quite grasp them, even when they heard the stories. Deep in Qiuju’s drawer lay the silver tweezers he had sent her through someone 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 5 A Season of Green, with Drizzling Rain 见青时节疏雨绵绵 The first time Guo Shuyu, the daughter of a landlord, saw Xu Jianqing, the beggar, he was beating his wife, a hulking man like a black bear. Guo Shuyu thought any man would be better than that black bear. Better to be anyone’s wife than Xu Jianqing’s. How pitiful to be scolded and beaten every day. But life is full of surprises, and the Matchmaker in the Moon muddles the red threads. Some inexplicable stroke of bad luck sent everything awry. Like a thunderclap from a clear sky, Guo Shuyu married 49Reads—Score—14d adds
- 6 People from a Small City 小城市的人 [Two Male Leads + Period Setting + Ensemble Cast + A Cross-Section of Society + Angsty Romance + Workplace + Realism] One is a sunny young man who grew up in a government compound; the other is a poor boy from the countryside. They spend several years as classmates, parting and reuniting as their lives intertwine and they grow along different paths. After weathering one trial after another, and experiencing the clamor, loneliness, and pain in their respective lives, they search for meaning in th 4.6kReads8.7Score37314d adds
- 7 There’s a Rainbow in the Sky After the Rain 雨后的天空有彩虹 When the college entrance exams were reinstated, Zheng Hongmei left her three-year-old son, Wenge, behind in the countryside. Wenge always dreamed of studying hard, getting into college, and finding his mother. Fifteen years later, on the very first day his adoptive father took him to college, he ran into her. His mother was a professor at the university, but he no longer recognized her. His adoptive father was the one who told him she was his mother. But his mother coldly told him not to distur 1.9kReads—Score12714d adds
- 8 Life Afloat on the Riverbank 江岸浮生 [Contemporary realism + period chronicle + rural ensemble cast + women’s struggles] Spanning half a century of rural China, this book tells the story of three generations of women on the Jianghan Plain. Caught in the tides of history and the shackles of their families of origin, each struggles against fate in her own way and faces her inner demons, ultimately learning to live for herself. (I’m only here to tell the story as it is. I won’t give the characters perfect personalities. I’ll portray h 541Reads8.5Score10614d adds
- 9 Period: The Wicked Stepmother Is Reborn, and Her Stepson Sons Panic 年代：恶毒后妈重生，继子们慌了 [Period] [Reborn] [Has a Pocket Dimension] [Taking Down the Scum] [Satisfying Read] In her previous life, under unusual circumstances, Liu Caifeng married Song Xiang, a man with a prior marriage, and brought her son with her. She devoted herself to caring for her in-laws and raising her stepson. In the end, she met a miserable fate, dying after being hit by a car. Only as she lay dying did she learn that Song Xiang had caused her son’s death. Her daughter had been sold to human traffickers by he 3.4kReads8.2Score29414d adds
- 10 Wang Family Village in the Famine Years of the Seventies 七零荒年王家村 [Period Fiction + Rural Life + No System or Pocket Dimension] This book tells the story of Wang Fugui and his family, villagers in Wangjia Village in the 1970s. Wang Fugui is timid by nature. When the family runs out of food, he forces his wife, Jiang Xiurong, to ask the production team captain, Wang Xiaoyang, for grain. Wang Xiaoyang has been lusting after her for ages. When Wang Xiaoyang tries to assault her, their eldest son, Wang Peng, steps in. Again and again, he exposes Wang Xiaoyang's sc 5.6kReads6.9Score27714d adds
- 11 A Golden Branch Falls to Dust, Yet the Clear Wind Still Comes 金枝坠尘，自有清风来 He Ya was a beloved heiress from a wealthy family, but a sudden upheaval brought her household to ruin. Her fiancé called off their engagement, his words cutting and cruel: “You have nothing now. You’re no match for me. Stop deluding yourself.” His gleaming leather shoes brushed past He Ya... —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 The Tail Fire Tiger and Kui Wood Wolf 尾火虎奎木狼 As the old saying goes: Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles; traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as meeting countless people; meeting countless people is not as good as spending every day with masters; and having an expert show you the way is not as good as reaching enlightenment on your own. Over the years, I’ve read plenty of books, traveled many roads, met many people, and experienced many things. I’ve also spent time with masters, and gained a fe 9Reads—Score—14d adds
- 13 A Shooting Star Streaks By, Leaving Traces on the Years 流星划过，岁月有痕 This is a powerful work that deeply portrays the intertwined paths of growth for the post-80s generation and the changes of the times. The story follows its protagonist, Zhao Fei, from his green and innocent days in middle school, through the passionate years of university, and into the struggles and discoveries of life after graduation. It delicately depicts how Zhao Fei and his generation search for themselves and realize their worth amid the currents of the times, while also reflecting the sw 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 14 The Old Woman Killed by Her Eldest Daughter Is Reborn 那个被长女干掉的老妇重生了 In her previous life, Chunhua was muddleheaded and unlucky. She spoiled her younger brother, favored boys over girls, and grew estranged from her husband. After her eldest son went missing, she spent the rest of her life in a daze. It wasn’t until she lay alone in a hospital bed, ignored by everyone, and saw her badly injured eldest daughter scream at her in despair that she finally understood how terribly wrong she had been. When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to the day her eldest 254Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 15 A-Dou’s Comeback 阿豆的逆袭 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
- 16 A 200,000-Yuan Bride Price to Marry a Construction Worker 二十万彩礼，嫁给工地男 [The rating has only just opened and will rise] [Dowry Controversy] + [A Marriage Full of Misery] + [Multiple Male Leads] + [A Tense Push and Pull] + [Desperate, Obsessive Love] (Not reborn, not transmigrated, no golden finger) After more than six years of working, He Sui still hadn't paid off her online loans. Instead, her debt kept growing. Every New Year, her father nagged her about getting married until she was numb to it. Finally, He Sui steeled herself and got married. She had her own litt 110Reads8.1Score10914d adds
- 17 Daring to Act 大胆作为 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
- 18 Leaving on the Journey South 南下归途离开 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
- 19 Things That Happened When I Was a Kid 我小时候的事 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
- 20 The Great Pagoda Tree at the Village Entrance 村口那棵大槐树 The 1960s: too few clothes and too little food! In remote Tianshui Village, everyone was struggling to stay alive! Every character is a vivid reflection of that era. They have no golden fingers and they don't transmigrate... so they can only fight tooth and nail against life and fate just to survive! Girls especially had a harder time of it in those days. Listen to the names: Dai Xiao, Huan Xiao, Zhaodi... You can tell at a glance they were named by parents hoping for a son. Back then, many girl 62Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 My Nearly Forty CEO Wife 我的奔四总裁小娇妻 The second volume is out now. Come back for more! Follow the author's page and add the book to your library so you won't lose track of it!!! I'm Ma Ming, male, 21, and currently a university student. I can do 600 push-ups in one go. I can do 500 sit-ups in one go. I run every day to stay fit, and I'm good at both singing and dancing. I can down five large glasses of beer, eight glasses of red wine, and three glasses of whiskey in one sitting... “Let's not get sidetracked. Here's the deal: I have 4kReads9.4Score25114d adds
- 22 The Head of the Household in the 1950s 五零年代当家主妇 Bai Baozhu awoke from a dream in a daze. In it, her children had died or been scattered, none of them had found a happy ending, and the whole family had met a tragic fate. It all began when the family was branded with that fatal class background. Waking with a start, Bai Baozhu trampled her enemies, crushed her foes, and step by step escaped their schemes, making sure her family would never suffer the same tragedy as in her dream. But who could have guessed that the deadbeat husband who never ap 5.1kReads8.7Score33114d adds
- 23 The Plains' True Colors 平原底色 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
- 24 I Became a Billionaire, but They Sent Me to a Mental Hospital 成了亿万富翁，我却被送进精神病 In the early 1980s, Dugu Feng's father lost his iron rice bowl, and the family was so poor they could barely put food on the table. With no other choice, Dugu Feng gritted his teeth and took his whole family out to do backbreaking labor, starting by taking on the small construction jobs no one else wanted from contractors. He was an honest man who never cut corners, and his work was excellent. Little by little, he made a name for himself in the trade. From a small-time contractor to founding a 253Reads7.7Score12414d adds
- 25 Xu Fei's Wild Life 徐飞的浪荡人生 Just after the Lunar New Year, Xu Fei returns with a simple pack to the small northern city where he was born and raised, after three years away. He'd planned to find any wife and settle down to an ordinary life, but fate has other plans. He is pushed onto a path unlike any other, and begins a life far from ordinary. 780Reads6.7Score11114d adds
- 26 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 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 Her Walled-In World 她的围城 This book is based on a true story. It's not a wish-fulfillment novel, and it is slow-paced. In the 1990s, Jing An gets married. Unsure yet hopeful about marriage, she endures her in-laws' schemes and her sister-in-law's attempts to drive a wedge between her and her husband. At last, she and Jiuguang make it through their difficult adjustment period, and she thinks a brighter future is finally within reach. But that light is stolen by another woman. And so begins a battle of schemes and rivalr 29kReads9.2Score79114d adds
- 28 A Sour Story for Fujoshi 腐女酸文 Hello, everyone. I’m the author of this book, and also its protagonist: Yatou. This book tells the true story of my life. Every word comes from my own experience; nothing is fabricated or plagiarized. Over the years, I’ve weathered countless ups and downs and struggled through one storm after another. To make it this far feels like a hard-won miracle. Many people wonder about the meaning of the title, The Bitter Ramblings of a Fudanshi. It’s really a reflection of the first half of my life: “ 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 29 A Way Forward Through Mountains and Rivers 出路之山重水复 [Period setting + Family + Women + Career + Workplace business battles + No romance + Society + An exploration of human nature] No cheat powers, no dramatic comeback. A deep look at the struggles and prospects of 99% of ordinary people! Wish-fulfillment stories are everywhere, but once the excitement fades, only emptiness remains. In the end, we all have to face the grind of daily life and the warmth or coldness of human relationships. This slow-burning work of realism offers no lucky breaks or 2.5kReads9.5Score36214d adds
- 30 Reborn in the 1960s: I Became Grandma’s Little Sister 重生六零：我成了外婆的妹妹 [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
- 31 Stubborn as a Mule 硬颈种 [Not a Power Fantasy, No Cliches, No Stupid Characters, Mutual Devotion, Striving for a Better Life, Realistic Growth] In Hakka, someone stubborn to the core is called a "hard-necked sort." When Wang Lili was ten, she snatched a big chicken leg at the dinner table. Her father ordered her to give it to her younger brother. She said, "I won't." When Zhao Ruxun was ten, he was forced to let his mother beat him fifteen times in public for protecting his younger brother. He gritted his teeth and didn 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 32 The Little Bridge Cave Family Compound 小桥洞家属院 [Period Setting] [Ensemble Cast] [Everyday Life] The results came out a few months after it was completed. This novel is fantastic! Zhang Yan and Deng Yang were born in the Xiaoqiaodong factory compound and grew up beneath the chimneys of the State Chemical Plant. There was no glamour or respectability here, only the bustle of daily life, sweat, arguments, and warmth. In 1997, as firecrackers exploded to celebrate Hong Kong's return, they still thought their parents would wear their work uniform 591Reads8.1Score10214d adds
- 33 The Sun and Moon in the Steamer 蒸屉里的日月 Set against the changes sweeping the northern countryside in the 1990s, this story follows an ordinary rural woman as she spends half her life juggling household chores, conflicts with her sisters-in-law, small business ventures, and her children’s education. With only an elementary-school education, she supports her family with her skill at making steamed buns, putting her son through college and helping him build a life of his own. She lives through the transition from earthen houses to brick 307Reads—Score—14d adds
- 34 Transmigrate into a Book Set in the 1970s: Even a Slacker Has to Hustle 穿书七零，咸鱼也得卷起来 Yun Shu transmigrated into a book, becoming a supporting character in a period novel. She didn't need to be sent to the countryside because she was already there. She didn't need to deal with horrible people because she was one of them. She didn't want to go back to school, but had to hide there to stay alive. She didn't want marriage to change her fate, yet rumors about her never stopped. She didn't want to attract attention, but kept getting thrust into the spotlight... She thought she had alw 2.6kReads8.9Score18714d adds
- 35 Between Neighbors 邻里之间 Distant relatives are not as dependable as close neighbors, and close neighbors are no match for the folks across the street. But life is full of contradictions: without conflict, there is no struggle, and without struggle, there is no progress. Neighbors don’t always get along, either. As the saying goes, a neighbor is like a set of scales: they hope the other neighbor stays poor. 345Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 36 The 1990s: A Business Empire Built from Five Thousand 90年代：五千起步的商业帝国 [Stock Trading + Ancient Wisdom + Comeback + Entrepreneurship + Opportunities of the Era + Romance] In 1997, on the eve of the handover, Lin Tiebo entered the stock market at its peak with 5,000 yuan in his pocket. It was all the money he had, and his only hope of finding Xiaomei. The first time he made a move, people laughed at him in public for “not even understanding the rules.” Yet this outsider used ancient wisdom from works like the Biographies of Merchants to buy precisely at the bottom a 1.3kReads8.8Score10014d adds
- 37 At Dusk 人到黄昏 Family love, romance, friendship, and neighborly affection. The ordinary, uneventful lives of everyday people; the changing times reflected in rural life; the differences between two generations in their views on elder care; and how the elderly and children of the new era should face the twilight years of life. 45.8kReads9.1Score4.2k14d adds
- 38 Happiness, or the Lack of It 幸福不幸福 If memories were a game, Happiness would have died many times over. If reality were a game, Happiness would often be left battered and bruised. She wanders the streets of memory, where every shop is shuttered. It seems this world has no room for Happiness. Even as she scrapes by, enduring harsh words and cold looks, she still isn’t ready to give up... 146Reads—Score—14d adds
- 39 The Courtyard Compound: The Warmth of Everyday Life 大杂院：人间烟火气 [Period setting + family drama + everyday life] If you're young and inexperienced, take this as a warning and steer clear. This book probably isn't for you. It has none of the usual wish-fulfillment tropes and no imaginary cheat powers. It's simply an ordinary story about people in northern China. [No transmigration, no System, no pocket dimension, no being reborn, and none of the modern-novel elements you know.] It records the ordinary life of a northern town in the 1980s, capturing the memorie 8.8kReads9.1Score78214d adds
- 40 Those Years Working in Lingnan 岭南打工那些年 This work is a realistic urban novel based on my own experience of heading south to Guangdong for work in the late 1980s. It might be more accurate to call it a memoir of migrant work than a novel. The characters are all based on my colleagues, fellow villagers, and friends I knew well! I chose to write in the first person so that everyone in these pages would feel vivid and real, with a soul of their own. I hope readers will find the voice warm and familiar as they read or listen in their spare 18.7kReads9.3Score1.7k14d adds
- 41 The Rise and Fall of Boss Fan 范老板的沉浮人生 This story follows 1980s entrepreneur Fan Chenhui through the ups and downs of the business world in Shenzhen. It explores real-world issues including financial crises, family conflicts, workplace rivalries, and tangled relationships, portraying human nature and the changes of the times in vivid detail. 116Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 42 I'm Good! Please Don't Hurt Me! 我很乖！请你不要来伤害！ [Contemporary fiction] [Ensemble of women] [Scheming] [Red and Black] [Playing dumb while taking down enemies] [Clear-eyed heroine] A must-read for anyone born in the seventies, eighties, or nineties! This is a northern take on The Red and the Black, set in a glittering world of fame and fortune where everyone wears a false mask. The heroine seems sweet and obedient on the surface, but she sees things more clearly than anyone! She can live without love, but not without money! She can put up with 74Reads8.8Score—14d adds
- 43 A Working Stiff's Little Journal 打工小记 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
- 44 The Cold-Faced Officer's White Moonlight 冷面军官的白月光 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
- 45 Wild Chrysanthemums, No Tears 野菊花，不流泪 “The eldest gets doted on, the youngest gets spoiled, but the one in the middle suffers most!” In the late 1970s, under the weight of son preference and the pressure of family planning, Xiaojü was born in the middle. Her tragic life began from the moment she was born: an unwanted child, abandoned by both Heaven and Earth! When Xiaojü was four, the grandmother who had raised her passed away. In her final moments, Grandma told her that she had been born in a season when wild chrysanthemums were i 2.2kReads8.4Score15214d adds
- 46 The Long-Suffering Younger Sister 苦妹 This is a bloodcurdling, suffocating epic of female suffering. It tells the tragic story of a woman called Ku Mei, whose life was mercilessly crushed by fate over more than half a century, from the early 1960s to the beginning of the twenty-first century. In 1960, during a famine-stricken winter, she was born the second daughter in her family and named Pan Di, “Hoping for a younger brother.” From then on, her grandmother saw her as a “jinx” and branded her Ku Mei, “Bitter Girl.” In a family that 3.5kReads8.8Score41414d adds
- 47 A Tough Mystic in the 1980s, With a Handsome Husband Waiting at Home 八零玄学悍妻，家有娇夫待签收 A story set in a bygone era + Chinese metaphysics + mild supernatural elements + ghost-hunting + romance + strong heroine. No transmigration or rebirth; both leads are natives of the setting. [Brilliant, aloof genius with a goofy side, and no interest in men VS. A sharp-tongued, scheming, tsundere man with a poisonous-sweet manner] Tian Shiling, nicknamed Tianbao, is known in Qiantang Village as the coffin girl. Her mother died in childbirth, her father is unknown, and she was raised by the vill 46.1kReads9.2Score7k14d adds
- 48 Young and Promising 年少有为 How deeply does one's family shape them? Some grow up insecure, timid, and lacking confidence; others become violent and end up behind bars; still others see their marriages torn apart, losing their spouses and children. After countless heartbreaking realizations, some people spend their whole lives healing from childhood, while others are healed for life by their childhood. 21.3kReads9.0Score2.8k14d adds
- 49 Reborn 20 Years Ago: From Street Tough to Upstanding Young Man 重生20年从顽主到四有青年 [Reborn] [No System] [Ensemble cast] [Everyday life] [Business rivalry] [Romance] [Martial world] Does being reborn count as rebirth if you have no memories of your past life? In 2024, business tycoon Chen Yuanping is framed and sent back to the autumn of his nineteenth year. A completely different life begins... At the foot of the imperial city, in Liulichang. A group of young people born in the sixties and seventies leave the crowded courtyard houses in the hutongs, carrying their dreams 4.2kReads7.5Score21314d adds
- 50 The Age of Turmoil 折腾时代 Life is all about taking chances! In that restless age, Li Anran works in a big city, and her dream is about to come true. But when she returns to Qinzhou for a funeral, she's practically put under house arrest and told to stay and work in the small city. Zhang Huifei has the talent to get into one of China's top universities, but he unexpectedly fails the college entrance exam. To make sure his sister Li Anran can stay in Qinzhou without worries, he starts stirring things up... As a result, Li 10Reads—Score—14d adds
