Novels like Dongguan, Dongguan: The Blossoming '90s
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as Dongguan, Dongguan: The Blossoming '90s, best match first.
- 51 May the Sun Always Shine Bright 希望阳光永远都炽热 A castoff banished by his corporation to the Western District has a one-night stand, only to be relentlessly pursued by a beauty. Then, through a bizarre twist of fate, he even ends up at the police station. Ever since he got involved with this woman, not a single day has gone smoothly! "I'll pay you. Can you just leave?" "No!" Is it really so hard for me to be a true believer in pure love? 239Reads—Score—14d adds
- 52 They Call Me the Office Cutie, and I’m Loving It 我在单位被称小美女，我“赢麻了 At work, they call me a cutie. I’m totally winning. 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 53 Women on the Career Ladder 职场路上的女人们 Amid the shifting tides of the crowded world, people are always boarding ships and leaving them behind. When they came riding the waves, they carried unspoken obsessions. When they turned away, the hems of their robes swept up the stars, while the warmth frozen in their palms seeped forever into the course of the voyage. 857Reads7.1Score10414d adds
- 54 A Love Triangle in Marriage 婚姻里的三角恋 [Contemporary realistic fiction + the married life of ordinary people in Beijing + love triangles in marriage + real struggles] Bai Xue and Wang Yang are a young married couple living in Beijing. Wang Yang is a typical “phoenix man,” a country boy who made it big in the city. After ten years of marriage, he cheats on her. After they divorce, Bai Xue meets another man, and her new life begins… What makes this book special: A woman faces betrayal in her marriage, but after the hardship comes 1.6kReads8.8Score15514d adds
- 55 Middle-Aged and Alone, With No One to Lean On 人到中年，无人可依 A middle-aged couple have no sex life and barely communicate. With elderly parents to care for and children to raise, they hit a dead end at work and struggle through a life full of endless chores. Then suddenly, an unforeseen and terrifying crisis sweeps them into a storm. What should they do next? Can they keep going? How can they turn things around? 220Reads7.4Score13314d adds
- 56 The Ups and Downs of Business: A Life Well Lived 商业浮沉：不负韶华 "No Cliches, No Idiocy, No Melodrama, No System, No Power Fantasy, No Golden Finger. Read at Your Own Risk" "Jiang Xiaobei’s Comeback" Only later did Jiang Xiaobei understand: Not every effort gets the chance to bloom, not every affection gets an answer, and not everyone who says “next time” really gets a next time. No one could have predicted what came later. That poor kid who couldn’t afford a single shirt, the failed exam candidate whose father pointed at him and said, “This is all you’ll 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 57 What's There to Fear About Divorce at 40? My First Love Has My Back 40岁离婚怕什么，还有初恋兜底 [A levelheaded housewife who knows when to retreat and when to advance + an icy doctor who advances by retreating] [Midlife struggles + parent-child relationships + redemption + mutual healing] Her husband is having an affair with his boss. Her son is a high school senior and has started dating. Zhu Yi, who quit her job three years ago, feels as if her world is collapsing. Then she unexpectedly runs into Yang Yiqing, her first love, whom she had lost touch with years ago. Suddenly, time speeds 112Reads—Score—14d adds
- 58 Bold Pursuit, Secret Indulgence 强撩与暗宠 On one side, his female boss pulls him into an emotional tug-of-war. On the other, the female dean offers him a healing companionship. Caught between them, he doesn't want to give up his stable job, but he can't bear to let go of the peace and comfort she brings, either. Choosing between them becomes his greatest dilemma. 5.1kReads7.1Score46014d adds
- 59 My Angel Investor Is My Adorable Husband 天使投资人是我的小娇夫 Told from the heroine's perspective, this story follows her journey from an innocent, inexperienced newcomer to the working world to a successful professional woman. Fang Yuwei and the hero, Lin Peifeng, meet on campus. He falls for her at first sight and takes care of her and stays by her side, but Lin Peifeng's identity is not so simple. As the heroine makes her way through the workplace, she encounters all kinds of unwritten rules, both obvious and hidden. She changes jobs several times and m 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 60 My Wife Comes First 老婆最最大 Fang Jianqiao never imagined that his first time would change his life so dramatically, all because of a married woman. What shattered him even more was that after just one brief lapse, the woman became pregnant with his child! From then on, the wheels of fate spun wildly. Su Jiaoru entwined herself around his life like a vine, pressuring her husband to divorce her at any cost and stubbornly demanding that Fang Jianqiao marry her, dragging him into a storm of emotions and moral conflict. This s 228Reads—Score10214d adds
- 61 Zhi You: Mom, Take Me with You 知柚：妈妈，带我一起走 [Growing Up with a Little One] [A Post-90s Mom's Comeback] [No Romance] [No Male Lead] "Mommy, don't go..." Youyou buried her face in Lin Sui's neck, her muffled sobs coming one after another. "Youyou will be good. Don't leave me..." Lin Sui stroked her daughter's back again and again. Her voice steadied, then trembled, then steadied again. "Be good and listen, Youyou. Mommy is only leaving for a little while. I'll find a way to come back for you, I promise." The man standing in the entryw 99Reads—Score—14d adds
- 62 No Mercy for the World 不赦人间 For the first twenty years of her life, Chen Qingxing lived by one rule: never count on a miracle. When someone else took the spot she had earned as a student in need, and her part-time wages were withheld, she signed a harsh sponsorship agreement. Her benefactor would pay for her to finish college, and after graduation, she would repay the debt with a marriage of convenience. There was no romance involved. It was a deal with a clearly marked price. She relied on careful calculations to plan eve 24Reads—Score—14d adds
- 63 Xue Mei's Story 雪梅的故事 Bare, barren loess hills. Ravines and ridges wind their way into the distance. This is where the story’s heroine, Xuemei, spent her childhood, grew into a shy young woman, and endured until she became a mature wife. She works hard, cultivating this poor yellow earth, and sings the praises of the diligence and simplicity of rural women in the new era. 148Reads—Score—14d adds
- 64 Her Secret Thoughts: A Young Man’s Hidden Diary in a Small Village 致她的心事：小村青年的隐秘日记 No formulaic plot | Not a wish-fulfillment novel | Realistic fiction | Zhou Zhiqiang grows up amid poverty and chaos in her birth family, with her father instilling in her the survival rule that “you have to please people to survive.” She gets into college and lands a job at a bank. A well-off man, Ke Qingyan, pursues her, but as the truth about her family comes out, she gradually loses her self-respect and her relationship. Later, burdened with debt, she returns to her hometown and, under he 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 65 The Leisurely Life After Financial Freedom 财富自由后的悠闲生活 [No System + Urban Entrepreneurship + Traditional] In the spring of 2010, Lu Dalang, a senior at an agricultural university, was about to graduate. His girlfriend, Qian Mei, wanted to return to her hometown, where her parents had already arranged a job for her and she had familiar connections. Lu Dalang, determined to pursue his own future, angrily headed to the provincial capital. His girlfriend left him with one condition: “Buy a house, and come get me so we can live in the provincial capital. 4.1kReads8.2Score15314d adds
- 66 I'm the Boss's Wife and a Part-Time Massage Therapist... 我是老板娘兼职按摩师…… I’m the boss’s wife and a part-time masseuse... 4Reads—Score—14d adds
- 67 A Second New Beginning 二次新生 [No System] [Not Reborn] [Realistic Urban Life] [Restaurant Startup] [Slice of Life] It wasn’t until the day I got divorced that I understood: closing the noodle shop wasn’t the hardest part. The hardest part was watching my ex-wife get into someone else’s car, then having to smile as I served the last pot of bone broth to my summer customers. Later, I won a bet to take over a restaurant. I thought my life was finally turning around. Until I realized that every step I took was a square on someon 16Reads—Score—14d adds
- 68 A Romance at a Shenzhen Factory 深圳工厂情缘 My new story is here! You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 3kReads8.9Score21814d adds
- 69 The Gray Trade 灰色行业 For a man, whether he's working the edges of the law or investing, success means happiness for the whole family, while failure is his burden alone. There are no gamblers, just poor kids trying to turn their lives around. 547Reads—Score7914d adds
- 70 Sunshine Everywhere 随处可见的阳光 Wang Baisheng was unlucky, yet somehow seemed lucky, too. His first love left him in unbearable pain… On the road after running away from home, he rescued Wang Yajing. Then, at her father’s company, he met Li Mengqi. From then on, his fate was entwined with women… Though perhaps that’s an exaggeration… 18Reads—Score—14d adds
- 71 The Chinese Bodyguard 国产保镖 54Reads6.3Score87714d adds
- 72 The Caregiver Who Came to Repay a Debt 还债的保姆 Yan Yan had always lived a pampered life, but when her husband was in a car accident, everything fell into hardship. She spent all her savings and racked up a mountain of debt. Their two children needed money for school, and her husband required ongoing treatment. With no one to turn to, she went alone to the big city to find work and earn a living. 67Reads—Score114d adds
- 73 The Brash Stepmother from the Eighties Becomes a Nobody 八零泼妇养母成了路人甲 Liu Peiyun was ready to enjoy a quiet retirement, but instead transmigrated into a book as Lu Xuebi, a village girl whose engagement had been broken off in the 1980s. Since she was already here, Lu Xuebi decided to make the best of it. She studied for college entrance exams while leading her whole family to seize the opportunities of the times. Only later did she learn she had transmigrated into a book: she was the heroine’s shrewish adoptive mother, an obstacle on the heroine’s road to wealth a 646Reads5.8Score11614d adds
- 74 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. 114Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 75 Two Abnormal Humans and a Motorcycle 两个非正常人类与摩托车 Love that defies social norms has often been seen as a symbol of courage and freedom, admired and celebrated. This is the one kind of love people will always despise. This is not a novel, just a story from real life. There are no thrills, no climaxes, no pacing, only despair and oppression. It might be of some small help to people who truly love motorcycles, but be prepared to be mocked. This story has an unconventional outlook on life, values, and the world, and portrays a world of abnormal peo 2.2kReads—Score38014d adds
- 76 Reborn from the Cocoon: Lin Yu’s Comeback 破茧重生，林宇的逆袭 The protagonist is a devout Buddhist who values loyalty and honor, and is also innovative and bold. He struggles to make his way in the garment industry. In 2004, he saw an opportunity and proposed that his company purchase digital textile printers from the Sun Country, helping it take the lead in the digital printing field. He later went into business for himself, and things went smoothly from the start. But fate had other plans: his manager betrayed him and took all his clients, the market shi 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 77 The Story of Three Working Girls 三个打工女孩的故事 Three young women of the same age, each from a different family background and with a different personality, head to Guancheng to find work. Set in the 1990s, their experiences capture the memories of an entire era. When their birth families are thrown into turmoil, should they stand by and do nothing, lend a hand, or sacrifice their dignity to help them through it? Some come to repay their parents' kindness, while others only cause their parents trouble. The three girls each have a different an 5.8kReads9.0Score49114d adds
- 78 Finding True Love Inside and Outside Marriage in Midlife 人到中年婚姻内外寻找真爱 Yang Duo is a flower in full bloom. Though she’s forty, she’s still young and beautiful. A woman in pursuit of true love, she yearns for romance and has spent her life exploring and experiencing it. A passionate love affair that nearly cost her life in her youth, a joyless marriage in middle age, and an unexpected encounter outside her marriage: whenever she falls for someone, she loves with wild abandon and suffers heartbreak that tears her apart. Her three close friends have very different l 637Reads8.7Score10114d adds
- 79 Late at Night, I Fell Under His Spell 深夜，对他着了魔 Their late-night story… It’s thought-provoking, and leaves you filled with regret. Was she too devoted, or was he too heartless? What can you even say about love? 212Reads—Score—14d adds
- 80 My Five Sisters Raised Me, So I Bought Each of Them a House 五个姐姐养大我，我送每人一套房 When I was seven, Mom and Dad were gone. My five older sisters took turns raising me. The eldest dropped out of school to work a sewing machine. The second scavenged rotten vegetables at the market. The third earned money competing in tournaments. The fourth never had an entry labeled “for herself” in her ledger. The fifth cut off her long braids and sold them for eight yuan to pay my tuition. Chen Zi'en lived next door. He was the school bully, feared by everyone. He'd never lost a fight, but 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 81 The Secrets of My Wife: The Truth Behind the Phone Calls 妻子隐秘：电话背后的真相 Liang Xiaojun had always worked for his father-in-law. One day, after returning home from the construction site, he heard his daughter, who was gaming, say she’d received a strange blackmail call. After looking into it, he uncovered a huge secret about his wife. Faced with a cruel reality, what choice should he make? 676Reads6.8Score10014d adds
- 82 The Phoenix Woman Marries a Phoenix Man 凤凰女嫁给凤凰男 This is an inspirational story about Yan Yan and Liang Liang, two top students who make their way from the countryside to Beijing. Through their own hard work, they put down roots there, buy a home and a car, and raise a family. Their journey is filled with hardships and laughter, as they keep facing new challenges and growing along the way. 242Reads—Score—14d adds
- 83 My Tenth Year as a Simp 我当舔狗的第十年 Mo Ziyan screamed because Yang Dun had knocked her to the ground, and the fall hurt. Yang Dun screamed because he had accidentally pressed his hand against Mo Ziyan’s chest... Embarrassed, Yang Dun quickly scrambled to his feet, then awkwardly helped Mo Ziyan up. But Mo Ziyan thought Yang Dun had knocked her down on purpose. “Team Leader Yang, how could you be so naughty? You told me to stand right here and not move, but it turns out you were lining me up so you could knock me over!?” —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 84 A Temporary Romance at the Factory 工厂的临时爱情 Work + Romance + Plot + A Large Supporting Cast Xu Yanhui, a young man from a rural village who has just left the army, comes to the city alone to find work. By chance, he meets his fellow villager Duan Li, who introduces him to a job at a textile factory. There, he witnesses and experiences the joys and sorrows, warmth and cruelty of the lives of working women. Set in the 1990s, this story uses simple prose to tell the stories of ordinary migrant workers. I hope you enjoy it. 12.7kReads8.6Score97014d adds
- 85 Home on a Unicycle 独轮车上的家 The novel follows Liu Shouren and his family from the late 1970s to the present day. As society changes and the countryside is transformed, they weather a tumultuous journey. Through stories from in and around the village, it portrays the lives, resilience, struggles, and growth of countless ordinary rural families across China... 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 86 The 365-Day Relentless Dating Plan 365天疯狂相亲计划 [Modern romance + lifelong single + falling in love + dating pitfalls] On her 29th birthday, Mu Chen makes a vow: she’ll get married before she turns 30. Having been single her whole life, she sets out on a long search for love, rushing from one blind date to the next. What will happen as she searches for Mr. Right? Stay tuned. 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 87 Died by the River 逝于江河 Two years into their marriage, Meng Ran became pregnant with Yang Peng's child, but something about it all felt wrong. Those choices that seemed so firm were really just hesitant attempts to weigh the pros and cons. “How wonderful it is to be young” was nothing but an illusion. We all once held lofty dreams, but now we live ignobly. Can Meng Ran and Yang Peng clear away the fog, cross the wilderness, and make a steady passage into the real world? Or are they headed for ruin? 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 88 After Being Driven Mad, She Took Revenge on Her Whole Family 被逼成疯批后，她报复了全家 [Revenge] [Both Leads Are Each Other's First] [Redemption] [Feel-Good Story] [Happy Ending] To seize the Su family's wealth, Chen Wei, a man who married into the family for money, plotted to kill his father-in-law and mother-in-law, then pushed his wife down the stairs. His daughter, Su Ying, had the surname Su, not Chen. To him, that was a disgrace. Her very existence constantly reminded him of the humiliating days he had spent in the Su family. So he wanted to get rid of her as soon as possibl 7.3kReads8.3Score45314d adds
- 89 Hai Nange's Second Book 海楠哥的第2本书 [Work + romance + plot + personal growth + lighthearted everyday life] Xu Liangfeng had just graduated from high school when he went to the big city to look for work. He ran into setback after setback, but he didn't lose heart and kept working hard. As he changed jobs frequently, he learned plenty of practical skills. Still, at every workplace, his managers both loved and hated him. They loved his competence and his humble, sincere nature, but hated how argumentative he could be. “Liangfeng, can 276Reads—Score—14d adds
- 90 My Years as a Migrant Worker in Shenzhen 我在深圳打工那些年 Two AI comic adaptations of this book are already online, and a third is in production. In 1997, I was 17, carrying 300 yuan as I left my hometown in Hunan and headed south to Shenzhen alone. With no skills and no temporary residence permit, I was chased by security patrols, turned away by factories, left hungry, and forced to spend nights hiding in a cemetery. I went from a penniless kid to a sewing-machine operator at a handbag factory, then seized the opportunities of the times, opened a shop 18.7kReads8.8Score1.5k14d adds
- 91 Shenzhen Stories: Sister Ji 深圳往事霁姐 You resent that I was born too soon; I resent that you were born too late. Though we could not live at the same time, we can still share a grave. Mo Chou happens to meet Wu Zhiji, a beautiful, kind-hearted young widow ten years her senior. Was it that love came too early, before she knew how to cherish it, or that by the time she learned to love, they had become strangers? Disclaimer: The locations, people, companies, and events in this book are unrelated to real life! 60Reads6.3Score—14d adds
- 92 Transmigration: I’m Crushing My Scumbag Ex in a Parallel World 穿越：我在平行世界爆虐渣男前夫 (Soul transmigration and a creative premise + healing from childhood family trauma) One morning, Tang Wanwan wakes up and discovers she has transmigrated... The wounds inflicted by your birth family must be healed within that family. Love is a kind of redemption, a light that gathers lost time. Somehow, it was all destined to be. She is financially independent, beautiful, and sophisticated. He is handsome and wickedly charming, but hopelessly addicted to gambling. It was love at first sight. She 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 93 Beneath the Form 形体之下 A story about a woman, for whom beauty is both an asset and a sin. Yu Jie is thirty-one, an aerobics instructor who believes hard work pays off. When a real estate tycoon offers her a 180,000-yuan bonus and a 300,000-yuan endorsement deal, she scoffs, resists, then convinces herself to “get just a little closer.” She doesn’t know the rules of that world: once you step inside, there are no boundaries. From prized mistress to businesswoman, from a broken marriage to having nothing at all, it tak 63Reads6.2Score—14d adds
- 94 Love Among the Mountains and Rivers 山水情 (Urban slice of life, inspirational growth, a nostalgic era, rich in detail) The beauty of mountains and rivers, the many faces of humanity, the fickleness of the world. The protagonist, Jiang Nan, knows right from wrong and values loyalty and affection. He grows from a poor boy who suffers humiliation into a fine young man admired by everyone. This story is grounded in real life, with family bonds, friendship, romance, and a deep love for his hometown. He leads the villagers to prosperity, ris 14.6kReads9.1Score1.6k14d adds
- 95 Aunt Mei 媚姨 Male Lead: Ding Yuan Female Lead: Liu Meiyi No one is reborn, and there is no System. This is an era of struggle belonging to the older generation! That year, Ding Yuan earned top marks in the imperial examinations, only to have his life stolen from him when his stepmother conspired with her family to switch his results. His father, unaware of the truth, set out on a rainy night to sell goods in the mountains and raise money for Ding Yuan to retake the exams. But the tractor overturned in a ravi 5.6kReads8.8Score48014d adds
- 96 True to Myself 本心 No one can live solely for others, but neither can we completely cast aside our responsibilities. In real life, we often waver between “living for others” and “living for ourselves,” all the while judged by moral standards. Family relationships are not static; they change over time. Families that endure hardship may fall apart, rebuild themselves, or eventually go their separate ways, living along parallel paths of their own. As we struggle to survive, how do we come to understand ourselves and 708Reads—Score—14d adds
- 97 Yun He of the Post-80s Generation 八零后的云禾 A story of an ordinary person from the bottom rung striving to rise, a youth that can only be remembered and never spoken of, and an all-or-nothing gamble whose outcome is unknown. A life in this world, half hardship and half sweetness. [I’m committed to telling every story well. Your subscriptions are what make it possible for me to tell them.] 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 98 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
- 99 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
- 100 What's Got You So Proud? 你牛什么牛 Also known as The Yueyue’s Terrible Mother-in-Law. Through the story of an unusually strong-willed woman’s life, this novel offers a profound look at the dialectical relationship between personality and fate. From many angles, it examines the rise of extreme feminism in contemporary society. It also gives serious thought to marriage and romance, raising children, and human relationships in the modern world. It offers important guidance for a new generation in the twenty-first century on developi 12Reads—Score—14d adds
