Half a Cup of Time, Half a Cup of Tea

Chronicling the everyday lives of ordinary people and looking back on the history of a city's development.

At the turn of the millennium, an icebound city in the north faces unprecedented urban transformation: shantytown renovation, the birth of a new city center, the rise of an urban sphere of influence, road expansions, the restoration of historical relics, and a host of other construction projects. Everywhere, the dazzling character for “demolition” can be seen. In the blink of an eye, many relocated residents become millionaires, even multimillionaires.

Wealth brings happiness, but it also brings troubles. Love, human nature, morality, and ethics all undergo tremendous changes under the influence of money.

A close look at the yearning for survival among ordinary people, their struggle to escape misfortune, and their hopes for a better life.

This book is a companion to Half a Cup of Passing Years, Half a Cup of Moonlight. Readers who feel the updates are slow can read that one instead, and learn the full story of what came before.